I'm back, with another exciting chapter of 'The Monkey King'. To all my American readers, Happy Independence Day! To the rest of the world, happy first Monday of July, I guess. I would like to take a second to thank you guys and gals for reading this. We just hit 150 favorites, and we're almost to 200 followers.

Character Ages:

Zoro: 19

Rika: 12

Helmeppo: 16

Morgan: 45

Berry Value: 100 Berries=$100 USD

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. Unless you're talking about the manga, in which case, I own over 70 volumes of One Piece. But I don't think that's the same thing, so...

Previously, on 'The Monkey King'...

"Nothing is impossible unless you tell yourself it is. No matter how crazy or stupid your dreams may be, as long as you never give up on them, they will always be there, just waiting for you to reach out and touch them."

Shells Town Docks...

They pulled up to the pier, and Luffy leaped out, tying the boat to a post. Looking around, he observed the small town they had arrived in. It had a simple main street that led from the docks to the Marine base, passing a few shops and houses along the way. A few people were out getting food from the stalls, while others sat at a café and talked about whatever was new in their lives. As Luffy tied off the knot, he was approached by a man with a ledger.

"It costs 100 Berries to dock here, sir," the man said, looking to the dinghy. "I'll also need your name, and the name of your companion," he added, pointing to Coby.

Looking around, Luffy realized that Nami had stealthily crept away, and was now nowhere to be seen. Shrugging it off, Luffy reached into his pocket and grabbed a wad of bills. "Here's eleven hundred, and we forget the names," he said, slipping the money into the man's coat pocket.

"Welcome to Shells Town, Mr. Smith, Mr. Johnson. Please enjoy your visit," the man replied, quickly walking back to the boat house.

"Well, come along then, 'Mr. Johnson'," Luffy said, gesturing for Coby to follow him.

"What was that all about, Luffy?" Coby asked as they walked down the street.

"Well, I'm a pirate, and you want to be a Marine. It wouldn't look good for you if our names showed up together in an official logbook like that. More importantly, I'm hungry," Luffy answered, tossing a coin to a street vendor and taking a pear. "So, do you know anything about this place, Coby?"

"Well, from what I've heard, the Marines recently arrested a bounty hunter named Zoro," Coby replied. When he mentioned Zoro, the townspeople all flinched, taking a step back from the two of them.

'Interesting,' Luffy thought, wondering what could have happened to cause a reaction like that.

"This is also a pretty famous local Marine base. It's led by Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan."

Once again, the villagers backed away from them with fear in their eyes.

"Weird, I can understand why they'd react like that to Zoro, because he has a reputation as a demon in human form, a whirlwind of death that destroys anything in his way. But, I don't get why they're afraid of the Captain," Coby said, looking around at the people, noticing the panicked faces of even the children.

'I see, so that's how it is here.' Looking over at Coby, Luffy sighed. "Do you remember what I said on the boat? About how not all Marines are good people?" he asked.

"Yeah, but Captain Morgan is a hero. He captured the notorious pirate Kuro of the Thousand Plans."

"Sure, but being lauded as a hero can go to a person's head sometimes. I wouldn't be surprised if this Captain Morgan was a little self-obsessed," Luffy explained. "But, moving on, we should head to the base. You need to sign up, and I'd like to see if I can find Zoro. I've heard the rumors, and if he's really that strong, then I want to see if he'll join my crew," he added, leading them out of town.

"Are you insane? Zoro is a bounty hunter. He captures pirates, why would he become one? Besides, he's dangerous. And..."

"Coby, shut up," Luffy interrupted, silencing him. "People aren't always exactly who they seem to others. Also, I'm trying to become the Pirate King, I'll need dangerous people."

Reaching the base, Luffy sensed a powerful presence on the other side of the walls. "Hold on a second," he said, stopping Coby from entering the gates. "Let's take a quick look before we go in."

With that, they climbed up the wall to the left and peered into the courtyard below. What they saw chilled them to the bone.

A man was tied to a cross in the middle of the yard. He wore deep black trousers tucked into black leather boots; and a white t-shirt under an opened, dark green, short-sleeved button up. A black bandana covered his pale green hair, and he wore a green haramaki. He appeared to be 5' 10", and very tanned. Looking up, the man stared at Luffy.

"Get lost, you're ruining the view," the man said casually.

Before Luffy could reply, a little girl appeared next to them. Shushing them, she dropped a rope over the wall and slid down. Walking up to the man, she pulled a small object wrapped in cloth out of her bag. "Hey, Mr. Zoro, I thought you might be hungry, so I made you some rice balls," she said, uncovering the food, and offering it to the now identified Zoro.

"Get lost, kid, I'm fine," he replied, staring menacingly down at her.

"But you haven't eaten in three weeks, and I just thought..."

"I said get lost!" he shouted, causing the girl to take a step back.

"Tsk, tsk. That wasn't very nice, was it," a young, blond man in a purple suit said, entering the courtyard from the base. He was flanked by two men in Marine uniforms. "Here, let me try one of those," he added, snatching one of the rice balls from the girl's hands.

As the girl protested, he bit into it. "Blech!" he exclaimed, spitting it out onto the ground. "It's too sweet. You're supposed to use salt, you idiot, not sugar." He knocked the other one to ground as well, stomping it into the dirt.

"But, I thought it would taste better this way."

"Besides, can't you read," the boy mocked, pointing to a wooden sign near the post. "It says, 'Any person who attempts to aid a prisoner shall face justice at the hands of Captain Morgan.' As his son, I will take care of this matter on his behalf." He turned to one of the guards. "Throw her over the wall, soldier," he ordered.

"But, sir, she's just a little girl. Isn't that a bit..." the Marine started, being cut off as the blond boy grabbed the sailor's tie and brought them face to face.

"Is that insubordination I hear. You will do as I say, or I'll tell my father to have you executed. Now, throw her out of here."

"Yes, sir," the man said reluctantly. Grabbing the girl by her neck, he lightly tossed her over the wall.

"Shave," Luffy whispered, disappearing from sight. He reappeared under the girl and caught her before she hit the ground. "Are you all right?" he asked, setting her down.

"Yeah, thanks," she replied, "That Helmeppo just really makes me angry."

"The guy in the stupid, purple suit?" Coby inquired, walking up to them.

"Uh huh. He's the son of Captain Morgan, so he acts like he's superior to everybody else in town. If anyone does anything he doesn't like, he threatens them with execution unless they apologize and give him free stuff," she explained, lightly kicking the ground.

"Well, you're safe for now. Coby, why don't you take her home? I'll catch up in a little bit," Luffy said, turning back towards the base.

"Okay, come on, miss..?" Coby sputtered, realizing he didn't know the girl's name.

"Oh, right, I'm Rika," she said, bowing her head in greeting.

"Alright, Rika. Let's get you home." Coby took her hand, and started heading back to town. He didn't notice as Rika turned her head to the side, hiding a slight blush.

Hearing them leave, Luffy climbed over the wall, and walked over to Zoro. He stood there silently, waiting for the man to acknowledge him.

After a few seconds, Zoro looked up, glaring at him. "You again? What do you want, kid?"

"I don't think you're that much older than me, but to answer your question, my name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'd like you to join my pirate crew."

"A pirate, eh? Well, thanks but no thanks. I've got my own ambitions, and I don't need the government getting in my way. Now, leave me alone."

"You really should be nicer to people who are trying to save your life. That girl said you haven't eaten in three weeks. I'd probably starve after three days. Judging by your face, I'm going to guess you probably won't last too much longer than that at this point."

"I'll be fine. I just have to make it ten more days, and that blond jerk will let me go. Besides, I've got more determination than you any day. I'll make it, and then I'll get back to my mission. So, for the last time, go away."

"Fine. In that case, I wish you the best of luck." With that, Luffy turned to leave.

"Wait!" Zoro shouted, stopping Luffy in his tracks. "Before you go, could you pick up that rice ball?"

"You realize it's mostly dirt now, right? Besides, what happened to all that 'determination' you had just a second ago?"

"Just shut up, and give it to me!"

"Okay, but remember, you asked for this." Scooping up as much as he could, Luffy turned and dropped the 'rice ball' into Zoro's open mouth.

"Hurk, ugh..." he choked, swallowing it all down.

"I warned you."

"It was delicious. Tell the girl... *cough* that it was the best meal I've ever had."

Luffy just smirked, then turned and climbed back up over the wall. Heading back to the city, he thought about all that had happened in just two days. If this was the beginning, he couldn't wait to see where his journey would go from here.

Walking back onto the main street, he noticed Coby and Rika sitting on the porch of a restaurant. He went up to them, and relayed Zoro's message to Rika. Then, they discussed what happened, with Rika explaining why Zoro was locked up, and Coby giving his reasons for being at the Marine base. Once that was over, Rika invited the boys in to have lunch, as it was her mother's restaurant, and she wanted to repay them for saving her. They all sat at the bar and ordered their food. As they were eating though, Helmeppo walked in, his two lap dogs right behind him.

"I'd like your finest dish and a glass of your best wine. And don't bother charging me for it either," the blond ordered, taking a seat and putting his feet up on the table. "Ugh, it's so boring in this town," he sighed, staring at the ceiling. "I guess I could execute Zoro in the morning. Yeah, that's a great idea. Everyone," he said, standing up from his chair, "you are all required to attend the public execution of Roronoa Zoro tomorrow morning at exactly 7:00 AM sharp. Anyone who is absent or late will be fined 500 Berries and spend one week in jail. I'll be back for my food in a minute, I'm just going to go make sure everyone else is aware of tomorrow's entertainment." Helmeppo nodded to his guards, then walked back out.

Once he was sure that they were out of earshot, Luffy turned and started whispering to Coby. "Alright, this is bad. I'm going to go spring Zoro, and I want you to take Rika upstairs and make sure nothing happens to her, got it?"

"Okay, be safe Luffy."

Slipping out the back door, Luffy made his way back to the execution grounds. Leaping back over the wall, he walked up to Zoro, and pulled out his dagger.

"What the hell are you doing back here?" Zoro asked, looking at the knife in the other man's hand. "I see. You're going to kill me because I wouldn't join your stupid pirate crew? How pathetic."

"No, I'm breaking you out. I don't care if you join me or not, but if I don't release you now, Helmeppo will have you executed in the morning. I know you said you had an agreement for one month, but he was at the bar earlier and announced the 'entertainment' to everyone there."

"That son of a bitch! Alright, cut me loose."

Taking his dagger, Luffy sliced the ropes, then put the blade away. "So, do you have anything you need from the base?" he asked, helping Zoro to his feet.

"My swords. That bastard took my swords. There are three of them. I don't particularly care about the two black ones, but the white one is very important to me."

"Alright. You head in the front, and work your way up, I'll start at the top and work my way down. We can meet up in the middle and I can get you off this island."

"Fine. But, how are you going to get to the top?" Zoro asked, watching as Luffy walked to the base of the building.

"Good luck, Zoro. See you soon. 'Moon Walk.'"

Zoro blinked, staring at the empty space Luffy had just been occupying. Looking up, he saw the straw-hatted teen land on the roof. "I'll worry about that later," he thought out loud, walking in the front door.

On the roof, Luffy found two dozen Marines lifting a giant stone statue. It was shaped exactly like the man giving orders; a large blond man, with a metal jaw and an axe in place of his right forearm. "Wow. You're one narcissistic asshole, aren't you?" Luffy asked, startling everyone. The sailors dropped the statue a bit, catching it when they heard it scrape against the doorway into the base.

"Be careful, men!" the leader shouted. "Any damage done to that statue will be treated as an attack against me personally. Understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" they all shouted in unison.

"Really?" Luffy wondered, raising an eyebrow. "Then, how would you react if I were to," he began, clenching his left hand into a fist. Taking a second to smirk at the captain, he coated his left arm in an invisible layer of Armament Haki, then shot it out perpendicular to his body, causing the monument to explode into a million pieces. "Do that?" he concluded.

The Marines' jaws hit the floor. The captain, on the other hand, just stood there, his left eye twitching angrily. His face turned red, then purple, before he exploded. "YOU ARE DEAD, YOU RAT BASTARD!" he shouted, charging at Luffy.

Anticipating this, Luffy leaned to his left as the captain swung the axe down. Using the larger man's momentum, Luffy grabbed his upper arm, past the axe blade, and flipped him over the edge of the tower. "Now, do any of you know where Helmeppo stored Zoro's swords?" he asked, turning back to the shocked Marines.

Most of the men immediately ran to the door, pushing and shoving, trying to get away from the boy who had defeated their commander with one move. As the last ones were trickling down the stairs, one of them felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw the young man grinning innocently at him.

"You won't mind helping me, right?"

"P-p-p-please, d-don't kill m-me, mister. I have a f-f-family," the soldier cried, dropping to his knees.

"I'm not going to kill you. Just take me to Helmeppo's room, and I'll let you go, so come on," Luffy said, dragging the man behind him as he headed down the stairs.

Elsewhere in the Base...

'There's a lot of noise out there,' Nami thought, as she searched the captain's office for a hidden safe. 'Oh, no. I'll bet it's that Luffy guy, causing trouble. On the bright side, that means the guards are distracted, so I should be able to get out of here unnoticed. Then I'll find a new boat and get the hell out of here. If I'm lucky, this'll be the last time I cross paths with that nut job.' Looking around some more, she found what she had been looking for. Behind a small stack of paintings leaned up against the wall, she discovered a small safe. 'Finally, a map of the Grand Line. Soon, all my problems will be over.' With a small sigh of relief, she opened the safe.

Back with Luffy...

"Thanks, buddy," Luffy said to the Marine he'd 'enlisted' to help him. Looking behind him, Luffy realized the man had run away. "Oh, well. At least I made it," he mused, opening the door that said 'My Room' in fancy handwriting. Stepping inside, Luffy thought he'd wandered into a princess' room, like from the fairy tales Makino used to tell him. 'This explains SO much,' he thought, examining the area for Zoro's blades. He found them in the corner, propped up by the windowsill. As he picked them up, he noticed movement outside. Looking down, he saw the man from the roof picking himself up off the ground. 'That's not a good sign.'

Leaving the room, he ran into Zoro. "I found your swords," he said, handing the other man his weapons.

"Thanks. So, what the hell is going on? A bunch of Marines ran screaming past me back on the second floor, screaming about a monster who killed their captain."

"Well, the captain isn't exactly 'dead' dead. I threw him off the roof, but I just saw him get up, and I don't think he's going to be very happy to see me," Luffy explained, motioning for Zoro to follow him back down the stairs.

"I see. In that case, I guess I'm joining your pirate crew."

"Really? Why the change of heart?"

"Well, I already technically broke out of jail, and it looks like we're going to have to fight our way past a Marine Captain. I'll be branded a criminal either way, so I see no downside to going with you. Just know, if you ever get in the way of me achieving my dream, I will hold you personally accountable. Deal?"

"Deal. What is your dream, though, if I may ask?"

"To become the World's Greatest Swordsman." Zoro held up his white sword, and continued. "I made a promise a long time ago, to the owner of this sword, that one day, one of us would achieve that title. She died though, so now, I have to carry the dream for both of us. I will reach the top, and my name will be known, even in the heavens."

"I see, I made a similar promise to the man who gave me this hat. And, if I'm going to be the next King of the Pirates, I couldn't allow anything less than the future 'World's Greatest Swordsman' on my crew," Luffy replied, laughing as they reached the base's doors.

"King of the Pirates, huh? Well then, let the adventure begin, Captain."

The two men nodded to each other, then kicked the doors open, sending them flying off their hinges and crashing into the perimeter wall. Stepping into the sunlight, they noticed the Marine Captain in front of them, and a firing squad preventing their escape to the sides.

"Give up, children! Accept your death!" the captain shouted." "I am Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan, leader of the 153rd Marine Branch! The Marines are Justice, and I am the highest ranking Marine on this island! That means that whatever I say IS Justice! You two stand accused of escaping imprisonment, destruction of property, assaulting an officer of the law, attempted murder, breaking and entering, theft of Government property, conspiracy to commit piracy, and most egregious, of pissing me off! The punishment for these crimes is death! How do you plead?"

Luffy put his arm on Zoro's shoulder, pushing the swordsman back. Stepping forward, Luffy stared straight into Morgan's eyes. "Fuck you, that's how!" Luffy replied, shrugging his coat off of his shoulders and drawing his staff. Leaning back into a defensive stance, he raised his eyebrow at the captain again, infuriating the large man.

"OPEN FIRE!"

The Marines let loose a volley of shots, surrounding Luffy in a lead cage that was shrinking by the second. Merely smirking, Luffy spun Jingu Bang rapidly, flowing like water, knocking some bullets out of the air, and avoiding the ones he couldn't hit. As the second row of Marines stood to fire, Luffy jammed the staff into the ground, causing a small quake that unbalanced the firing squad. Taking advantage of the opening, Luffy executed one of his Special Techniques.

"Razor Blade."

Grabbing the end of the staff that was sticking out of the ground, he used Razor to run in circles through the air, using it as a fulcrum. Once he was going fast enough, he stopped running, allowing momentum to carry him forward. Then he performed a devastating two-legged Tempest Kick in a 180° arc, knocking down all the rank and file Marines. Morgan took a deep cut to the chest, but he remained standing.

Luffy collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. "Man, *pant* that takes *pant* a lot of *pant* energy," he coughed out, looking back to Zoro.

"Ha ha, fool. Never turn your back on an enemy unless you're sure it's over!" Morgan taunted, walking up behind Luffy.

"But, *pant* I am sure. Right, *pant* Zoro?" he replied, nodding at his new crew member.

Zoro nodded, drawing his swords, placing Wado Ichimonji in his mouth. "Right," he mumbled, crossing his arms across his chest. "Oni Giri!" Rushing forward, Zoro slashed his swords across Morgan's chest, which, when combined with the wound Luffy already inflicted, created an hourglass design of cuts on his torso. The large man fell to the ground, his breathing shallow and ragged, but still there.

Luffy walked up to the fallen Marine. "Case dismissed," he quipped, then he shattered Morgan's axe with a strong punch. Then, he went to check on the rest of the soldiers. They were unconscious, but otherwise alive.

While the attack was designed to kill, the wider the arc was, the more spread out the damage would be. At the apex, where Morgan had been, was where most of the cutting power went. The rest was primarily concussive force. The men would be sore in the morning, but they'd pull through. Noting that, he turned back to Zoro. "Let's head back to town. I need food, and I'll bet you do to. Then, I need a nap."

"Agreed."

The Next Morning...

Luffy, Zoro, Coby and Rika were sitting around a table, having breakfast and saying their goodbyes, when three Marines walked in.

"Ahem! Roronoa Zoro and, uh, Straw Hat Boy..." the lead man started.

"Monkey D. Luffy."

"Thank you. Roronoa Zoro and Monkey D. Luffy, while we cannot forgive the crimes you stand accused of, at least not the real ones, you have saved this island from Captain Morgan's tyranny. In light of that, we will grant you four hours to gather supplies and leave this island."

At that, many of the other customers in the restaurant started shouting, pointing out the hypocrisy of the Marine's words, until Luffy stood up and raised his arms.

"Calm down, everyone. We were about to leave anyway. It's good to see you standing this early in the morning. I hope no one else is doing much worse than you."

"Yes, well, thank you for your concern. The rest of the men should be in good, working condition by noon."

"Glad to hear it. Alright, Zoro, let's pack up and get going," Luffy said, grabbing the last bag of supplies they were taking for their trip. As he reached the door, the Marines stopped him again.

"Hold on a second, what about those two?" the leader asked, pointing at Coby and Rika.

"What about them? The girl is the daughter of the owner of this place, and the boy is her nice, but a little annoying, boyfriend." The two children looked away from each other and blushed at that. "They gave us a meal and a room as thanks for saving the girl's life, after you idiots nearly killed her on the orders of that spoiled brat, Helmeppo. Speaking of, what happened to him? Last I heard, he was spreading the word about Zoro's execution. Then some stuff happened, you know all about that, and we came back here, had dinner and passed out," Luffy explained, his face daring the man to question his story.

"I see. I'm sorry, children," he said, bowing apologetically. "As to your question, Helmeppo is being kept in a holding cell, awaiting trial for abuse of authority, bribery, child endangerment, embezzlement, extortion, unauthorized use of Government equipment and/or personnel and wrongful imprisonment of an innocent man. He's looking at 20 years to life in prison."

"Well, would you look at that," Luffy said, patting the Marine on the shoulder as he and Zoro headed for their boat, "sometimes the Marines actually do serve Justice. It brings a tear to my eye."

The two pirates reached the dock and boarded Luffy's 'ship'. They untied the boat, set the sails and shoved off. Looking back, Luffy smiled as Coby and Rika waved them off, the other villagers standing behind the two, also waving. Luffy also noticed that the kids were holding hands. Laughing a bit at how adorable it was, Luffy tipped his hat to them, then turned to prepare the course to the next island.

Back on the shore, Coby and Rika kept waving until the boat sailed over the horizon. When it was gone, they turned to each other and nodded. Walking back into town, hand in hand, they found the Marine Lieutenant.

"Excuse me, sir," Coby said, getting the man's attention. "We'd like to join the Marines."

"I don't know, kid, are you sure your up for it? It takes hard work and dedication to be a Marine. Do you really think you two have what it takes?" the lieutenant asked, skeptically.

"Sir, my girlfriend here had to be saved by a pirate. If I don't get strong enough to protect her myself, then what kind of man would I be?" Coby replied.

"And I may not be a strong fighter, but I'm a pretty good cook. The Marines need food just like everybody else, right, sir?" Rika added, the two of them staring determinedly at the officer.

"Alright, you can start off as a chore boy and a dishwasher, respectively. If you prove yourselves worthwhile, you might get promoted. If you don't, you're gone. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Coby replied, nodding in affirmation.

"What's that, privates?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the two new Marines said in unison, standing straight, saluting.

"At ease. You will be at the base tomorrow morning at precisely 0700. You will bring nothing with you except the clothes on your backs. Do you understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Very well. Dismissed!" the lieutenant snapped a quick salute, then walked out of the restaurant, and back to base. He had a lot of work to do.

"We did it, Coby!" Rika exclaimed, hugging the boy tightly. "We're going to be Marines." Pulling back a bit, she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Blushing furiously, Coby rubbed the back of his head, turning to look at the ground. "Yeah. I guess we'd better get ready then," he replied. 'Thank you for everything, Luffy,' he thought to himself, as he and Rika started their preparations for the next morning. 'You've given me the opportunity to fulfill my dream. Someday, we'll meet again, I'm sure. You'll be a famous pirate, and I'll be a Marine officer. By law, we'll be enemies, but I will always consider you my friend.'

Out at Sea...

"Well, that was an adventure," Luffy declared, leaning back against the mast, having finished plotting their course.

"Yeah, it was," Zoro agreed, taking another swig from his bottle of rum. "So, I have to ask, what was that attack you did yesterday? And how did you get on the roof of the base? Just what are you, exactly?"

"I'm a human, like you. I just happen to have trained my body beyond normal human limits. I have the books that taught me, if you're interested, but you'll have to wait until we get to shore or get a bigger boat before you start practicing."

"Thanks. I'll hold off for now, though. If we're really going to the Grand Line, we'll need a bigger crew than just the two of us. Once we have a few more people, and a proper ship, then you can start teaching all of us at once. That way, you don't have to repeat the same lesson every time a new crew member joins."

"Good idea. I had a navigator, but she disappeared while Coby and I docked at Shells Town. I'm sure I'll find her again, but since she didn't technically agree to join my crew, that makes you the first one. So, allow me to officially welcome you aboard, First Mate Zoro."

"Alright, I'll drink to that."

"Zoro, I've known you for about 24 hours, and I'm pretty sure you'll drink to anything."

"Aye, aye, captain."

"Shishishishi, well said, Zoro, well said."

They toasted their glasses, and drank up, waiting for the winds to carry them to their next destination.

Another chapter bites the dust. We got Zoro, lost Coby and temporarily misplaced Nami. I've decided to only go in depth on descriptions if I'm making a change to that character. Otherwise, a brief introduction should be fine. So, what do you think of everything else? Do you like Luffy's new attack? Do you have any suggestions for other attacks? Do you guys like Coby and Rika together? If you have an answer to these questions, or if you have a question of your own, leave a review or send me a PM. Have a wonderful day, everyone. Until next time, this is Fedora411, signing off.