Coby was running frantically toward the ship, throwing his disguise to the side. As he ran, he thought of John, who had stayed behind. He wanted to come back and help him, but he didn't know how.
If only I were strong enough! He thought as he ran.
Just then, he bumped into someone who was just coming out of the restaurant. "Where are the people of this town?" he heard the person say before they collided. Coby was thrown onto his back, but the person seemed unaffected. The person saw him just then and walked nonchalantly towards him. He stood in front of Coby, blocking out the sunlight. But somehow, this person's wide smile was so bright.
"Hey, do you know where I can find Roronoa Zoro?" he asked.
—
John could feel a cold drop of sweat run down the side of his face under his makeshift mask as he faced a small platoon of marines. His mind was racing, thinking of a few ways he could possibly escape from this situation.
I can escape alone, but I can't leave Zoro behind. They'll definitely kill him once I escape, and I can't allow that. Because if he dies, I'll die as well.
The marines all raised their rifles and aimed them at John, waking him from his thoughts. He turned serious and concentrated very hard. As they moved to pull the trigger, John activated Tunnel Vision and tried to roll to the side. But then, a speeding blur came from the sky.
"GOMU GOMU NO, ROCKET!"
The blur came crashing down in front of John. Spread his arms wide and blocked all the gunshots using his body.
The newcomer was of average height and had a slim but muscular build. He wore a red vest, denim shorts, and a straw hat on his head. His hair was black and he had a scar under his left eye.
He's finally here! Talk about a grand entrance. John thought as he sighed in relief.
"Luffy-san!" shouted Coby, running raggedly from behind. His eyes bulged out and his jaw dropped from shock as he thought he just saw his new acquaintance lose his life while saving his friend. But then he got even more shocked as Luffy absorbed the bullets, his body contorting around the bullets like a rubber band being pulled back. He then expelled them in different directions, some marines getting hit by their own bullets, all the while he was laughing loudly. "It's no use, wahahahaha!" Luffy threw his arms up as he continued to laugh.
"What the? Who's that brat?!" The marines were shocked as well. "How did he survive all those bullets, let alone repel them back at us?" they asked. The only ones who weren't as shocked as everyone else were Captain Morgan and John.
"Luffy, what are you? How come you're fine after being shot by those bullets?" Coby asked the young man who was only one year older than him.
"I am...a RUBBER-MAN!!! shishihi!" shouted Luffy as he stretched his cheek to a length that was impossible for a normal human being.
Captain Morgan stepped forward and spoke. "This scoundrel must have eaten one of those 'devil fruits'."
"Aren't those very rare?!" The marine asked the captain. "How did a kid from East Blue get his hands on one of those?"
"It doesn't matter if he has a devil fruit; all who oppose me must die!" Captain Morgan shouted. "Kill them!" The marines didn't move immediately, but some of them brandished their swords. "Use your swords to kill them!" One of the marines shouted.
As the marines approached, Luffy looked to the man behind him. "Hey, Masked man," he said. "Are you Roronoa Zoro?"
John replied, "No, He's right over there," and pointed at the unconscious swordsman.
"Aw, he's already dead? I wanted to recruit him to my pirate crew!" exclaimed Luffy, looking annoyed.
Bang! John shot a marine in the leg as he responded. "He's still alive, but he's very hungry."
[Tunnel Vision!] He lifted the rifle closer to his face and shot another man who was about to pick up his gun.
35 exp!
30 exp!
Luffy smiled. "Ah, I'm hungry too." He said as he rubbed his stomach. "We'll eat together later." . He then stretched his arm backward and brought it back at an incredible speed.
"GOMU GOMU NO PISTOL!"
His punch toppled several marines at once, knocking them down.
John didn't received any exp notifications from this. I guess he doesn't see me as a comrade yet. John thought when he heard a gunshot from his right.
15 exp!
Coby had fired his pistol and shot a marine in the foot, knocking him down. As the boy shot at another marine who got grazed by the bullet, John ran towards him.
"Hey, don't shoot them Coby! Don't you want to become a marine? John asked the boy who was gripping his pistol tightly.
"B-but..." Coby started to answer, but John suddenly handed him a bento box from out of nowhere. The boy didn't know where John had pulled it from, and was about to ask when John interrupted him. "Give this to Zoro right now." The man got up and rolled to the side as a bullet hit the ground where he previously stood. "Go now!" John said as he raised his hand and motioned Coby to move in the opposite direction. Coby complied and ducked as he ran away from the battle and headed towards the execution platform.
Meanwhile, multiple blades were coming towards Luffy as the marines focused most of their forces on him. As the blades converged, he jumped up high and raised his foot into the air, stretching it out beyond human capabilities. Then he launched it down.
"GOMU GOMU NO, BATTLE AXE!"
His foot hit the crowd of enemies, creating a small shockwave in the middle and launching them away. The marines' eyes turned white as they lost consciousness. As he landed, another marine already had his sword raised, ready to strike him from behind. Luffy sensed this and was about to punch the marine when a shot rang through the air.
BANG!
The marine fell down, a bullet embedded on his back.
40 exp!
Luffy turned to the masked man and thanked him, revealing a wide grin. John nodded and gave a thumbs up as the two of them continued fighting.
After that stunt, the marines finally saw John as a threat. They picked up their rifles and started shooting at him. John was surprised but was able to roll behind a building. As he moved to check the enemy's position, a marine was able to sneak up from behind the wall and surprise him.
"Got you!" the marine exclaimed as he brought his sword up.
By pure reflex, John struck him in the face with the butt of his rifle, stunning him. Just then, a window popped up in front of him.
SKILL UNLOCKED!
[Active] Gun Bash Level 1 - Deals 11 damage (5 base plus 1.1x Str). Stuns an enemy for 0.5 seconds. Deals 3x damage and has a 25% chance to knock an enemy out when striking the head or another sensitive area. Costs 10 AP.
35 exp!
The marine was knocked out and John breathed a sigh of relief.
This skill looks pretty useful. Now I can deal with enemies who get too close. He thought as he inspected the skill.
John once again tried to peak from behind the wall to scan his surroundings, only to be greeted by gunfire as the marines fired at his position.
-50 HP (140/190)
"Aghh!" John winced as a bullet graced his shoulder.
Motherfuckers! If only I had a grenade right now!
...
Wait!
John remembered that Petro had given him some dynamite before he left Goat Island. He frantically pulled one out of his inventory along with a lighter and lit it on fire. He waited for the wick to burn down and then threw it where he recalled the marines were located.
BOOM!
"AARRGGHH!!!"
35 exp!
35 exp!
40 exp!
30 exp!
John quickly rolled out of cover with his rifle raised, ready to fire at any remaining enemies. He lowered his weapon when he saw that the group who had been coming for him were all knocked out on the ground. Just then, a window popped up.
SKILL ACQUIRED!
[Active] Combat Roll lvl 1 - Roll speed 106% (100base plus 1.2x agi). Has a 2% chance to trigger a 0.5sec invincibility frame. Costs 10 AP.
John's eyes popped out of their sockets after seeing the new skill.
Invincibility Frames? If I remember correctly, it lets you avoid any kind of damage. That's pretty overpowered! He thought, thinking that he could just spam the skill and dodge any damage. But when he looked at his AP…
AP - 11/34
What! When did it go down so fast? When he looked at the AP cost of his new skills, he realized he couldn't just use them willy-nilly. Right now, he only had one more use of a skill left. He needed to use it carefully until he could find a way to replenish AP during battle. Just then, he heard Luffy shout.
"GOMU GOMU NO, WHIP!"
Luffy dropped down and stretched his leg, sweeping the remaining marine grunts off their feet and knocking them out.
18 exp!
15 exp!
20 exp!
15 exp!
15 exp!
15 exp!
The notifications came, revealing to John what Luffy thought of him now.
LEVEL UP! Level 6 (88/600)
Gained 1 Stat point
Plus 5 Max HP
Plus 1 Max AP
John walked back to Luffy's side and looked around. All the marines were knocked out; the only one remaining was Captain Morgan, who looked very pissed. He looked around at the fallen soldiers and yelled, "Useless fools! If you can't even defeat a couple of outlaws, then how can you call yourselves marines?" He walked up and faced off against Luffy.
John chose this moment to observe the two combatants.
Monkey D. Luffy
Lvl - 15
Age - 17
HP - 400
AP - 72
Damn, I can't even see his stats, but I just know he's really strong. At least here in East Blue, nobody can really give him too much trouble.
Morgan
Lvl - 22
Age - 42
HP - 325
AP - 47
I've seen this before, but even if someone has a higher level, it really doesn't mean they are stronger.
Morgan removed his marine cloak and brandished his axe-arm. "I am Marine Captain Axe-hand Morgan! I'll show you bunch of nobodies how I achieved my position!" he proclaimed.
He then charged forward towards Luffy. The rubber boy also went into a stance, preparing to fight him. However, Morgan changed direction towards John and swung his axe quickly. This caught John off guard, as he hadn't expected Morgan to attack him.
"Whoa!" John tried to jump backwards but he was a bit late. Morgan's attack partially connected to his body. "Arghh!!"
-63 HP (42x1.5 bodyhit)
HP - 82/195
This bastard! His shirt got ripped open, revealing a slightly deep cut on his chest. He staggered and almost fell to the ground as blood started coming out of his wound.
"Hey, I'm your opponent!" Luffy said, looking annoyed. He tried to advance on Morgan, but for some reason, the marine captain still chased John. Seeing the gigantic man chase him, John felt a bit terrified; he had forgotten that the man was, in fact, nine feet tall.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" John exclaimed as he ran away from Morgan.
"Go to hell!" the veteran marine shouted as he swung his axe down on John again. This time, John was ready; he rolled to the side, completely avoiding the attack. He then swung his rifle at Morgan's leg, dealing 15 damage, but the marine captain didn't even flinch. Luffy caught up and sent his stretched arm toward the marine captain, but Morgan ducked down below Luffy's reach and attempted to stomp down on John, who was still on the ground.
"Come and fight me!" Luffy shouted, becoming increasingly irritated.
I think this guy is trying to get rid of me first, so no one will interfere with him when he fights Luffy. John thought as he stood up and ran away from Morgan once more.
"Come back here you rat!" Morgan yelled as he ignored Luffy again and chased the fleeing John.
John climbed over a wire fence as Morgan swung his axe arm sideways in a wide arc, putting all his strength into it. A physical manifestation of the slash flew through the air and cut the fence straight through the middle, severing it cleanly. The force sent John backward, where he instinctively blocked his body with his arms.
-42 HP (40/195)
"Fuck!" exclaimed John as he grimaced in pain, cursing his bad luck. A shallow but long cut had formed on his arms.
"You're dead! Hahaha! You're nothing compared to my greatness!" Morgan exclaimed as he stalked towards John, momentarily forgetting about the rubber boy who was already behind him. He raised his arm, pointing his axe to the sky, aiming to finish off the masked outlaw. But suddenly his body got constricted by rubber-like limbs, encircling both his body and legs.
Stop running away from me!" Luffy shouted into Morgan's ear. His anger had reached its peak. "Release me, you scum!" Morgan yelled as he struggled to break free from Luffy's grip.
John stood up and picked up his rifle. He aimed it at Morgan, at the space between his eyes. As he put his finger on the trigger, a voice shouted out. "Wait! If you want this guy to live, then nobody move!" Helmeppo shouted. He stood on the platform as his hand gripped Coby's pistol, the aforementioned boy lying on the ground. Helmeppo was putting the pistol to Zoro's temple, ready to blow the swordsman's head.
"Put the gun down and let my father go!" Helmeppo said as he pushed the pistol onto Zoro's temple, shaking as he did so. Zoro's expression cannot be seen as his eye were covered in shadow.
—
Ten minutes earlier
Coby ran toward the platform as the battle raged around him; his small stature helped him avoid being noticed. He held the bento to his chest, wondering how John had managed to keep it hidden. Had he stored it in his pants or somewhere else? Whatever the case, Coby continued to run and dodge until he finally reached the platform, where Zoro lay prone.
Coby knelt down beside Zoro and laid him on his back. Upon further inspection, it was revealed that the disheveled swordsman was awake the whole time; he was just unable to move his body. Coby picked up the dagger and cut the ropes tied around his hands and neck, then propped the man up, leaning him against a wooden pole.
"Who are you?" Zoro asked, barely able to speak. Coby looked at him. He was a bit scared of this man who was known as a bloodthirsty hound before, but this man didn't look that scary in his current state. The boy gulped and spoke, "Uh, we're here to rescue you." The swordsman looked at Coby for a few seconds before asking, "Why?"
Coby didn't say anything yet. He opened the bento box and saw rice balls inside of it. He remembered that those rice balls were made by Rika and Ririka, the mother and daughter from the restaurant earlier; the little girl had given them to John as she prayed for their success. After looking at the contents of the bento, Coby finally spoke up. "There are a lot of people who don't want you to die. Many people believe thath you are a good person. Even if I am someone who wants to become a marine, I know that what they're doing here is not right."
Coby handed the bento to Zoro. He took it and put a rice ball in his mouth, then started eating in silence. He remembered the little girl who had tried to give him rice balls a few days ago and hoped she was doing okay. On the field, he saw a boy wearing a straw hat and a man wearing a T-shirt on his face battling the Marines. He wished he had his swords with him so he could join them. As they sat in companionable silence, they didn't notice a figure sneaking behind them, holding a wooden plank.
—
Back to present
"Let my father go now!" shouted Helmeppo as he continued to threaten Zoro's life. Luffy didn't release the bear-like captain and just looked confused. Meanwhile, John was thinking of a possible course of action.
Helmeppo huh, I think he is also quite an important character in One piece. If I kill his father here, he might turn out differently than he did.
Morgan struggled against Luffy's grip as he directed a furious look at Helmeppo. "You worthless son! Shoot that lowlife already and kill these bastards as well!" he shouted.
Luffy looked at the hostage taker with a confused expression. To him, it looked like it would be quite easy to get out of. He then shouted, "You're Roronoa Zoro, right?" At Zoro's confirmation, Luffy asked, "Do you need help?" At this, Zoro lifted his head, a glint momentarily appearing in his eyes. "No, I can handle it," he said with a grin, bits of rice still on his face.
"That's what I thought, shishishi!" laughed Luffy. He then tightened his grip on the marine captain, causing Morgan to start panicking. "Finish him, Mask guy!" yelled Luffy as both John and Zoro prepared to move.
John got up and sprinted as Zoro pulled Helmeppo's hand downwards. John then slid on the ground on his knees as Zoro stood up and got Helmeppo off balance. Then, Zoro slammed the mushroom-haired young man on the ground as John ended up directly below Morgan and yelled "Gun Bash!". He then struck him directly on his family jewels, eliciting a very loud scream from the man.
"AARRGGHH!!!" Morgan's eyes rolled back into his skull as he lost consciousness. He fell to the ground as Luffy released him. All three of them looked at each other and laughed.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
440 exp!
EMERGENCY QUEST COMPLETED!
Rescue Roronoa Zoro
Rewards - 1000 exp, 50 positive reputation with Roronoa Zoro.
LEVEL UP! Level 7 (928/700)
Gained 1 Stat point
Plus 5 Max HP
Plus 1 Max AP
LEVEL UP! Level 8 (128/800)
Gained 1 Stat point
Plus 5 Max HP
Plus 1 Max AP
Reputation with Monkey D. Luffy increased by 25.
–
Here is a (tentative) stat sheet for Monkey D. Luffy.
Monkey D. Luffy
Lvl - 15
Age - 17
HP - 400
AP - 72
Training points - 30
STRENGTH - 20
PERCEPTION - 4
ENDURANCE - 23
CHARISMA - 54
INTELLIGENCE - 2
AGILITY - 19
LUCK - 53
Traits:
Rubber Body (Gomu-gomu no mi) lvl 3 - User's body becomes rubber. Grants extreme resistance to blunt attacks and immunity to lightning. Plus 12 endurance, plus 6 strength and plus 6 agility.
Perks:
Main Character - Plus 50 charisma and luck.
—
-These stat sheets are just a way for me to quantify the power levels of certain characters.
-The levels of characters just refer to how long they have been fighting in real battles.
-These are not their official stats.
