BROTHER ON BOARD
pipi96 - I'm glad you think Sabo's funny. Just my way of trying to recreate the amazing humor that comes from One Piece. And yes, Zoro's got his hands full dealing with Luffy and Sabo. Should be fun.
Fairy of the Friz - Thanks. I hope you'll like Sabo in this chapter too.
LittlemissTraffy - Yup, now they're going to be an insane trio and spread their insanity through the East Blue.
Mikila94 - I've always seen Devil Fruit as one of the most creative aspects in One Piece. I've seen plenty of super heroes with rubber powers but Luffy uses his in a completely unique way. It would be a shame to pass up on trying to do something fun like that with Sabo. I haven't fully decided on what power I want to give him yet since its still a long way off but I've got a couple of cool ideas. Also, it's not Robin. Honestly, I think she'd find Sabo and his relationship with Bonnie to be too immature.
Johnny Spectre - I'm planning on shaking things up. The end of this chapter is just a taste of how I plan to have Sabo mess with the canon storyline.
dhampire712 - Chopper's insanity is more subtle than some of the others. But it's still there. He'll do anything for approval. Look at how he reacts whenever he gets praised. It comes from being isolated and alone most of his early life. He latched on to Hiriluk because he was the first person to show him any kindness and was completely and utterly devoted to him. Even if Hiriluk was a horrible person, Chopper still would have stuck by him because he was his first friend. Now that devotion has passed on to Luffy and Chopper will do anything for him (unless he's too scared). Also, by reindeer standards, Chopper is completely insane. Everyone knows that the proper reindeer reaction to humans is to bolt and run for it. Reindeer that hang around humans end up getting shot or stuck pulling some fat guy's sleigh.
lostdog200 - Glad you like the story. I plan on having fun with this and shaking things up. So we'll see what happens.
Son of Whitebeard - And now you'll get to see Nami's.
Morgan-
High above Shells Town on the roof of the marine base, Marine Captain Morgan had an entire squad of marines working on a special project. They were erecting a massive statue of him.
"Alright, stop there!" Captain Morgan ordered, "Pull it up in one shot."
"Father!" Helmeppo whined, "Why aren't you going to get revenge!? That guy hit me! Not even you've ever hit me in the face!"
"Do you know why I've never hit you before?" Captain Morgan asked.
"Eh? Because you think I'm…"
"Yes. Because you're…"
POW!
Morgan slugged his son in the face sent him flying into a wall.
"…A STUPID SON WHO ISN'T EVEN WORTH HITTING!"
Captain Morgan towered over Helmeppo and at that moment you could tell that the father and son duo were nothing alike. Marine Captain 'Ax-Hand' Morgan was tall, tan and muscular with close cropped blond hair. His jaw was replaced with a menacing metal jaw with 'mowe' carved into it under a marine seagull. His namesake was a sharp black ax that was embedded in his arm in place of his right hand.
"Don't get the wrong idea!" Captain Morgan growled as he hooked the stick of his ax into Helmeppo's collar and hoisted his son into the air. "I let you use my authority in town but I'm the one who is great. Me!" Morgan tossed his son away from him and turned around. "By the way, I heard that a rat snuck into the holding yard."
"Uh, if you mean that little pipsqueak," Helmeppo stammered, "I made sure she was dealt with!"
"You killed her, I hope?" Captain Morgan asked.
"No! I mean, she was just a little kid!" Helmeppo pointed out.
"You there!" Captain Morgan pointed to Lieutenant Junior Grade Rokkaku. His rank was marked with a green neck tie in place of the regular blue. "Go into town and exterminate her."
"You can't be serious!" Rokkaku said, "She's just a little girl! I can't in good conscience…"
"Anyone who disobeys my orders is a traitor," Captain Morgan stated, "Even little brats."
"I… I can't do it!" Rokkaku refused.
CHOP!
Morgan raised his ax-hand over head and brought it down on Rokkaku.
"LIEUTENANT!" some marines cried out as he hit the ground.
"You… you didn't have to go that far!" Helmeppo gasped.
It was now official, as bad as Helmeppo was… his father Captain Morgan was way worse.
"It was with my own strength that I rose to the rank of Captain!" Captain Morgan said, "In this world, titles mean everything! That means that I, the Captain, highest ranking marine at this base, am the most superior person here! So everything I do I right! ISN'T THAT RIGHT?"
"Yes sir, you're absolutely correct!" the terrified squad of marines chorused and saluted.
"That kid's death can wait for now," Captain Morgan decided. He motioned to his giant statue. "Look, this statue is a symbol of my authority. It took many years to finally complete. Now stand it up! Display my greatness at the top of this base!"
The marines scrambled and went back to pulling up Captain Morgan's massive statue.
Luffy and Sabo had just arrived at the bottom of the base.
"That's weird," Luffy said, "There's no one here. We've gotta find that stupid son to get Zoro's sword back."
"I think I hear something up there," Sabo said as he tilted his head and looked upward.
"Huh?" Luffy grunted as he looked up along with Sabo.
TUNK!
As the marines were pulling up Captain Morgan's statue, the statues left hand knocked against the rooftop entrance into the base.
"You there!" Captain Morgan growled at the terrified marine holding the far left rope. "You bumped it, didn't you?"
"I'm sorry!" the marine quickly apologized, "I was careless!"
"I told you to think of this statue as me!" Captain Morgan said, "The slightest scratch or speck of dirt is treachery against me!"
"Maybe we should split up?" Sabo suggested.
"Right," Luffy agreed, "I'll check it out up there. You and Bonnie go inside and see if you can find anything."
"Aye sir," Sabo agreed as he grabbed the handle of the big green door and started to pull it open.
Luffy pull his arm back then shot his fist out and stretched his arm all the way up to the top of the marine base.
"GUM GUM ROCKET!" Luffy rocketed up into the air.
WOING!
"NOW YOU'LL PAY!" Captain Morgan roared as he raised his ax-hand over the marine that had bumped his statue. But he was distracted when Luffy came flying up over the roof.
"I jumped too far!" Luffy yelped. He grabbed onto one of the ropes that was tied onto the statue to stop himself. But in doing so, he yanked the ropes out of the hands of the marines.
WHAM!
The statue fell downward and hit the edge of the roof. The marine stared in horror as the top half of the statue broke off completely and plummeted.
"Oops… sorry!" Luffy apologized.
KROOOOM!
The top half of the statue hit the ground at the bottom of the base and shattered into pieces.
"The heck was that?" Sabo yelped as he spun around and stared out the door. "A statue? Oh boy Luffy, what did you do this time?"
"SEIZE HIM!" Captain Morgan screamed. "I'M GONNA CHOP HIS HEAD OFF!"
"Yes sir, right away!" the marines chorused.
"Father that's him!" Helmeppo called out as he pointed at Luffy, "He's the guy who hit me!"
"Oh, it's you!" Luffy realized as he turned his attention to Helmeppo who screamed out in alarm. "I've been looking for you! Come with me. There's something I want you to give back!"
"WAAAAH!" Helmeppo screamed as Luffy tucked him under his arm and ran off into the base.
"AFTER HIM!" Captain Morgan roared, "DON'T LET HIM ESCAPE!"
"Captain!" a marine called out as he stared off the roof of the base, "There's someone in the holding yard!"
"What?" Morgan asked as he turned and looked off the edge of the roof to see Coby running across the yard over to Zoro.
"I'm surrounded… by traitors…" Captain Morgan growled.
But Luffy and Sabo weren't the only ones who had broken into the marine base.
In an empty hallway, the orange haired pirate thief known as Nami dropped down from a vent in the ceiling. She made her way down the hallway but quickly pulled back as a group of marines ran passed.
"AFTER HIM! AFTER HIM!" the marines shouted.
"Someone just had to interrupt," Nami complained before she ran off in the other direction.
"Ah-ha, Captain Morgan's office," Sabo announced before he kicked open the door.
"What're you doing in here?" a pair of marines guarding the room demanded.
"I came to warn you!" Sabo quickly called out, "Pirates have broken into the base! They wrecked the statue and the Captain's pissed! One of them's going after his son!"
"What? Pirates?" the marines gasped. "So that's what all the commotion is about!"
"You'd better go and help!" Sabo advised. "Or do you want to have to explain to the Captain why you were holed up in his office when a pirate broke his statue and kidnapped his son?"
"Right, thanks for the tip off," the marines said as they rushed out of the office passed Sabo.
Sabo hefted his rifle off of his shoulder as he found himself alone in Captain Morgan's office, "Well that was easy, wasn't it? If nothing else, Luffy makes for a great distraction. Now let's see what we can find…"
Sabo went around Captain Morgan's desk and took a seat in the Captain's fancy chair. He rested Bonnie Anne against the desk then started to rummage through it.
"Oh look Bonnie, its Captain Morgan's logbook…" Sabo said as he pulled out a small book and flipped it open. "Messy handwriting… guess that's what happens when you lose your right hand. Looks like Captain Morgan keeps track of his own finances. Hmm… monthly tributes? I'm starting to like these marines less and less…"
Just then, Nami came running into the office.
"Captain Morgan! Pirates have broken into the base and are causing a commotion!" The girl trailed off when she saw Sabo sitting behind the desk. "Wait… you're not him."
"You again," Sabo noted, "I already cleared the room."
"I… you're that top hat guy from town," Nami realized as she recognized Sabo from their earlier encounters, "And the cruise ship… what're you doing here?"
"My name's Sabo," Sabo said, "I saved that cruise ship from those pirates and now I'm here to save this town from these marines."
"Save the town?" the thief repeated. "You can't fight the Marines. They'll call you a criminal."
"These marines are the criminals," Sabo said. He held up Captain Morgan logbook, "According to this, Captain Morgan makes everyone in town pay him a monthly tribute. It usually ends up totaling over five million berries. Most of that money went to paying for a giant statue. So that's a hundred million berries wasted."
"Monthly tribute? A hundred million berries?" Nami repeated. Those terms rang a bell with her.
"The worst part is, he hasn't even done anything to earn that money," Sabo said as he scanned the logbook. "This is a peaceful town. There've been no pirate attacks, no bandits, no trouble. The only thing that Captain Morgan did is capture some pirate called Kuro three years ago."
"Sounds almost as bad as a pirate," the thief replied.
"I can't stand people that abuse positions of authority that they didn't even earn," Sabo said. "Be they a pirate captain, a marine officer, a noble or a King, if they're in a position of authority they should use it to help people not lord themselves over everyone. My Captain and I are here to free Roronoa Zoro and take down these corrupt marines. With this book as proof, I can make sure Captain Morgan loses everything and is court martialed."
"Right… I'm just here for a map," Nami said.
"Feel free to search the Captain's desk," Sabo offered as he slipped Captain Morgan's logbook into his coat then picked up his rifle and came out from behind the desk. He stopped and eyed a picture of Captain Morgan that was on the wall. "Hold on…" Sabo went over to the picture and pulled it down to reveal a safe that was embedded in the wall behind it, "Figures he'd keep the safe behind the picture of himself. Now I've just gotta figure out the combination…"
"Hold on there, big guy," Nami said, "I think I can help you out there."
"You can crack this safe?" Sabo asked.
"I've got many talents," the thief replied with a wink as she approached Sabo.
Click!
Nami stopped in her tracks when she felt the barrel of a rifle press into her stomach.
"I don't think my girlfriend appreciates that," Sabo said. "You'd better apologize."
"Girlfriend? Apologize?" the confused girl repeated. "ARE YOU NUTS? It's just a gun!"
"She not just a gun," Sabo insisted as he tilted his rifle up and away from her, "She always has my back and is dedicated to helping me achieve my dream. I couldn't ask for a better partner."
"Look, do you want me to get that safe open or what?" Nami snapped.
"I thought you were here for a map," Sabo said.
"It's a special map," Nami replied. "Now get outta the way. I don't wanna risk upsetting your girlfriend again."
Sabo stepped out of the way and Nami walked up to the safe and pressed her ear against it as she worked the knob. A moment later she pulled the door open. "Done. But it doesn't look like my map's in here…"
"There's another safe behind that barrel over there," Sabo pointed out.
Nami turned and rushed over to the indicated safe and pulled it open. She didn't even have to bother cracking it. "Here it is!" Nami pulled out a roll of paper. "My map…" She trailed off when she unrolled it and read it. "DAMN PIRATES!"
"What's the matter?" Sabo asked.
"Some pirate named Buggy the Clown already stole it," Nami said, "He left a note behind to brag about it. Guess I'm going after him now." Nami scowled then headed for the door.
"Wait, I never got your name!" Sabo called after her.
"That's because I didn't give it," Nami replied. "But I will give you a piece of advice. Quit it with the heroics. Your heart may be in the right place but if you keep picking fights with pirates and corrupt marines, one of these days you're gonna bite off more than you can chew and you're gonna wind up dead. Then you won't be able to help anyone."
Nami left and Sabo stared after her before he turned his attention to Bonnie.
"Seems weird that we keep running into her though," Sabo said. He went back to the opened safe and gathered up the bills and small sack of gold that was stored inside. "This isn't much… but I can still make sure it gets back to the people that need it…"
Sabo tucked the money into his coat then hoisted his rifle onto his shoulder. "Let's go see if Luffy managed to find Zoro's swords…"
Zoro, Coby, Captain Morgan and all the marines stared at Luffy in shock.
Coby had been caught trying to untie Zoro and the two of them had been the target of Captain Morgan and a firing squad of marines. Zoro closed his eyes. It was all over.
But then Luffy appeared out of nowhere and took all the bullets for Zoro and Coby. But that wasn't the shocking thing. Instead of killing him, the bullets bounced off Luffy and whizzed passed the marines.
WOING!
"THAT WON'T WORK ON ME!" Luffy shouted. "I TOLD YA I WAS STRONG!"
"Who the hell are you?" Zoro gaped.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy," Luffy finally introduced himself, "And I'm the man who's gonna be King of the Pirates!"
"What? King of the Pirates?" Zoro repeated. "Do you have any idea what that means?"
"King of the Pirates is King of the Pirates," Luffy said simply. "Are there any other meanings?"
"I was shocked too," Coby chimed in, "But Luffy is serious. That's how he is. He intends to become the King of the Pirates and obtain this world's ultimate treasure… the One Piece."
"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed and held out the three swords he'd found in Helmeppo's room. "Here's your treasure! Which one is yours? I couldn't tell so I brought all three of 'em."
"All three are mine," Zoro answered, "I use Santoryu… Three-Sword-Style."
"You'll take 'em, right?" Luffy said as he once again offered the swords to the tied up swordsman. "If we fight together you'll be a government-defying villain. Would you prefer that or being killed by the Marines like this?"
Zoro smirked, "What are you, the devil's son? Fine…I guess this makes me crazy too but if the alternative means dying here… I'll be your pirate."
"YEAH!" Luffy cheered, "So you'll really join my crew? Alright! Woo-hoo! This is great!"
"Now untie these stupid ropes already!" Zoro scolded his new captain.
"Hmm… looks like Luffy's been through here…" Sabo realized as he stared at the opened door to Helmeppo's very feminine bedroom and the opened window on the far wall.
Sabo stepped over Helmeppo as he crossed the room and stared out the opened window at the holding yard. "Ah, there he is. Now how do I get back down there?"
Sabo turned and watched a barely conscious Helmeppo crawl out of his bedroom.
"Where does he think he's going?" Sabo wondered.
KLANG!
Zoro had finally come untied and was using all three of his swords to hold back the swords of no less than ten marines.
"Roronoa Zoro!" Captain Morgan growled.
"Wow! That's cool!" Luffy exclaimed as he watched his super-strong new crewmate hold off ten marines by himself.
"Move and your dead," Zoro warned the marines.
"Too scary!" one of them whimpered.
"I'll be a pirate," Zoro resolved as he stared at Luffy, "I promised you that. I'm officially a criminal now that I've fought the Marines. But I'll tell you this right now, I'm only going to fulfill my ambition to be the World's Greatest Swordsman. If I wind up having to give that up, you'd better accept responsibility and apologize to me!"
"The World's Greatest Swordsman?" Luffy repeated with a wide smile, "That sounds great! The King of the Pirates would need no less than that on his crew!"
"You sure talk big," Zoro noted, "At this point, whether it's as a criminal or whatever else, I will spread my name throughout the world!"
"WHAT'RE YOU STANDING AROUND FOR!?" Captain Morgan yelled at his men. "SLAUGHTER THEM THIS INSTANT!"
"Duck, Zoro!" Luffy called out as he pulled back his leg. "GUM GUM WHIP!"
WOING!
Luffy stretched his leg out and whipped it around to take down all the marines that Zoro had been holding back with his swords.
"GAH!" Captain Morgan gaped at his fallen men in surprise.
"You did it!" Coby gasped. "Incredible!"
"What the hell are you?" Zoro wondered.
"I ate the Gum Gum Fruit," Luffy answered, "Now I'm a Rubber Man."
"So he does have Devil Fruit Powers," Captain Morgan realized.
Captain Morgan's marines were terrified by Luffy and Zoro's crazy strength. "Captain! We don't stand a chance against them! These guys are crazy! We can't even handle Zoro by himself!"
Captain Morgna scowled, "This is a direct order! Everyone who spouted weakness just now… must shoot themselves in the head! I HAVE NO NEED FOR WEAKLING SOLDIERS!"
"There's something wrong with those marines," Zoro realized as Luffy charged at Captain Morgan and his men.
"LUFFY!" Coby cheered him on, "CRUSH THOSE MARINES!"
POW!
Luffy shot out his fist and Captain Morgan barely managed to block it with his ax.
Captain Morgan stepped back and threw off his officer's coat as he prepared for battle, "Rankless, low-status bums have no right whatsoever to defy me! I AM MARINE CAPTAIN 'AX-HAND' MORGAN!"
"I'm Luffy!" Luffy replied, "Nice to meetcha!"
"RAAH!" Morgan lunged and Luffy and swung his ax at his head but Luffy ducked under it and slipped passed him. Morgan spun around an raised his ax-arm over his head and brought it down.
KA-CHOP!
Luffy managed to jump over of the ax but Morgan's attack split the ground where it struck.
But while Captain Morgan's ax was still stuck in the ground, Luffy shot his feet out and drove them into his face.
WHAM!
Captain Morgan went flying backwards but managed to flip over into a low crouch. "You runt!" Luffy rushed in for another attack. "DIE!"
Captain Morgan raised his ax for another overhead strike but Luffy spun in the side in midair to avoid it, "NO THANKS!" Luffy kept spinning and slammed his foot upside Morgan's face.
THWHAM!
The Marine Captain went flying and this time landed on his back.
Captain Morgan's marines looked on in shock, "This Captain is… being trounced completely…"
Luffy jumped on Captain Morgan's chest and pulled him by the collar then started to deliver a series of hard punches right to the Marine Captain's metal jaw.
"You call yourself a marine?" Luffy asked. "You've destroyed Coby's dream!"
"HOLD IT, RIGHT THERE STRAW HAT!" Helmeppo suddenly called out. "CHECK THIS OUT!"
POW!
Luffy ignored Helmeppo and punched Captain Morgan in the face again.
"I SAID HOLD IT!" Helmeppo yelled, "ARE YOU STUPID!? PAY ATTENTION TO ME! I HAVE A HOSTAGE HERE!"
"Oi!" Zoro called out to Luffy who finally looked up to see Helmeppo weakly holding a pistol to Coby's head.
"if you value this guy's life, don't move!" Helmeppo ordered. "One move and I'll shoot!"
CLICK!
"Not so fast."
Helmeppo's legs started shaking as he felt the barrel of a rifle press into his own head. He looked back to see Sabo standing behind him with Bonnie Anne pressed into his head.
"You ever actually shot a gun before?" Sabo asked. "Or do you usually just have your daddy's men do everything for you? One thing you'd know if you ever did it for yourself is that headshots are really messy. That's why I usually aim for the body. But not this time… you pull that trigger and it'll be the last thing you ever do."
Coby's eyes locked with Luffy's and the pirate flash him a smile.
"LUFFY! I don't want to get in your way!" Cob"y called, "Even if it means dying!"
"You hear that, stupid son?" Luffy asked, "Coby isn't afraid to die!"
"WELL I AM!" Helmeppo shrieked, "DADDY KILL HIM!"
Captain Morgan stood back up and raised his ax up over Luffy's head.
"LUFFY, BEHIND YOU!" Coby shouted.
KER-CHOW!
The Marine Captain froze as he received to bullet to the chest courtesy of Bonnie Anne.
"ONI GIRI!"
SLIKA-SLICE!
Zoro charged in and slashed Captain Morgan with all three of his swords as he rushed passed.
"GUM GUM PISTOL!"
Luffy stretched his arm and shot his fist over Coby's head into Helmeppo's face.
KA-POW!
Both father and son dropped to the ground unconscious.
"Nice!" Luffy praised his two-man crew.
"My pleasure, Captain," Zoro replied as he pulled his sword out of his mouth.
Sabo walked over to Captain Morgan then looked over at Zoro and smirked. "Take that swordsman, I got him first!"
"Maybe," Zoro replied, "But I took him down, gun-freak!"
Captain Morgan's men stared at the three pirates in shock. "Captain Morgan's been beaten! Unbelievable! These guys are insane!"
"Insane, huh?" Sabo repeated. "People keep calling me that and I have no idea why." Sabo grinned and held up his rifle, "But my girlfriend here still have five shots left so if any of you guys would like to try arresting us, you're welcome to try."
Instead, Morgan's marines let out a loud cheer, "HURRAY! WE'RE FREE! MORGAN'S REIGN IF OVER! HURRAY OF THE MARINES!"
"Huh? Everyone's happy their Captain's been beaten?" Luffy asked.
"Everyone was just afraid of Morgan," Coby realized.
THUD!
Zoro clutched his stomach and dropped to the ground.
"What's wrong, Zoro? Are you hurt?" Coby asked as he rushed over.
"I'm… hungry…" Zoro answered.
"Oh, me too!" Luffy said.
"But you're always hungry," Sabo pointed out.
A large crowd was gathered outside a familiar tavern. They were all peering in the window for a chance to see the heroes that had defeated Captain Morgan and saved the town.
"I'M STUFFED!" Zoro shouted. There was a large pile of empty plates in front of him. "I was definitely at my rope's end having not eaten for three weeks!"
Rika and her mother laughed along with Coby at the bar.
"Huh? You're finished already?" Luffy asked as he pulled a fork out of his mouth.
"How the heck can you have a bigger appetite than me?" Zoro asked as he motioned to the even bigger pile of plates in front of Luffy.
"Rubber stomach," Sabo answered as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. There were only two plates in front of him. But Bonnie Annie was in the chair next to him.
"Uh… thank you for treating me to food too," Coby thanked Rika's mother.
"It's no problem," she replied with a kind smile, "After all, you did save the town."
"You're really amazing!" Rika gushed as she stared up at Luffy in awe.
"And I'm gonna be even more amazing," Luffy said, "'Cause I'm gonna be King of the Pirates."
"Am I really your first recruit besides the gun-nut?" Zoro asked.
"Hey, don't judge me and my relationship with my girlfriend!" Sabo retorted, "You're the one who can't commit himself to just one sword and has to use three, sword-swinger."
"Right… just me and you two lunatics," Zoro resolved, "Do you at least have a ship?"
"There," Luffy said as he pointed out the window at the tiny raft-boat they'd arrived in.
"That's it…" Zoro grumbled.
"But we'll have a bigger crew and a bigger ship before long!" Luffy insisted with a smile. "And a pirate flag too!"
"I think Luffy was born without any sense of planning…" Coby said.
"That's where I come in," Sabo stated, "We don't need hundreds of men. We'll settle for ten really special crewmates. Quality over quantity. Once we've got a handful of pirates and a decent ship, we'll head for the Grand Line."
Coby spat out his drink, "THE GRAND LINE? You can't go there! It's supposed to be a Pirate's Graveyard!"
"Is the Grand Line really that awful?" Rika asked.
"No way!" Sabo said before Coby got a chance to protest again. "It's the biggest and most famous ocean in the world. It's the place where the Pirate King Gold Roger hid his treasure the One Piece. So that means the Grand Line is the place where we'll make our dreams come true."
"Guess it can't be helped," Zoro reasoned, "Maybe that man is there somewhere."
"YOU CAN'T BE GOING ALONG WITH THIS?" Coby exclaimed.
"What're you so worked up about?" Luffy asked, "You're not coming."
"No, but I'm worried about you!" Coby admitted. "You and I haven't known each other for long but we are friends."
"Sure," Luffy agreed, "We're gonna part ways but we'll always be friends!"
"Since I was a kid I never had any friends," Coby said, "Much less anyone who would fight for my sake. But more than anything I never tried to fight for anything. But you guys have taught me how to live for my beliefs! I've decided to make my childhood dream come true! I want to join the Marines."
"Shouldn't you be worried about yourself then?" Zoro asked. "Even if you were just a chore boy, you did spend two years on Alvida's pirate ship. Don't underestimate the info-gathering skills of the Marines. If they find out about that, they'll never let you join."
"Don't worry, I've got a plan," Sabo said.
"You do?" Coby asked.
"Pardon me," the three pirates and Coby turned and saw a squad of marines entering the tavern. At the head of the group was a tanned marine with a green neck tie. He was Commander Ripper and with Captain Morgan out of commission he was now the highest ranking marine at the base. "Is it true that you are pirates?"
"Yeah," Luffy answered, "We even got our first crew mate. So that makes us an official crew."
"We appreciate that you saved our base and this town from that tyrant," Command Ripper said, "However, now that we know you are pirates, in the name of the Marines, we cannot stand by quietly… you will leave this town at once. Out of obligation, we will refrain from contacting headquarters."
The crowd outside the tavern complained, "Hey marines! How can you talk like that? Even you guys were terrified of Morgan! We owe these people our lives!"
"Look who's suddenly acting like they have a sense of justice," Sabo said as he stood up, "Don't do us any favors. I want you to tell headquarters what happened here. Tell them how we, the criminal pirates, served justice and took down your corrupt officer while you guys did nothing."
"Hold it right there!" Commander Ripper called out as Sabo fished into his coat… and pulled out Captain Morgan's logbook.
"This is your Captain's logbook," Sabo announced, "He kept a decent record of all his criminal activity which includes all the monthly tributes that these people had to pay him to stay alive. The most interesting part is the one hundred million berries of their money that he paid to have that statue made. That should be enough evidence to ensure that Ax-Hand Morgan spends the rest of his days in prison. I'm presenting it in front of all these witnesses so it can't just be swept under the carpet."
Commander Ripper reached out to take the logbook but Sabo turned and handed it off to Coby then he fished into his coat again and pulled out the sack of gold and wads of bills that he'd gotten out of Captain Morgan's safe.
"This is the money that Morgan had left in his safe," Sabo said, "If you're serious about turning things around and actually serving these people as opposed to abusing them, you'll see that they get it back."
Sabo handed the money off to Coby as well.
"This is Coby," Sabo said as he motioned to the boy. "We freed him from Iron Mace Alvida's crew on the way here. He's not a pirate. He wanted to be a marine but was discouraged when he saw you guys acting as thugs for a criminal tyrant and his bratty son."
"Now we're ready to leave," Sabo resolved. "But if you're going to chase us out of town as criminals then that means it's up to you to prove that you're better than us."
"See ya, Coby!" Luffy said as he and Zoro stood up. Zoro shouldered his swords while Luffy picked up Bonnie Anne and handed the rifle off to Sabo.
"You're really leaving?" Rika asked.
"Yup," Luffy replied, "Take care."
The marines and the crowd parted as the three pirates walked out of the tavern.
"Thank you, pirates!" a man called out.
"You saved our town, we'll always be grateful!"
"You're not pirates, you're heroes!"
Luffy smiled, Sabo grinned and Zoro smirked as they made their way to the ship.
Back in the tavern, Commander Ripper turned to survey Coby.
"So you want be a marine, kid?" he asked.
"…" Coby silently stared out the window after Luffy, Sabo and Zoro.
"They still helped me…" Coby thought to himself. "Even in the very end… I still ended up relying on them… Nothing's changed at all. Am I an idiot?"
"I'M NO KID!" Coby snapped. "I'M A MAN! AND IT'S MY DREAM TO BECOME A MARINE! I'LL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES!"
"Commander…" one of the other marines spoke up, "Can we really trust this kid on the word of a pirate? They could be planting him as a spy."
"Here, take this!" Coby said as he shoved the logbook and money into Captain Ripper's hands. "I don't need it BECAUSE I'M A MAN WHO WILL BECOME A MARINE OFFICER!"
"…" Commander Ripper stared down at Coby, "This may be a peaceful town but that doesn't change that fact that countless comrades of ours have been killed by pirates. Don't take the Marines lightly. Permission to join… granted!"
"Thank you, sir!" Coby exclaimed as he saluted.
"Coby will be able to handle everything else on his own," Luffy said. "I just know it."
"Was there a point to that back there?" Zoro asked when they'd reached the boat.
"I'm giving us some positive press," Sabo answered.
"It's weird way to leave a town," Zoro said as they climbed onto the boat, "I thought pirates were supposed to be hated."
"Being pirates means we're free to do whatever we want," Sabo replied, "No one ever said that pirates can't be heroes."
"LUFFY! SABO!"
The three pirates turned to see Coby standing on the shore with Rika and her mother.
"Thank you!" Coby called out as he saluted them, "I'll never forget all you've done for me!"
"I've never heard of pirates being thanked by a marine," Zoro said.
They dropped their sail and set off. Luffy turned and waved back at Coby, "LET'S MEET AGAIN SOMETIME, COBY!"
"BYE!" Rika shouted as she waved.
"GROUP SALUTE!" Commander Ripper ordered.
The three Straw Hat Pirates blinked in surprise as Commander Ripper and the entire squad of Shells Town Marines saluted them.
Sabo waved while Luffy shouted back as they sailed off, "SEE YA!"
"Those are some great friends you have there," Commander Ripper commented to Coby.
"Yes, sir," Coby agreed.
"Our salute just now is in violation of Marine Law!" Commander Ripper addressed the others. "Therefore we will go without food for three days! Understood?"
"Yes, sir!" Coby and the marines replied.
"Even if we're divided as pirates and marines let's meet again someday!" Coby thought to himself.
"Alright, our crew has finally set sail!" Luffy announced as he stood at the front of the boat. Sabo and Zoro sat against the sides behind him. "Looks like some pretty good adventures are awaiting us. I'll be King of the Pirates!"
"You really seem obsessed with this King of the Pirates, thing," Zoro noted. "Is there a reason for it?"
"No reason," Luffy said as his mind flashed back to Red Hair Shanks and his straw hat, "Except I swore to a certain man that someday I'd gather a great crew, find the world's greatest treasure and become King of the Pirates!"
"And what's your story?" Zoro asked.
"I'm gonna shake the world and take down the World Nobles," Sabo answered.
"Who?" Zoro asked.
"They're the worst examples of human life in the world," Sabo told him, "You thought that stupid son was bad? They're a hundred times worse. They actually keep people as slaves. I'm gonna take 'em down and make the world a better place."
"ALRIGHT! LET'S GO!" Luffy cheered, "LET'S SET SAIL FOR THE GRAND LINE!"
Silver signing off