My chest was killing me, and my head wasn't helping either. I felt like I was suffocating, I felt so cramped, I couldn't see anything; all I could smell was seawater, stale apples, and... wet wood. I slowly came to my senses, despite my disorienting situation, I began to realize, that wherever I was, I was moving.
Rolling, definitely rolling.
I heard grunts coming from somewhere as I slowly rolled... somewhere.
Rolling. Darkness. Wood. Was I... in a barrel? Why am I...
I'm supposed to be dead! I definitely felt that bullet knock the wind out of me, why am I in a barrel?!
WAIT!
Am I being trafficked?!
I began to hyperventilate, rocking around in the tiny container I was stuffed in, my nails scraping against the damp wood, trying to find some sort of imperfection, some sort of way out.
"HELLO?! SOMEONE HELP!" I screamed into the darkness, my shouts rang in my own ears, but I'm sure on the outside I was muffled. My voice... sounded off, but I chalked it up to hysteria and the barrel I was trapped in. I heard a gasp from outside, then silence, but my movement continued. The grunting had stopped, but I continued rolling, and I realized I was a runaway barrel with no pilot.
My barrel bumped into something, and I hit my head, though it didn't hurt as much as I expected. I heard no further noises or crashes, so I assume I just hit a wall. My movement stopped, and there were still no noises around me, so I continued my struggle at scraping the walls.
"Hello?! Who's out there?! Someone PLEASE help! They're gonna sell me off! Please someone help!" Silence.
I felt myself hyperventilate harder, what the FUCK is going on?! Where did the person pushing me go? What happened to that guy who shot me?! Where's my bullet wound?! I'm STARVING! Where's my mom?! Am I gonna die?! Why didn't I die?! Am I dead?!
Suddenly, I heard a creak from a floorboard outside my barrel, and my breath hitched, I didn't say anything.
"...hello?" a young, timid, muffled voice from maybe a few feet away.
"Yes! Hello! I'm in here! Please help!" I pleaded, my heart was pounding in my ears, please be my ticket out.
"Who are you? W-what are you doing in a barrel?! What w-were you doing floating at sea?!" Floating at sea?!
"I don't know man, I think I'm being trafficked! Or I was! You found me at sea, right?! Maybe there was a shipping issue or something?! I think it's divine intervention I found you! Please get me out of here!" I begged for my life, regardless of where I possibly was in the world, I just needed to escape. How far was I from home?! Didn't matter, I just needed to know if I was alright.
Suddenly, I heard several heavy sets of footsteps approaching, making my saviour clam up before he could give a coherent response or do anything that would lead to my escape.
"OI, Koby?!" a rough, angry man's voice sounded from outside the barrel. "What do you think you're doing with this barrel?! Trying to steal a sip of rum from Alvida's horde?!"
"Didn't know the pipsqueak had it in him." another man piped up, and was followed by several chuckles. Sounded like there were three men outside the barrel, and whoever they were, they had turned 'Koby' into a stuttering mess. Any hope of escape was ripped from my heart as I heard footsteps stomp towards the barrel.
"N-no, w-w-wait, please don't!" my "saviour" stuttered out, I heard the first guy laugh right next to my barrel.
"A little kid like you couldn't handle this all by himself, you're gonna have to share." As he said this, I began pushing harder and harder against the wood, my heart beating just as hard as when I met that man in the alley back home. The wood creaked, but it wouldn't give, there was hardly any room in there, I couldn't get a good position, but I kept pushing.
"Open 'er up!" one of the others exclaimed, and the rest cheered. I pushed harder and harder.
CREAK!
I felt the wood start to give a bit.
"HAHA! You got it!" the booming voice again. It's now or never.
"HRAAAAGH!"
"AHHHHHHHH!" As I heard him shout, my body gave one last Hurrah! The wood crumpled under my push, the barrel EXPLODING into pieces, strength I never knew I had erupting through my body; the big, burly man about to break open my barrel was sent flying against the wall, his head smacking against it, before falling limp on the floor. The other men screamed in surprise, the kid next to them, I assumed Koby, screamed in terror and hit the deck.
My head was on a swivel, looking for a way out as I tried to catch my breath. I was out, I was free! But my excitement fell flat when I realized the men in front of me, with their tattered clothes and swords, were PIRATES! I was on a PIRATE SHIP! Of ALL the places to end up!
The men in front of me recovered from their shock and drew their swords angrily. "OI KOBY! Is this a friend of yours?! Did you smuggle a bounty hunter onto the ship to claim Alvida's head?!" Koby tried to stutter out an explanation, but I wasn't listening to what anyone was saying, this was fight or flight. but after the altercation with the man in the alleyway, it was definitely flight over fight.
The two pirates took a step forward, pointing the tips of their swords at my chest, and I hopped back on instinct. In the moment of instinct, my back was suddenly against a wall. I blinked in surprise, my little "hop" had taken me to the other side of the room. Maybe the room was smaller than I expected?! I wasn't thinking straight, but I did notice the men staring at me in surprise as I was suddenly much further away from them.
My mind was racing; I looked at my surroundings, the only exit was the doorway behind the two men, Koby had backed into the opposite corner from me, trying to stay out of the conflict. Sweat dripped from my forehead, why was this all happening to me?! I stole a bit of money! Did I really deserve to be shot, stuffed into a barrel, set adrift at sea, and end up on a pirate ship?! I tried clearing my head, and I noticed I had been chewing on the tip of my thumb on my left hand, a nasty habit I had since I was a kid, but it helped me think. But as they closed in on me, I realized this wasn't a time for plans, but for action.
I took a breath... and SPRINTED forward, trying to catch them off guard. Which actually worked, as they didn't realize what was happening until I was already on them, and I barreled passed them before they could react, knocking them away. I ran out the door, and made a hard left down the long wooded hallway. I don't know where I thought I was running to, we were out at sea in the middle of nowhere, but I was in a frenzy; stumbling as I ran in... sandals? Why was I wearing sandals? Come to think of it, where were the clothes I was shot in? Glancing down, I was wearing sandals, blue jean shorts, and a red, button-up, sleeveless shirt, and I felt something sitting on top of my head.
I stopped thinking of my change of fashion when I came upon a ladder at the end of the hallway, and looking up, I saw what I wanted to see. Open sky. Freedom. The sun beat down on my face as I climbed the latter at top speed; one of the rungs broke under the weight of my foot as I stomped up the latter, but I caught myself and kept climbing. Up, up, up! I shot up through the opening, felt the cold breeze on my skin, the smell of saltwater in the air, the sun on my body... the stares of the rest of the crew. My heart leaped into my throat as they all stared at this confused, sweaty stranger on their ship; the pirates all looked as generic as you could get, headbands, tattered, striped shirts, flintlocks, swords, you name it. All of them were indistinguishable from one another... besides one.
Amongst all of them, one of them, a GIANT, monstrous woman stood, holding a MASSIVE, spiked, iron club. Her look of surprise changed to anger as she grit her teeth. "A STOWAWAY?! On MY ship?!" she stepped forward, and the whole ship rocked. The crewmates and I struggled to keep our balance, I began to panic. WHAT WAS I THINKING?! What do I do now?! I was surrounded?! And this MONSTER was gonna GOBBLE ME!
The men surrounded me, not even bothering to draw their weapons, as the woman took another step forward right in front of me. No signs of land anywhere, I felt my legs get weak, I frantically gnawed on my thumb, but there was nothing I could do. "You don't look like the Pirate Hunter Zoro... are you a wannabe bounty hunter, trying to claim my head?!" she barked, and I stumbled back in fear a bit. Let me tell you lady, I am definitely NOT the infamous Pirate Hunter, what bounty hunters did she know that wore jean shorts?
"N-no ma'am." I stuttered, taking my thumb out of my mouth. No doubt about it... my voice was different. "L-look, I was kidnapped a-and I think I was being trafficked or something, and I somehow ended up floating at sea... I-I'm grateful for you guys helping me, I just... really want to go home." I begged, I had no choice, these were pirates I know, but I had to try to appeal to emotion.
Unfortunately, she was heartless. "Trafficked?! HAHAHAHA!" she laughed at my misfortune. "I wouldn't buy you if you were free for the taking." she mocked. "However, I do need someone to pick up that snot nosed Koby's slack. So you can pay me back for saving your ass, you're gonna be one of my new deckhands!" She raised her club, and brought it down onto the deck, inches away from my feet, and I fell backwards, the other men were also kind of put off by the slam, as they instinctively stepped back in fear.
"P-please... I just want to go home!" I pleaded, but she laughed, her men followed suit, I was surrounded by a wave of laughter, I felt hot tears sting my eyes. The giant woman lifted her club and rested it on her shoulder, and she grinned.
"This IS your home!" the men and her laughed again. I began moving backwards on the ground.
"Nonononnonnonono, you monsters! Please!" my vision was getting blurry, and I couldn't tell if it was the tears, or if I was shutting down.
Everyone gasped, and Alvida gritted her teeth, I saw Koby's head peaking up in horror from the opening in the floor. "Who's a monster?!"
"ALVIDA, WAIT!" several men yelled from the crowd, everyone backed up, as the grip on her mace tightened.
"STRAW HAT BRAT! WHO'S THE MOST BEAUTFIUL WOMAN IN ALL OF THE SEAS?!" Alvida towered over me, I couldn't back up anymore as my back yet again met a wall.
I know what she wanted, but in my flurry of horror, I just bellowed. "You monsters! SOMEONE HELP!" Silence. Nothing but the sound of the waves, and the sound of Alvida's hand clenching her mace even tighter.
Finally, she let out a primal scream, and lifted her mace above her head. "GRAAAAAAAH!" she screamed.
"ALVIDA NO! THE SHIP CAN'T TAKE IT!" the men begged, and I closed my eyes. I felt the mace bash into the top of my head, and in my last moments of life, I felt my body burst through the floor, flying all the way below deck, brain matter probably spraying everywhere, as my life left my body...
...
...
...
My eyes opened, darkness. Well, not entirely, darkness with a bit of light passing through. Something was obscuring my vision. Slowly, I lifted my hand to my face, a felt something rough, and frail. I lift the item off my face, revealing it to be... a straw hat. I placed the hat to my side on the floor for a moment, slowly looking around, I was below deck, in some sort of storage space, sacks of apples, potatoes, barrels of Rum and Ale. My eyes moved upward, looking up at the new opening that was put into the floor above deck, all the men, Koby, and Alvida, looked down at me crumpled form; Koby looked down in horror, Alvida in satisfaction, and the crew had varying looks; some looked as satisfied as Alvida, some looked shocked, some looked horrified, some looked away as they probably thought they were looking down at a corpse.
I assessed my situation... that blow to my head didn't do a damn thing, I barely felt it! Even crashing through the floor all the way down here was almost nothing, if anything, it just felt like I got shoved. Just what in the hell was going on? No bullet wound, no head trauma, not even a splinter? In fact, the only thing I found uncomfortable at that moment was hunger.
"Koby!! Clean up my mess, would ya?!" Alvida bellowed, gesturing to my limp form, Koby stared down at me for a moment or two, before shakily giving her a nod. She gestured at a few other men. "AND FIX THIS HOLE!" and within that moment, everyone dispersed. With no one looking down at me anymore, I slowly crawled over to a barrel, and pulled myself up.
I shook the barrel a bit to figure out its contents, realizing it was a barrel of fruit, I tore off the lid and started chowing down. I couldn't take it anymore, I was STARVING. And I couldn't think on an empty stomach.
I was shocked with how fast I was putting down these apples, I was already halfway through the barrel before I heard a creak on the steps behind me. "YOU'RE STILL ALIVE?!" he exclaimed in shock, and I shushed him.
"Yeah, I don't know how I am, but I'm still kicking. This is all so confusing. One minute, I'm shot in an alleyway, next minute, I wake up with no wound in a barrel set adrift at sea, with unfamiliar clothing, a massive appetite, and apparently I'm indestructible now or something!" My head was a rollercoaster, I didn't know what to make of any of this.
Koby seemed to try and process it to. "I knew you were strange when you exploded out of that barrel and knocked out three men in an instant, you're unbelievable!" I froze.
"Three? I only remember the one! The big guy! When did I knock out the others?!" What was up with my body?
"You sent them flying through the wall when you shoved passed them!" The light shining down from makeshift sunroof Alvida had made helped me get a better look at Koby, this time without being in a panic. His purple mop of hair, crooked glasses, short stature. He really was just a kid.
I looked down at the straw hat I had placed on the ground, and picked it up, I felt a strange sort of... attachment to it... weird, it was just an old, worn hat. I placed it on my head, and gestured for Koby to bring us somewhere where we wouldn't be seen. "So...what's your story?" I was genuinely curious on how he ended up on a pirate ship of all places.
He looked at me rather sheepishly. "I was going on a fishing trip, and I uh... got on the wrong boat." he explained, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. I stared at him in astonishment.
"...how did you mistake these people for a fishing bo-"
"I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?!" he yelled angrily, I put my hands up in defence.
"Sorry I asked..."
We ended up in an old cabin that looked like it hadn't been used in a long time, I sneezed a few times as the dust went flying when we shut the door, making Koby shush me. There were two shabby bed frames with worn mattresses sitting on top of them, I plopped down on one of the beds, tired from the days events. "...what do we do?" I asked desperately.
Koby, to answer my question, opened up an old storage closet that sat in the corner of the room. Inside, was... the worst arts and crafts project I'd ever seen.
"I've been working on this for two years, and it's almost ready." He said proudly, he dragged it out of the closet, flipping it from its side onto its bottom, and I felt myself grow pale.
It was not a craft project... it was a boat... supposed to be a boat. Nails stuck out all which way; some bent. Wood chipped, rotted, and uneven.
I let myself fall back onto the mattress as dread pooled over me like a tidal wave. We were screwed.
I paced back and forth in the empty, dusty cabin; it was evening time, the sun setting, I heard the crew of men above me making a racket. Stomping, cheering, slamming, and the loudest of it all... chewing. I could smell the grub from here, and the apples were not tying me over like they should've, I've eaten two entire barrels for god's sake!
In the 5 or so hours I had been hiding, Koby had gone back to his "crew mates," telling them that my body had been tossed overboard. In the meanwhile, I had come to a realization...
The body I was in, was not my own. There was a full body mirror with an old sheet over it stored away in the closet next to the boat. When I removed the sheet, someone else was looking back at me in the mirror. This body was shorter, lankier, more tan, and... buffer. This body was thin, but the more I checked out this new body, the more muscle definition I began to see.
And to add to it... the body wasn't unfamiliar. I had seen this man (kid?) before. The new, most wanted man in the East, dethroning the Fishman, Arlong. Same straw hat, same scar under left eye, same smile.
And the name... I remembered it clearly, as it's what interested me the most.
Monkey D. Luffy.
D.
Just like me.
But... why?
I remember as I was in that alleyway, held at gunpoint... he was there too. Trapped on the execution platform by some guy in a clown costume. Did he die?
Did... we die?!
Was he in my body?!
A pirate! THE most wanted man in the East?! In my home town?! In MY body?! This was NOT good. Chewing on my thumb to calm my nerves, I decided that it was time to stop freaking out, and time to take charge. I weighed my options...
I was in the body of the most wanted man in the East, that probably meant strongest, right? Meanwhile, I've never even heard of "Alvida" before. Sure, she's strong enough to destroy her own ship with that giant iron club but... she smacked me with it, and I didn't even feel it! I knocked that one dude out busting my way out through the barrel, and I apparently knocked those other two guys out just by shoving them...
I stood in the storage closet, flexing my body in different poses in front of the old mirror, my muscles presenting themselves, I was pretty built. I looked around the closet, searching for something to test my strength.
After a few minutes of searching through the different crates and boxes of junk, I came upon a stack of crates, all containing cannonballs. I reached for the crate at the top of the stack, and lifted it up...with so much ease, I almost stumbled back with the crate. I laid it back down on the top, and stared at the stack for a moment.
Finally, I crouched down, and gripped the crate at the bottom of the stack, I took a breath, grit my teeth, and began to lift. This definitely took a lot more effort... but I was doing it! I jumped up and down lightly with the stack. This was incredible! I was so strong!
Stifling my excitement, I very carefully placed the stack down, and cracked my knuckles. I had a chance! I was strong, fast, and incredibly durable! I could take this whole ship down! Koby and I could be free!
I sat down on a bed, giddy with excitement! Now... what's my first move?
The shocked looks on the faces of the Alvida pirates brought me joy; the door I had punched was sent flying into the dining room, barreling into several men, pieces of food and plates flying everywhere. Alvida's face, still covered in sauce and crumbs from the food she had been devouring, contorted in absolute fury as she glared at Koby, who cowered under the table.
I had never felt so confident before in my life; I was always so... weak, average, kind of pathetic to be perfectly honest. But this strength... it gave me a high, a high I would not get over anytime soon. "KOBY!! YOU TOLD ME HE HAD BEEN DEALT WITH!! I WAS RIGHT!! HE IS A BOUNTY HUNTER!! That performance he put on earlier was BULL!" she rose to her feet, her mace that was resting against the side of the table was lifted into her chunky hands. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT TRICK YOU PULLED TO SURVIVE, BUT THIS TIME I'M SENDING YOU FURTHER THAN BELOW DECK! You're getting sent STRAIGHT to the bottom of the ocean!"
She smashed the table in front of her with her mace, the blow shaking the whole ship and sending all of the men in the room flying or cowering, but I stood my ground.
I smirked. "I barely felt that smack from earlier! Is that mace really made of iron? Or was it your weight that tore that hole in the ship?!" I laughed manically, all the men gasped, and Alvida let out a roar.
"YOU SNOT NOSED BRAAAAT!!!" she towered over me, and brought her weapon down on my head, but I didn't buckle, I held myself up. A loud CLANG rang throughout the ship, she stared in shock as I stood there, unfazed. She lifted her mace, even my hat seemed to be fine, I looked up at her, flashing an evil grin.
In an instant, I leaped forward, grabbing her by the neck of her shirt, and with a burst of power, LIFTED her off the ground, and threw her over my shoulder, and out the door, her massive form breaking the doorframe, it was a wonder how she even got in here.
All the men just watched in horror as their captain was rag dolled from the dining room to the main deck. I walked through the doorway, the setting sun shining beautifully on the ship. Alvida struggled to get to her feet, breathing heavy; if looks could kill...
"YOUUUUU..." right as she got to her feet, I sped right in front of her, and hit her chin with a heavy uppercut, knocking her into the air, before crashing hard on her back onto the deck; the recently fixed hole began to crack again.
I circled around her, my legs inches from where her head rested; I stared down at her menacingly... well, as menacing as a boy in a straw hat can be. She stared up at me, glaring with murderous intent, a bruise already forming under her chin, sweat poured down her chunky face, and I could see something hidden under that look of fury.
Fear.
"This wouldn't be happening if you'd just helped me get home, even if you gave me a dingy... but you've forced my hand!" my head shot around at the men surrounding us, all of them were too scared to move; cowering, shaking, a bunch of cowards. "Listen up!" I yelled at them, and they all snapped to attention. "I, Harb D. Porter, the strongest bounty hunter in the East, will not pummel you to pieces and turn you in, if you give me... er, Koby and I, a boat!"
The whole crowd of men moved in an instant, clambering to one of the little sail boats hung on the side of the ship. "DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!!" Alvida demanded, but they weren't listening, as they readied to drop the boat. "COWARDS!!!" She screamed. I grabbed the dumbfounded Koby by the wrist, and leaped downward into the little boat; the waves from the impact rocking it back and forth furiously, we began to set sail.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins, I was giddy, giggling to myself like a madman. Koby, still wasn't processing what had happened. "I-I, y-y-ou, w-we... WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! YOU JUST FLATTENED ALVIDA LIKE IT WAS NOTHING!!" he was in shambles, and I grinned.
"What do ya think? This boats a lot better than that raft you were building, aye? HAHAAHAHA" This was mind blowing, whatever situation I was in, whatever was happening to me, why I was in this body. Didn't matter. My old life? Didn't matter. Now THIS was excitement, this was power... this was Satisfaction.
Monkey D. Luffy.
What an interesting body you have.
You can have my body.
Because you're NOT getting this one back.
Little did I know, that the spirit known as Monkey D. Luffy, and the body of Harb D. Porter, were no more.