Chapter 8: Santoryu

Coby was aware of the presence behind his back long before the man spoke up; he had let him get that close because after a cursory sizing-up with his Haki, he found him lacking. On the mental plane, of course, since physically, the man was in tip-top shape. He had to be, to land so lithely and soundlessly on the balls of his feet after leaping off from such a height. Only the clinking of his swords in their sheaths would have given his position away, and even that was muted.

Not somebody to trifle with, but not somebody that will pose too much of a threat either.

If he could hold his own against some of the pirates in Shanks' crew, he could take on almost anybody.

Yes, Coby had been aware of him all the while. His field of "vision" had been commended by even Shanks to be impressive - most beginners took an inordinate amount of time to master the simplest form of Haki, while it was like he had a natural flair for it. It came to him naturally, opening up his inner eye to scan his surroundings periodically. Maybe it was his irrational fear of Alvida making good on her dark promises to return and punish his insubordination as she was handed over to the Marines that had him constantly looking back over his shoulder, half-expecting his old abusive captain to be hovering over him with that spiked mace and teeth bared in a humourless smile. Maybe it was exactly that tendency that allowed him to access his willpower so easily; he always wanted to know who or what was around him. It was like he instinctively knew what to do from the very beginning, and under Shanks' patient albeit relentless tutorage, he picked up the basics in a matter of days what others required years to.

"It's not stalking when the prey knows you're there." Coby pivoted, and got his first look at the swordsman. "And just to make it clear, I'm not exactly the type to be labelled a prey either." He had been once, never again.

If the swordsman with a mob of moss green hair was surprised, he didn't outwardly show it. He did, however, stop moving forward and remained a short distance away. His expression remained impassive, calm. Focused. "What gave me away?"

His stalker looked every bit as he had imagined – tall and muscularly lean and in excellent shape. He was clad in a plain white top with a black bandanna tied around one bicep and a green haramaki around his waist. The scabbards of his three – three? – swords were secured around his right hip with the cloth and his right hand rested over the hilts, ready to draw and do battle at a moment's notice.

Coby smiled. His stealth would have been damn near perfect, if not for his Haki, but he held that piece of valuable information close to his chest. He wasn't about to go running around and announce his competency as of yet. "I have extremely good hearing," he lied.

The swordsman shook his head, his right hand palming the hilts of his swords to the left of his hip. "Impossible. Not even a Berudian would have been able to detect me, and their heightened senses are unmatched by any other human."

Coby shrugged. "Then maybe I'm not human."

"I don't think so." A cocked eyebrow. "You're every bit as human as me."

"Well, if you're just going to throw back every possible explanation I'm giving you, then I can't help you. Figure it out on your own."

A quicksilver grin, a flash of violence in those dark eyes. "Will you tell me if I best you, one-on-one?"

"So that's what you're here for? To pick a fight?"

He folded his arms. "Of course. What other reason could there be? And after I bring you down, your captain's next."

"Hah. You're with those bounty hunters from before, aren't you?"

"Don't even put me in the same sentence as those vermin." Disgust-laced words spoken with censure. "They are nothing in comparison."

"Well, I'm sorry to break your bubble," Coby answered, eyeing the green-haired man carefully just in case he dropped the friendly chatter and decided to attack. He knew from experience how some people loved to play dirty – they would take whatever advantage they could get. The swordsman didn't strike him as dishonourable, but he wasn't going to leave anything to chance. That's how people lose to inferior opponents – they underestimated them. "But you're not going to be getting past me to my captain, so you can forget about it."

"COBY!" Luffy's worried voice interrupted the deceptively casual conversation, and the pink-haired teenager glanced back at his captain who was busting a lung to get to him. "WHO'S THAT MOSS-HEAD? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

The green-haired man being called out bristled at the nickname. "DON'T CALL ME THAT! MY NAME IS ZORO, THE INFAMOUS PIRATE HUNTER AND THE ONE WHO'S GOING TO BRING YOU DOWN!"

Both of them ignored the fuming swordsman. "I'm fine, Luffy," Coby said, rotating on the spot once to get his point across. "You guys should go on ahead. I've got this."

Luffy slowed down when he reached his crewmate, though his eyebrows remained furrowed. "You got what? What does he want with you?" Nami arrived seconds later and hunched over immediately, hands on her knees, panting as if she had just ran a marathon.

"I really," she gasped out in between breaths, "need to work. On my. Cardio."

"He wants to fight with me," Coby said simply, as if that was explanation enough.

It apparently was, or at least to Luffy. "Oh." The straw-hat captain peered over his comrade's shoulder at the agitated swordsman cursing and swinging his sword in a circular motion in the air. "Are you going to? He looks mad."

"Yeah. You had all the fun previously; it's my turn now."

"DON'T PRETEND YOU CAN'T HEAR WHAT I'M SAYING, YOU BASTARDS!" The man who announced himself as Zoro shouted. "AT LEAST SHOW ME SOME RESPECT HERE!"

Of course, that fell on deaf ears as well. "Alright." Luffy acquiesced easily, smiled at Coby and turned back to the direction they were originally heading in. "Nami and I will make a move first and find that baddie. You can catch up with us later. Don't take too long."

Coby nodded. "Of course. I'll be back even before you notice I'm gone."

"Great. Nami, let's go."

Nami looked daunted by the task of moving again. She crumbled into an unceremonious heap onto the floor. "Five more minutes, Luffy," she pleaded, her big doe eyes imploring, "I can't feel my bodyYEEEHHHHHH! LUFFY, LET GO OF ME OR I'LL KICK YOU SO HARD INTO NEXT YEAR – "

Coby chuckled wryly to himself as he watched his captain yank the redhead gracelessly along the ground, much like the way he had treated the sack of gold. Just as he registered that thought, he hazarded a quick glance towards the worn-out bag and breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw that it was exactly where he had left it: a swollen mound on a pile of sand, the grit and dirt having gotten into the burlap while being lugged and making it blend in with its coarse-grained surroundings.

Nami stopped struggling and kicking and darkly promising various violent deaths for their captain long enough to stare at him. "And as for you," she called out to him, ominous intent in those pretty brown irises, "protect the gold with your life. Under no circumstan – ouch! WILL YOU BE MORE CAREFUL WITH ME, LUFFY?"

Their captain said something inaudible to the redhead, and her expression morphed into one of self-righteous affront. "You're dead," she hissed with venom, "YOU'RE SO DEAD. YOU DO NOT TELL A WOMAN SHE'S FAT, YOU BRAIN DEAD MORON! I'LL DEAL WITH YOU LATER. COBY!" She jabbed a finger at the first mate – an amusing sight, what with her on her behind and being pulled by the collar by Luffy. Her finger kept bobbling up and down due to the bumpy ride. "DO NOT LOSE THAT GOLD. IF I SO MUCH AS FIND ONE BELI MISSING, I WILL CASTRATE YOU."

It almost physically hurt to supress the laughter bubbling up, but he managed. "Roger, ma'am!"

She returned her attention to their captain. "GODDAMNIT, LUFFY, LET ME GO!"

Shaking his head affectionately, Coby tore his gaze away from the amusing spectacle and back to his the swordsman. "Now, where were we?" he asked.

The swordsman was leaning against the trunk of a tree casually, back to his aloof self and straightened when Coby returned his attention to him. "Finally done? You have some messed up crewmates there."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Zoro frowned at his statement, no doubt sensing the underlying tones of loyalty and fondness. "Why? They're nothing more than just troublemakers. If I was you, I'll be happy to be rid of them."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong." Coby shrugged. "I don't know how to explain it, but I've come to see them as family. They may be a handful – one in particular – but so be it. That's what makes them who they are, and I would never change anything about them. We might not have been through a lot together yet, but I know for certain that they'll have my back and I'll have theirs."

Coby thought he saw a faraway look in the swordsman's eyes, whispering of a deep wistfulness and longing, but it was gone so fast he must have imagined it. "I've had enough of this pointless chatter," Zoro snapped, and there was anger in those words. Something had gotten him worked up, though Coby couldn't begin to fathom what it was. "You were about to accept my challenge, if I do recall."

"Damn right I was." Coby grinned. Adrenaline coursed through his veins and he beckoned for his opponent to come at him. "What are we waiting for, then? I ain't got all day."

"I like your eagerness." Unsheathing two swords and leaving one in its scabbard, the green-haired man brandished the weapons with smooth, experienced strokes, the cutting edges of the blades gleaming thirstily in the sunlight. "I'll be merciful when I defeat you and grant you a swift, painless death."

Coby felt the side of his lips tug into a ghost of a smile. "It won't come to that, don't worry. I won't be the one losing."

"Enough talking! Draw your weapon and face me!"

"I don't have one."

Narrowed dark eyes. "Are you mocking me? You won't last a minute if that's the case. I'll cut you down before you can even react."

Coby allowed the smile to fully form, and was rewarded with the clenching of the swordsman's jaw. "You'll be surprised," he said simply, honestly.

"You have chosen your destiny. This will be over in an instant."

And with those words, the swordsman pushed off the ground, moving so quickly he was almost a blur. He would have caught Coby off guard if not for his Haki which prompted him to dodge, and even then, rusty from disuse, he was slow to manoeuvre his body away from the tip of one of the blades and it drew blood across his arm. Wincing inwardly, the first mate rubbed at his new wound. Maybe he had underestimated –

Zoro didn't allow him even the briefest of respites. He was back on him before Coby could catch a breath but it didn't matter. Once again, his Haki took over, and this time, there was no hesitation on his part. He let it take over completely, guiding his body in rhythm with every swing of Zoro's sword that was meant to sever him in half. He saw each move that the swordsman wanted to make before he physically executed it and dodged all of it with small, precise twists of his body. He had to give Zoro credit though – that man was fast and tenacious. With his dual wield and speed that exceeded human limitations, he slashed and hacked at him relentlessly without any signs of tiring, gallant despite none of his attacks landing.

Finally, Coby took advantage of the swordsman's flagging strength and struck out with an uppercut after a side-step that left him with enough space to counter. It connected perfectly, and a surprised gurgle left Zoro's mouth as he was knocked off his feet. Coby launched himself at his adversary and followed up with a downwards elbow straight to his midriff, hitting him square in the solar plexus. The impact sent the swordsman hurtling to the ground where he groaned and writhed in pain, but he pushed himself onto his knees and struggled back to his feet immediately.

"Not bad. I might have underestimated you a little. You're faster than I gave you credit for," Coby said, eyeing Zoro as he spit out a glob of blood. "But speed isn't enough to defeat me. Not when I'm able to read your movements and intention."

Instead of replying, Zoro laughed loudly. Fucking laughed, as if he hadn't just gotten his ass handed to him on a silver platter. He laughed as if being knocked to the ground was the funniest thing in the world. He clutched at his stomach with one hand as his uncontrollable laughter went on and had to stab a blade into the ground to use as a support for the other.

His entire frame quaked with mirth.

"What the hell is so funny?" Coby growled, irritated by his lack of tact. They were in the middle of a fight, for the love of the Sea Devil. He wondered dimly if he had simultaneously knocked something loose in Zoro's head.

Zoro visibly struggled to rein in his amusement, and it was a few more seconds before his laughter subsided entirely – a few seconds where Coby got progressively angrier and was ready to pummel his opponent to the ground. Only his pride and honour held him back; he wasn't going to attack someone defenceless. Sometimes, he really hated his virtuous side.

Zoro met his eyes then, and his was blazing with hunger. "I'm just thinking that I haven't felt this alive in so long. I've finally found someone who I can't cut into shreds, and that thrills me so much!" He grinned, his teeth stained crimson from his blood. He must have bit himself at some point. "I CAN ACTUALLY GO ALL OUT NOW WITHOUT WORRYING THAT THERE WILL BE NOTHING LEFT OF YOU TO BURY! THIS IS GLORIOUS!"

Coby could relate somewhat to his rationalisation - finding someone worthy to spar with could prove to be an arduous task at times. He didn't have that problem on board of Shank's crew; almost everybody there were masters of their own craft and was able to take him out without lifting a single muscle. Still, he figured that the prospect of being able to go all out would be pleasing, but the swordsman across from him seemed to be taking it a little bit too far. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked. "You might have a screw loose."

"I'm better than fine," Zoro insisted, his grin never once faltering. He slowly got to his feet before retrieving the sunken blade and brandishing both of them. "Prepare yourself, worthy adversary. You're about to witness a style of swordplay that few has seen, and none has survived to tell the tale."

Coby quirked an eyebrow, but didn't comment in favour of observing. The swordsman reached for the hilt of the unused blade, unsheathing and throwing it into the air in one smooth movement. The blade reflected the sunlight at different angles as it spun, suspended in the air, casting brilliant rays in all directions like a kaleidoscope. When it plummeted towards the ground, Coby was rendered speechless when Zoro leapt upwards and caught it tightly between his teeth. He landed nimbly and held out all three of his blades at the ready. "Santoryu, the three swords style. Nobody has managed to best me yet when I get serious." The edge of his lips pulled sideways into a small smile. "And you're not going to be breaking my streak."

Coby wasn't overly worried. His Haki, woefully inadequate in comparison to that of anybody on Shanks' crew, should nevertheless still be sufficient to bail him out of any situation in the East Blue. Still, he wasn't going to lie and say that he felt extremely confident because, well, he wasn't. After all, he's looking at something he had never seen before even after those years he spent traversing the seas with Shanks.

He supposed he could pick up the facets of the unique sword style as he went along - his Haki would just have to tide him over until he had it all figured out and could counter without any risk of harm. And worst comes to worst, he still had that to fall back on, though he'll prefer if he didn't have to utilise it – the repercussions were a real pain to deal with.

"We'll see about that," he said, fingering the edges of his neckerchief tied around his wrist absently. It was a habit he couldn't shed. "Maybe you'll actually be able to graze me this time."

Zoro's eyes narrowed briefly, and then he was charging towards him with a roar. The killing intent radiating off of his aura was so strong Coby had no issues with evading any of the attacks. The addition of a sword opened up a whole new spectrum of combinations for Zoro, and it was evident in the way Coby found himself forced into full defensive mode with every barrage the swordsman threw at him, and his usage of Haki was well into overdrive to merely keep up. They were at an impasse; with all his Haki concentrated on predicting and avoiding his constant onslaught, he wasn't getting hit, but he was unable to find any openings to land a blow of his own.

Surprisingly, unlike before, he showed no signs of fatigue or slowing down, and that was what first alarmed him. He was quickly reaching the upper crests of his reserves - Haki sapped an exorbitant amount of energy - and the animalistic gleam in Zoro's eyes sparked an explosion of panic in his chest. He kept on going like clockwerk and Coby soon found himself forgoing perfect defence for a chance at striking back, to create some space for himself to regroup and strategize his next move.

When Zoro came forth once again with a flurry of slashes, he narrowly sidestepped the vertical hacks from his dual wielded blades and ducked under the horizontal swipe of the sword clutched in between his teeth. Sensing a small window of opportunity, he lashed out with a kick meant to push the swordsman back and had the satisfaction of his boot making solid contact with Zoro's abdomen. However, Zoro merely grunted from the impact, and undaunted, was back in his face again, catching the first mate off guard.

Coby swore as he dove out of the way from desperation, the blades slicing through the air where he once was milliseconds ago. He broke the momentum of his fall by breaking into a roll, but his muscles were quivering from exhaustion and he was left sprawled out on his front on the grainy ground at the end of the tumble, turning the air blue with curses. He was in real trouble now, but even if he wanted to call upon the help of it, he had to get some space to concentrate –

"This is the end," he heard the swordsman declare, and Coby flipped onto his rear in time to see Zoro sailing through the air, the piercing end of the two blades ready to skewer him through the chest.

Calling on a last burst of energy, his weary muscles protesting sharply, Coby rolled on his side to evade what would have been the finishing blow. He was just in the nick of time; he felt the swoosh as the swords embedded themselves in the sand inches beside his face.

He scampered to his feet and back-pedalled, putting some distance between them. Zoro was breathing as heavily as he was, the creases on his forehead in sharp relief as they stared at each other with grudging respect.

But Coby knew for sure that neither of them was going to back down until a winner was determined.

"You're not half bad, Zoro the Pirate Hunter."

"I could say the same about you, pinky."

Coby tried to look as annoyed as possible in his current state, but even that took a herculean amount of effort and he gave up. "The name's Coby, mossy."

"Don't call me that!"

"Then don't call me pinky!"

Zoro plucked the blades out of the sand and inspected it to ensure it's clean before resuming his fighting stance, to which Coby inwardly groaned. He thought that they could engage in a little bit of small talk, giving him some time to recover his strength and stamina, but the swordsman clearly wasn't about to offer him such a luxury. "Let's go again, Coby. I still have your captain to take care of after I wipe the floor with you."

Coby sighed. Looks like he had no other choice but to use it. He didn't like being forced to play his trump card, but he had grossly misjudged how long the fight would go on for and had spent far too much energy on his Haki in one go.

"Hold on. If you're going all out, I think it's only fair if I do the same as well." Coby tapped the neckerchief tied to his wrist, once a treasured possession of Shanks, now entrusted to him as his former captain no longer had a use for it, his mastery of Haki having long surpassed what the fabric could assist with. Closing his eyes, he focused and activated the neckerchief's innate Devil Fruit powers using his Haki. It responded immediately, greedily lapping at his willpower like a starved animal, eager to once again be of use after the stretch of disservice.

The neckerchief was "fed" a Devil Fruit by mistake during Shanks' youth; he had accidentally sliced open said fruit and a few drops of the juice landed on the fabric. It was absorbed, and the neckerchief, to his disbelief, gained a sheen of silvery white right in front of his wide eyes and turned from its initial color of a pristine white to a deep blue, the exact shade of its Devil Fruit - a rounded, bumpy and scaly blue fruit that resembled an exotic variety called a dragonfruit.

It had taken the red-haired pirate a few frustrating months of trial and error to divine for sure what the enchanted object was capable of, and when he did, it dawned on him exactly how the neckerchief could be utilised to its fullest potential.

As a training tool for his apprentices that were learning the art of Haki.

Zoro was looking at him expectantly, as if Coby was going to produce a weapon of mass destruction from his pockets. When that didn't happen, he squinted at him in suspicion. "Do something already, then. Nothing's happening!"

Coby chuckled. Oh, if he only knew. Already, he could feel the neckerchief working its magic, regulating the flow of Haki in his body, empowering him and giving him confidence to withstand anything that was thrown his way. "Not physically, anyway. It's done. Try to keep up with me now."

This time, Coby was the one to initiate.

"Are you sure he's going to be alright?" Nami fretted from his side, "that guy looked strong. He might actually be able to injure Coby, or even worse – "

"Calm down, Nami," Luffy instructed the redhead, slanting her a glance. He was worried too, but he trusted his companion absolutely. And absolute trust in Coby and his abilities meant that he couldn't go down that road of thought. Wouldn't permit himself to. "He'll be fine, you'll see."

"You don't know for sure! I say we turn back right now and check on him. If he's doing well, then we can let him be, but if he's not..." she trailed off, her expression grim.

The straw hat captain sighed. "Nami, he wanted this. He wouldn't want for us to interrupt, even if he really is losing. It's a matter of pride."

"Pride's not going to matter when he's dead, Luffy!"

"He's not going to die," Luffy said with conviction, and he found that he really did believe it. He had known Coby for awhile now, and even though he wasn't privy of what he might be capable of now after sailing with Shanks, he believed in him wholly. He wasn't going to let a nobody defeat him.

Nami met his eyes, her teeth gnawing on her lower lip. That action sent a jolt of lust straight to his groin, and he cursed the inappropriateness of it all. He definitely had to address this worrying issue soon; after this entire thing comes to an end, he assured himself. Right now, he had to remain all business. He couldn't afford any diversion.

"How could you be so certain?" she asked.

"Because I trust him." Luffy replied, as if that was the most natural thing in the world. "And I know that he will never let me down." He smiled at her and shrugged. "If I can't even trust my crewmates, who else can I trust?"

Nami didn't answer for a long time, and her expression was one of deep contemplation as they continued trekking on side by side. Luffy could see that his reply had stunned her, but the profoundly pensive look on her face hinted at a giant internal conflict that was anything but simple. He wondered if it was his words that were responsible for her mental debate, but felt no need to elaborate on his reasoning; the trust he had in Coby wasn't something he could explain with ease. Some people would call it blind faith, and it probably was, but that's just the way he is. She'll come to understand, he thought, she's smart.

Thankfully, when Nami spoke up again, it was about something else. "Luffy?" she bumped him with her shoulder, her voice uncharacteristically shaky. It reminded him of the first day he met her – it felt like ages ago, even though it was just a few days back – when she had seemed so vulnerable and small. After he had seen the vibrant side of her that was so full of life and passion, Luffy never wanted to see her that way again.

"Yeah?"

"Do you… trust me too?"

He didn't even have to think about it. "Of course. Without reservation."

There was a long pause before she replied. "Oh." She lowered her head, the single uttered word a bare whisper. The flatness of her answer left him with an inexplicable pang just above his sternum and he rubbed at it in bewilderment. He was really out of his element here. He didn't know what he was supposed to do, but some part of him was crying out to comfort the redhead even though he didn't have a friggin' clue what had caused her sudden change in behaviour. Nami just seemed so mellow and withdrawn that it pained him to even look at her. Was it something he had said? He thought back but came up empty. Nothing remotely offensive had been said, he was sure.

All he knew was that he had to tread carefully, if not for his sake, then for Nami's as well.

"Why? What's wrong?" he asked, trying to get a read on her emotions but failing. Her face was carefully blank, like a perfect mask.

"It's nothing." She gave him a half-smile that wasn't at all convincing before speeding up and taking the lead. "We should be reaching soon. Let's hurry up, yeah?"

Luffy sighed and scratched the back of his head. Should he push for an answer? This was all so complicated; he never asked for this. It wasn't hard to see that Nami meant him well by hiding her past from him, sealing away all her secrets. However, it was obviously troubling her – a lot, if her mood swings were any indication – and Luffy was so damn sure he could help, if she'll just stop being stubborn and reveal them to him.

But Nami was a part of his crew – even if she might not be a permanent fixture yet – and he will never give up on any of them. He decided that he'll slowly wear her iron-clad defences down, talk to her and persuade her to let him into her world. Everybody had demons plaguing them, and sometimes all we need is a little help to make the difference, to cease the haunting once and for all.

He'll just have to make her see things from his point of view.

"Yeah," he said to his navigator. "Let's finish this as soon as possible."

A/N: So Coby finally got the fight he wanted, but has he bitten off more than he could chew? Zoro is no push-over, as well all know... And what's up with that neckerchief? What kind of Devil Fruit ability does it have to be able to control the flow of Haki in his body? Hmmm... Oh, and Luffy is confused. Again. Go figure, huh?

So a very good morning, afternoon or night to all of you! There were numerous responses to my previous chapter, mostly about the giant chunk of information about the Devil Fruit appraisers, and if you people will go back and read through that portion, you'll find out it's gone and replaced with a much shorter, compressed version. Thank you for the feedback and please do keep in mind that I'm honestly not a good author and I'm still learning as I go. So constructive criticism is always appreciated! (For those that commented regarding the few paragraphs of exposition, I have personally sent a PM to each of you so I'm not going to be posting my response here.)

Now, for the reviews...

GMann: Hmm, about sea stone. I think it's not a material that's as strong as diamond, but it just hinders the Devil Fruit users from coming close to it just because it saps their strength very quickly. Perhaps a long distance destructive Devil Fruit ability might be able to break it, but much of it still remains shrouded in mystery to us, doesn't it? From my point of view, I think since it's a part of the sea and Devil Fruits are susceptible to the powers of the sea, it should have a certain resistance to all sorts of Devil Fruit powers. But of course, the Energy fruit might be different, considering it's special. We'll just have to see about that, won't we? :P

It's a much more even fight than you expected, I presume. Even though Coby did train under a Yonko, he didn't have a lot of time, and it takes years for someone to truly master Haki. So I think this is how it will go down if a fight really did happen, and Coby will need a sort of power boost to really take down Zoro, which is going to be revealed in the next chapter. ;)

Darth Prime: It's very good to have someone like you reviewing simply because the way you rationalize really helps to put things in perspective for me. I tend to miss out certain things which you point out and alert me of, so for that, I'm highly thankful. Hmm, about the Luffy harem, I'm thinking of keeping the entire thing under wraps first, so I don't want to make too many promises I might end up unable to keep, but as of right now, I'm planning for there to be FIVE girls. So there'll be three additional ones, besides for Luffy and Robin. Anymore and it might end up being too complicated to tie up at the end...

Yes, regarding that exposition, I envisioned a cut scene in anime where a narrator sort of takes over and brings us to another small plot for awhile. I guess it doesn't work as well here in a story, so that's a bummer, but I'll find another way to work it into the plot. Thank you for your help!

xXCoopyXx: Hello, new reader! Well, I won't go as far to say as this story is better than the other two, purely because different people like different genres and they cater to a different target audience. Personally, I have always preferred contemporary stuff because it's easier for me to write and more relatable. This is a new experience for me, and exciting in its own way. Priority-wise, it will be this story due to the sheer size of it and my goal to finish it before the end of my army (which is in roughly more than a year's time) Actually, I update every one to two weeks, four to six weeks is kind of an exaggeration - I understand that people get impatient when a story isn't updated for a long time. So I make it a point to actually push out chapters as fast as possible. I'm uploading them as fast as I can write them. (I procrastinate quite alot, so... :P) Yep, I'm not going to be throwing canon One Piece out the window entirely. I'm still going to be following the timeline, the islands they visit and stick closely to it because the plot is still pretty much the same - Luffy still wants to be the Pirate King after all. The characters they meet, the crew members they recruit will be different though, so naturally there will be changes here and there, but it won't be something too drastic, no worries there! Thank you for reviewing! :)

sketchtheunicorn: Thank you for taking time to read my story! I think you're actually right, I'll have to find a way to make the first chapter less boring and more engaging. It's necessary though, like you said, so I'm reluctant to change it up too much, but perhaps I could incorporate some dialogue inside to make it not so mundane. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Well that's it for now! Until next time!