31
After the phone call, Luffy finally knew what he would need to do… Why hadn't he thought of it before… every one was saying he was strong… so the strength wasn't the issue.
What he needed to change was his approach. He looked at the nameless blade… walking towards it. Sparky already got down from his shoulder and stayed back.
When giving tips on how to better use Observation Haki, Ace revealed something odd… which was communication with his weapon with the color of Observation. It seemed while training with Rayleigh, Ace had picked up the sword.
It came naturally to him. Shanks teased that Ace was still not anywhere near a swordsman according to his standards, but for a brat who took the blade for only a year, it was impressive.
It seemed that Ace didn't just come to thank Shanks, he already challenged the Red Yonko and lost in his dual.
So Luffy seeing the opportunity asked his brother on his secret. Ace wasn't even hesitant and directly said that he was able to get used to the sword because of his use of Observation Haki. Being a Logia user Ace had to always work on his Observation Haki. And for a new swordsman, it should have been a drawback.
But Ace was able to make it his strength. He was able to communicate with his blade, it also helped that the blade he was using wasn't any ordinary blade.
So Luffy took a page out Ace's book.
He grabbed the cold steel of the blade, not even putting effort to lift it. He didn't know if it would work… but he had a gut feeling that this was the way to make the nameless blade his.
So he poured his Observation Haki in it, or at least tried to feel the blade was trying to tell him.
The boy opened his eyes with new conviction. "I am sorry for being weak all this time… but I promise you… now that I'm strong, you won't have to meet any humiliating defeat again. And that's a promising partner…"
With that Luffy grabbed the naginata with both his hands, and pulled it. The blade almost accepted him, but this was the blade's last test for Luffy.
"Haaa!" Luffy poured his will into the blade as he tried to show it his ambitions, goal his drive for strength. He didn't hold anything back, if this blade was going to be part of his journey then he would treat it like any of his crewmates.
"I will become the strongest!" Luffy yelled, as the ground beneath his cracked. His muscles were already bulking and red, and even his hair stood up, Luffy didn't know it, but he unconsciously released a wave of Conqueror's haki.
Sparky who was a bit far from Luffy felt the wild use of Conqueror's Haki, but it didn't make him kneel or put any pressure on him. No… this haki was derived from his ambition, and this was a power that wouldn't harm his friend, so the six-armed monkey only felt the raw strength and will of his friend.
But the others animals surrounding the island weren't that lucky as most of them fell with foam in their mouth. Even the trees that were near him coward at the presence of a king as they leaned away from Luffy.
"I-I have done it…"
That brought the monkey's attention back to Luffy, who was holding the nameless naginata on his hand. The naginata that was a bit big for him had shrunken to fit his size while a chain came out of weapon and wrapped around Luffy's right hand.
Luffy was lightheaded, the sudden use of Conqueror's was too much for him. But he didn't kneel, as he was able to support himself with it… no it seemed that blade didn't let Luffy kneel.
Luffy had a shit-eating grin on his face as he was finally able to feel the blade… it was asking him to be strong. Strong enough to fulfill his ambition…
And Luffy nodded. "So are you going to tell me your name…"
The blade hummed in response.
"Fine… be tasundra," Luffy mused, it seemed that the blade didn't deem him worthy enough to know its name it. "But anyway, thanks for giving me a chance… you won't regret it."
With that Luffy planted the blade on his back, the chains wrapped around his shoulder and waist crossways, making a place for itself on his back. "Huh, neat."
Only then did Luffy look around, and see the utter destruction of the environment around him.
"Hmm… that's unexepceted…" Luffy could see multiple birds and animals already knocked unconscious with foam in their mouth. He could kind of guess what happened. "But oh well… Sparky, let's do some training with our new friend."
The six-armed monkey was still at awe, but Luffy's voice broke him out. He saw the straw hat boy grinning ear to ear as he already took out Naginata from his back and was doing some light work with it.
—
A/N: With this, the first part of the story is over. From next chapter, it will be about Luffy starting his journey.
32
Straw Hat Luffy woke up groaning in the small boat, and he looked around. "Wha… what did I miss?" the boy yawned as he woke up from his nap.
The six-armed monkey on his shoulder was banging his rubber head, but alas as the monkey couldn't use haki, it was just a mere annoyance. But that didn't mean Sparky couldn't get his attention.
He grabbed onto Luffy's lower lip and stretched it over his head.
"Hey! What was that for?" Luffy asked now fully woken up from his sleep. He rubbed his chin as he eyed the monkey, he half wanted to throw him over the deck.
The monkey pointed at the upcoming Whirpool. A flock of three twisters surrounded it… and their small boat heading toward it.
"Oh!" Luffy that was all he could say. How did the original Luffy get out of this again?
He glanced at the barrel next to him as it rocked back and forth with the waves. Should he try it…? It should work...
The scream of the monkey brought his attention back. Yeah, no Sparky is pansy today… well, he wasn't a fan of water, to begin with. And after eating one of the devil fruits he was a lot more cautious about it.
And the storm was a bit too much, even though the heavy downpour wasn't a problem for him or Sparky, it was different for the small vessel they were on. Soon his small boat was going to flip over. He glanced at the barrel one last time. It was almost tempting.
"Wu.. Khi ki!" The monkey again pointed at the storm.
"Yeah, yeah, I noticed…" Luffy rolled his eye. As he stood up, he strapped both of his naginata on his back in a cross formation, while he wore a simple red shirt and blue jeans that were up to his ankles, with some leather black boots to go along with it.
His shirt was mostly unbuttoned showing off the impressive physique that he built over the years and the straw hat was on his back.
Sparky on the other hand had a small bag on his shoulder… well the bag was quite similar to the size of Sparky's two feet body-frame, so it might be considered large. In there was some of the essentials, a change of clothes, a small transponder snail, with the most important book for the journey, the devil fruit encyclopedia.
Now that he thought about it, he should have probably checked if Sparky's bag was waterproof was not. If not his cloth and the book might get some rain damage.
So he should probably get out of the storm. Regardless, he didn't want to risk it. It would not do for the future Pirate King to die at the hands of a tiny ass whirlpool like this.
So he took a quick leap off the boat, propelling himself over the waters with a force that almost sank it.
Any sane person would have wondered if he was losing it with this recent action, but sane people didn't last very long in the grand line. He should be able to handle the recoil…
After reaching the highest point of his jump, he took another step, and the air below him responded in turn, propelling him higher and further. He took more steps until he was cruising through the air at a comfortable speed.
Now, to get down to business. It should be close by. He reached out with his Observation Haki, and more than a few dozen weak auras flickered to life within range of his senses. He also sensed slightly stronger auras approaching them.
Hm… wait, isn't it where Alvida's ship ambushed a marchet ship. He looked from above and he was right. It was an ambush after all.
He accelerated quickly and made his way over to the slightly stronger auras in the distance. One, in particular, dwarfed them all in power… Hmm, who could it be?
And he was more surprised when it wasn't coming from the overly giant lady… no it was from a person that was inside the ship with two other weak auras. It couldn't be, could it?
He reached the pirate ship with the Jolly Roger that confirmed Luffy's already solid guess and touched down after quickly decelerating. The two pirates that were guarding the deck looked at him in shock, but the shock quickly turned to malice.
If they gave any more thought to the fact that they hadn't even noticed his approach until he had landed right in front of them, they may have been a bit more cautious.
Luffy was in deep thought but spared them a glance as Sparky punched both their lights out. 'Was the aura from Nami? Let's check…'
Leaving the unconscious fodder on the deck, he made his way through a door and caught sight of the person who he had come to find.
At first glance of the bright pink hair and pudgy appearance, he had to resist the urge to laugh out loud. That was defiantly Coby… man that boy was the definition of a nerd. But a nerd with ambition that's for sure.
His aura was quite amazing compared to others.
He wasn't completely against the boy's choice of style, even he had some poor clothing sense in his high-school years.
Coby was being relentlessly harassed by a small group of pirates who were too busy taunting him to even notice Luffy's approach.
"Excited yet, Coby? This is gonna be a big haul. You looking forward to some good old-fashioned pirating?" The boy weakly glared at him, causing him to laugh. The others followed suit.
"Nah, he's the brat still not used to being a man." one thug said. "Wanna have some milk?" They all howled with laughter.
Cody turned red but didn't do much. Luffy actually wondered how such a timid boy had such a powerful aura. It didn't do much in the grand scheme of things… but in some way, it did matter.
Garp wasn't a man of explanation, but once he said something that, possessing a powerful aura meant possessing hidden talent or a strong will. It made sense for Coby as even after seeing the corruption of the marines he still became one, because of his strong sense of justice. Not to mention that he stood up against a prick like Akainu, that took some inborn brass-balls to pull that shit.
He just needed to be strong.
We'll have to work on that, Luffy thought, he almost wanted Coby to drop kick their asses through the floor, knowing full well that he wasn't capable of it. Yet.
33
Luffy stepped in front of Coby, the unobservant idiots who by all rights should have been dead by now finally took notice of his presence. And he wasn't even trying to hide it or anything.
"Who the hell is this guy? I've never seen him before," one said suspiciously.
"New recruit maybe?" another piped up. The one who had been taunting immediately before Luffy stopped and glared at him.
"Oi, Identify yourself." Luffy looked him dead in the eye and grinned.
"Well, I'm the guy who likes milk… and am going to sink your ship with the big whale on board. That's all you really need to know." The pirates laughed at first, but then gaped at his audacity, but didn't hesitate to attack.
"You'll wake up in about 10 minutes. Try not to drown, I guess." This stopped them in their tracks as they stared in confusion upon hearing the cryptic statement. Then they dropped to the ground, foaming at the mouth. Luffy observed Coby carefully.
The blast, although weak was enough for most canon folders who didn't have the balls to go to the grandline.
Sparky seemed to be rolling his eye at Luffy's display of power. Almost as if saying, 'Did you have to do that…'
Luffy grinned, "Yes, I did…"
Observation Haki was amazing when you explore it… he was even able to understand Sparky with just his simple expressions.
Coby was kneeling on the floor, sweating profusely and panting for breath, but he was still conscious. Not bad.
Luffy smiled to himself, realizing that even this crybaby Coby, who had zero confidence and next to zero mental discipline, was still much stronger-willed than your average East Blue pirate. That wasn't saying much, but it was something.
"Hey, you! You're Coby, aren't you? If I heard right, anyway…mind giving me some food? I'm starved." Luffy said, "Meat should be preferable. Sparky loot em…"
The six-armed monkey rolled his eyes, before jumping down and checking the bodies of the unconscious pirates. Though they didn't have that much.
Coby was scared shitless at being addressed so casually by the person who had quite literally brought him to his knees with the use of an unknown, overwhelming power. And what was up with the six-armed monkey… that was some weird looking animal. But he didn't comment on that.
He nodded weakly and stood up on trembling knees. He walked forward, refusing to stumble, and led the mysterious boy and his monkey to a supply storage closet, if only to appease him.
Coby looked back at him as he walked, and gulped. The straw-hat boy didn't seem to be hostile to him despite the display earlier. If anything, he should thank him for saving him from a potential beating.
He was too intimidated at the moment to think of the ramifications of what the boy had just done. If those pirates were waking up in 10 minutes, they would surely run to Alvida, and the thought would have sickened him if he had been in a state of mind to worry about it. Instead, he opened the door and let the boy walk into the storage closet as if his life depended on it.
"Wow, thanks Coby!" He dove into a barrel full of apples and started inhaling them—that was the only description Coby could really use. If he was chewing at all, Coby couldn't see it. It was all a blur as he bounced from one side of the room to another and gradually emptied the supply closet of its precious food.
The six-armed monkey was no different. He even seemed to fight with the straw hat boy for the food.
And the young man and his monkey started expending enough to even give Alvida a run for her money in the fat department. The boy and the monkey were inflated balloons by the time he finished, before shrinking to normal size. There was some notable steam coming out of their body as they shrunk back to their normal size.
"That was a good breakfast…" the straw hat boy said.
The six-armed monkey shook his head, and pointed at one of his arms, there was an actually a small wristwatch there.
"Oh, then… that was a good lunch." Luffy corrected himself.
Coby almost couldn't believe what he was seeing. Actually looking at the behavior the six armed monkey seemed much more civilized than the straw hat boy. And somehow that worked.
The six-armed monkey also wore some good clothes, a similar-looking shirt like Luffy and short pants. Looking closely he could see six small guns strapped to his chest. Those couldn't be real… would they?
The monkey also seemed to say something to the straw hat boy. "Wou wh…"
"Yeah, you are right… the food wouldn't last us till dinner we should probably look for a civilization to eat something…"
Coby looked at him dubiously and found the courage to speak for the first time since the boy's introduction. "H-How much can you eat? What are you?" The boy and the monkey looked at him and Coby froze, wondering if the slip had been a mistake. To his relief, the boy just laughed and the monkey just rolled his eyes.
"What am I you ask… well, I'm the most basing and charming man alive." the boy said flexing his muscles. Coby only now noticed that the staw hat boy some amazing physique that he had ever seen. He didn't know that many muscles even existed in a body.
The boy was lean, not overly bulky, but the muscle and the vascular made the boy look quite sharp. Coby didn't know if the boy could be considered charming, but he did have an amazing body, he would give him that.
It also made him a bit jealous… he looked down at his noodle-like arm, and almost became depressed.
Luffy seemed to see the boy's distress. So he patted the boy on his shoulder, "Don't worry, if you eat and train in a routine way, it wouldn't take you a year to build an amazing physique yourself."
"Uh… thanks?" Then Coby mustered up the courage for another question. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, what was that thing you did back there? You knocked those guys out cold without lifting a finger."
The boy smirked. "Sorry. That's a secret. But you'll find out one day." Again with the vague responses. Coby nodded despite his lingering curiosity.
Meanwhile, Luffy was internally wondering if he should just tell him. He didn't really feel like explaining the concept of Conqueror's Haki to someone who had yet to truly see the world. Even a small glimpse of its vastness might discourage the boy from pursuing his dream at this point.
"Oops," he said suddenly. "I forgot to introduce myself. Sorry." He stood up, and Coby nodded to convey his desire to know. The inside of the ship was a bit dark, so only now he noticed that the boy had two spear-like weapon on his back. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy! The man who is going to become the Pirate King! And the man who will be the most strongest in the entire ocean." He said the last part as he balled up his hand with a wide wild grin on his face.
34
Coby's jaw hung loosely in response to the bold statement. "Pirate King? And the Strongest Man? Do you even realize what that means!?" he asked in shock.
"Yes," Luffy said simply. But Coby shook his head furiously.
"You're insane! Your desire is to stand at the top of this great age of pirates! Not just shoot for the title of the pirate king, but you also want the title of Whitebeard." A hint of fear crept itself into Coby's voice at the thought of the boy he had unwittingly started to like dying a gruesome death.
Luffy just smiled, while the six-armed monkey just had a raised eyebrow.
"Don't tell me you're going to the Grand Line to challenge Whitebeard! And finding the One Piece is no joke. And beating Whitebeard... he's a giant!" Luffy just smiled, confirming his suspicion. Coby continued shaking his head. "It's impossible, Luffy! Give up now before you get yourself killed! I know I just met you and have no right to order you around, but I don't want you to die a premature death! If the sea doesn't kill you… then challenging Whitebeard definitely will. "
Luffy's held back from bonking him on the head, if only because Coby had worked up the courage to shout at him, something he wasn't sure he would have the nerve to do after Luffy kind of overdid it with testing his will. Instead, he just gave the boy a confident smirk. "Not likely. It will be a while before things actually get dangerous, but I'll be ready when they do. Also... living with unfulfilled dreams is a life of coward… and do I look like a coward to you?"
Coby looked awed. That made the boy look at himself, did he have the courage to fulfill his dreams… to serve justice to the criminals… to help the needy…
Could he truly lead a life like Luffy?
"I wonder if I can be like that." Coby's quiet voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "I wonder if I can live with no doubts, confidently fulfilling my ambitions."
Luffy shrugged. "No reason why you can't." He said, "In fact, why don't you accompany me on my journey? I can see great things in you." Luffy cringed internally at that stupid line. His recruiting pitch needed some work.
"Wha…"
"Hmm… do you have a dream?"
"I have a dream," he whispered. "It's nowhere near as amazing as yours, but I wonder if I can do it." He looked up to meet the focused gaze of Luffy, who smiled widely.
"Only you can answer that one!"
But Coby continued on, ranting as if he'd been discouraged, which Luffy thought was hilarious.
"No, I will do it! I will become a Marine! A great Marine who follows the code of justice to the end! And I will stop pirates from wreaking havoc on the innocent!"
Luffy felt a bit disappointed, somethings never change huh? But Luffy quite liked Coby… not as a fictional character. No… it was because of his dream… and he wanted him on his crew.
"Oh, really." Luffy said, "Did any Marin help you get out of the ship? I mean the East Blue isn't that strong for having Pirates, excluding me of course."
The boy thought, it was a bit strange, that in his one-and-a-half year of staying in Alvida, no Marines ever came to stop her. There was always the talk one the ship that the Marines were increasing more and more bribes. But the boy's came out of his stupor at Luffy's next question.
"Coby, what's being a Marine to you?"
The pink-haired boy blinked at the question? "Umm… I-It's to follow what you think its right. To serve justice."
Luffy rubbed his chin, "What if being a Marine changes you… no shoot that… I know that sometimes the government forces you to do bad things to people. Then what?"
The pink-haired boy thought seriously for a moment before answering, "Then I will quit being a Marine, and do what I think it right."
"Even if it means punching a Tenryūbito. One of the world nobles?"
"Yeah, I don't care who it is," Coby said, the boy's lack of knowledge of what a Tenryūbito was a good thing. "I will kick anyone's ass, if it means doing the right thing."
Luffy's smile grew even wider. "Does that include Alvida?" It was a calculated risk, he knew.
Coby's eyes widened in fear before the determination flooded back into them stronger than before. He took a deep breath, and shouted, "I will capture Alvida!"
There was a sudden crash and Coby caught sight of a giant mace sticking out of the ruined wooden wall. "I was wondering where the hell you were while the others were attacking our target. And here I find you aiding a bounty hunter and entertaining thoughts of mutiny!"
Coby stared in horror at the still-smiling boy. Did he do that on purpose? Why? What would his motive be? He had essentially just gotten Coby killed for revealing his traitorous thoughts, but that didn't mean Alvida would have mercy on him! What was he trying to do?
Alvida addressed Luffy directly. "And who do you think you are, planting thoughts of treason into my gullible cabin boy? Do you know who I am, brat?"
Luffy looked at her, pinky already in his nose, picking it due to boredom. "The biggest whale in East Blue?"
All doubts vanished from Coby's mind. Luffy was definitely trying to get them both killed.
Luffy's thoughts were elsewhere. 'Wait...does Laboon count? Nah, he's on the other side of Reverse Mountain, so that's not in East Blue. I guess there might be whales bigger than her in the eastern seas. So as far as I'm concerned, she's the biggest.' He was amused in a way… before he snapped back to reality, just as Alvida's shocked expression melted away to make room for an enraged one.
Before she could compose herself enough to act, Luffy turned to Coby with the same bored expression. "What do you think, Coby? I guess there might be bigger whales out there…" he said.
Comprehension dawned on Coby's face. It was a test. He was to become a Marine. Marines could not simply bow their heads in the face of insurmountable power. Their job was to protect the world from injustice when no one else would. How could he ever be a Marine if he couldn't stand up to a single pirate?
That's what it's about, isn't it, Luffy? The resolve to put your life on the line. His eyes hardened and something shifted within him. He snapped. "The fattest bitch-ass whale from here to Loguetown! Iron Mace Alvida!" He shouted it at the top of his lungs.
It seemed Luffy's persuasion in letting the boy quit his dream was having zero effect.
Alvida wordlessly swung at the offending stain of a child with all her might, only for him to disappear from sight along with the bounty hunter. When her perception of reality caught up with what had just happened, she recognized that there had been a crash directly above her. She looked up to see a hole in the ship's deck. The shitstain of a bounty hunter was standing above deck with Coby sprawled down beside him in shock. He was casually taking down pirates who had reacted with hostility to his sudden interruption of their pirating. As they kept coming, he seemed to get slightly annoyed and his arms seemed to blur out of sight.
As Alvida climbed out of the hole he had made, she realized that all of her henchmen were now unconscious. The rational part of her brain told her to be wary of this boy, the same part that was ruthlessly stomped into submission by the part of her brain that desperately wanted to process the image of his bloodied body dead at her feet.
She screamed in frustration as she jumped into the air and came crashing down behind the boy, swinging down with her mace. Coby's eyes widened. He didn't even have time to shout a warning before the iron mace came crashing down on Luffy.
And shattered upon contact with his head.
What just happened?
Coby saw that on his shoulder the six-armed monkey had covered Luffy's head with one of his arms and was glaring at the fat pirate.
'Wait… did the monkey shatter the giant mace?' Coby asked internally.
35
Alvida started to back away as her brain registered that perhaps she wasn't a match for this boy at all. And then she recognized who it was…
"You… aren't you the Hero of the Dawn Island?" Alvida asked as she took several steps back. The crooked pirate knew not to mess with a few people in the blue, one of them being the new bounty hunter who was rumored to have connections with the marine Hero Garp. His first bounty was a wapping 50 million berries. Of course, he would be strong.
Luffy's eye twitched slightly.
"No way… You are Monkey D. Mario?!" Coby said, "But wait… did they get the name wrong… didn't you say your name was Luffy?"
The six-armed monkey on his shoulder started laughing much to Luffy's frustration. "Yes, they accidentally got my name wrong…" he grumbled, "I regret making that joke…"
"Wait… wait… please don't kill me… I will give you all my treasures…" She continued to back away until the boy disappeared from her sight once again. A fist collided with the back of her head, robbing her of her consciousness.
"Yeah, I don't usually kill people," Luffy said finishing off his opponent. "But for you I might just man an exception... oh you're already gone. Oh Well!"
Coby watched as his preconceptions of the world were shattered right before his eyes. But it also made sense… the hero of the Dawn island… of course, if he was the grandson of the marine hero, he would be strong… but why was he trying to become a pirate?
The boy's thought was broken by Luffy, "The Marines will be here soon. You can try to join them, but it would be suspicious in this situation. In fact, they might just arrest you."
Coby nodded sadly at that. It was an accurate assumption.
"Why don't you come with me for now? I'm going to a certain island, but I honestly don't know how to get there. So I also need some help." He laughed sheepishly while saying it. "But there's a Marine base on that island… So let's help each other." Coby heard the proposal smiled and nodded with enthusiasm.
It was then that Luffy realized he didn't have a boat. He had abandoned his to its fate at the hands of the whirlpool. The thought saddened him. It was no Going Merry, so he just shrugged it off. Still, a pirate should look after his ship when he can.
Anyway, he was still thinking about the pink-headed boy. He didn't know if he could make Coby change his dream. If it didn't work, he wanted to let the boy a chance to start over in the Marines.
"Luffy… we should leave… the marines are on us." Coby's comment brought back Luffy from his imagination. He could see some of the cannon balls that were already heading toward him.
"Yes, we should look for a way out…" Luffy casually said as he used his Observation Haki with closed eyes. The colors went away only the aura of living remained, in his Observation Haki.
The color of Observation was personal for everyone… everyone saw things differently using this Haki. If Luffy used his Haki with closed eyes he could see all around him, the shapes of non-living things and the aura of the living things, it appeared like a glitch to him. He could even guess the emotion they had based on how their aura or the glitch fluctuates.
It was quite an interesting skill.
And with his Haki, he could see an odd Orange aura that was trying to hide from him. And Luffy wouldn't have noticed if he didn't know what he was looking for. It was an aura of a female that was on a small roeboat, getting away from the conflict.
Yup, that should be her.
"Well, Let's hitch a ride." He grabbed Coby and nonchalantly jumped off of the ship and onto her boat.
Sparky seemed annoyed that he was left behind, but the monkey didn't complain much as he used geppo to follow Luffy. Of course, Coby was screaming like a little girl due to sudden fright.
With that all three of them jumped onto Nami's small boat. "Don't mind us…"
Nami's eyes widened comically and she gasped. She had been planning to get away while she still had a chance, but he had found her somehow. And did he just walk in air… no she might be seeing things… anyway, this guy…he was dangerous.
Also… is that a six-armed monkey… the thing actually looked kinda cute. But she wouldn't comment on that.
"Hello," the boy greeted. "Sorry for the trouble, but we're kind of stranded. Would you mind giving us a ride to Shells Town? We have some business there."
Nami calmly assessed the situation. She knew Shells Town was on the same island as the 153rd Marine Branch. She was planning to go there herself to investigate a lead she had acquired. Perhaps it would be best to take this guy there to appease him long enough to get out of danger.
He just single-handedly defeated a notorious pirate crew and trashed their ship. Having been far from Alvida's dramatic reveal of Luffy, she was unaware of Luffy's identity. So, she wondered if this guy was a pirate, but decided against asking. She simply nodded in response to his request.
The obvious signs of fear Nami were showing amused Luffy. Also… she was kinda hot. But… she was seriously lacking the chest department. Eh... she will get big soon.
Thinking about how things happen in the original story, Luffy didn't like to go through the ordeal.
Seeing Luffy's eye oggled at her chest and the obvious disappointment on his face made Nami angry. "Hey, eyes up here, pervert!" But then she winched… she didn't want to scream at him.
"Uh… sorry, but there wasn't anything to look at…"
Nami seemed genuinely offended by the comment. It was as if someone had stabbed her heart.
And Luffy realized that he was being too blunt. "Don't worry, give it a few years… I'm sure they will grow big with proper food and nutrition. Milk will make those tites grow in no time..."
Coby felt a sense of deja vu for some-reason, and then he looked at his arms. His noodles like arms.
"That's it, mister… I had enough." She said covering her chest with her hands. "Say anymore about my boobs, and you will be swimming yourself there…"
Luffy gave a salute, "Aye aye, madam Flat."
"Why you!"
"Wait!" Luffy said cutting her off, he stood up as he looked again towards the pirate ship that was a getting further and further away. "I almost forgot about that… I did make a promise to sink the ship…"
Coby frowned and looked back at his former home… he hated that place. But Luffy wouldn't be able to sink it now that they were this far. That wouldn't be humanly possible…
His eyes comically enlarged when the ship suddenly split in half in the middle as it started to sink. Looking at his side he could see the orange-haired girl having a similar expression and Luffy was already putting back one of his naginata on his back.
When did he draw his blade… he couldn't even see it. Just how strong was this guy? Coby gulped, he was glad that this guy wasn't one of the bad guys… Also, could he someday be as cool as him?
While Coby was running through his thoughts… Luffy was paying attention to Nami's expression more.
He did this to show off that he wasn't just some weak nobody. And that she wouldn't need to be afraid of Arlong… and help was just one call away.
Of course, Sparky just rolled his eyes at the display of power… sometimes he couldn't get what the rubber head was thinking. But oh well, he had a good snack, now he could get some shut-eye.
The last time Luffy had put him on watch duty, this time there were more than enough people to keep an eye on things.
36
Nami's day turned out to be weird, and that was saying something. It was mostly because of the three passengers hitching a ride on her small boat. She barely had any space left to stretch her leg.
She was desperately trying, for the sake of her own safety, not to comment on the stupidity of a person actually trying to navigate the sea without a map, compass, or general sense of direction. Of course, it was the straw hat-wearing boy called Luffy.
"Don't worry, there's only so and so chances of me dying out of hunger, thirst, or even drowning. So, if it didn't happen, then it won't happen." Luffy said, without a care in the world, "Though I hope if it did happen, I wish my body would wash up to shore, rather than being fish food. Fish don't eat rubber, do they Coby? Shishishi"
While Coby was sweating in exasperation, and the six-armed monkey just rolled his eyes, used to his antics. The pink-haired boy wondered what he meant by rubber… Luffy had forgotten to explain his devil fruit powers.
"That's not something to laugh about you know…" she said flatly. Luffy stopped laughing and looked at her, blinking. Before laughing again.
She wondered if it was the same by had cut a whole ship with a swing just a few hours ago, the same boy that took down a whole crew by himsef, the same boy who also happened to be the so-called Hero of Goa Kingdom.
The pink-haired boy seemed to already idealize the boy, because of his saving. She also heard the boy saying that Luffy was the grandson of the marine hero Garp. She was almost sure that was a lie. Why would the grandson of a marine hero want to be a pirate? The pirate king no less.
She didn't know if it was the charm, but people felt at ease around the straw hat boy. And that was saying something. Nami just couldn't profile the boy's character. It was all over the place.
"No, I guess it's not,"
Nami just rolled her eyes. She wasn't a person who was always cautious around people, even her own shadow to speak… and yet she kind of felt at ease around the young man. Almost safe actually.
And it wasn't only her, she could see that the pink-haired boy being much more at ease as the conversation went on.
Had she completely misread him? So far since they set out he hadn't made any move that could be considered hostile. He had just been chatting amiably with Coby and the monkey the entire time.
Nami felt a bit frustrated that he couldn't get read on the boy. But, she also was very interested in his strength for reasons… Maybe just maybe…
"Oh, what's your name anyway?" Luffy asked, "I mean I can you by your nickname, Flat…" But the lady cut her off.
"Nami…" then she winched, why did she have to give away her name. Ugh… it felt like she was playing into his mind games.
Luffy nodded and accepted this without further question. Which was good in a way, Nami didn't want to give any more information away.
There was no point giving him any other information that he could potentially use to find her, and the chances he'd ever set foot on her home island were slim.
Speaking of home… the boy had displayed some amazing strength. But would that be enough? Nami was no saint that would shy away from asking help —even using her charms if needed— if things got done.
But would asking someone like help with her situation? She was almost finished with collection funds… betraying Arlong, might get not only her, but the whole village killed. Though for some reason, her gut told her to trust the boy… she didn't know why.
Sure, he was unnaturally strong, but strong people didn't necessarily have to abuse their strength, even if most did. There was an air of confidence around him, as if it calmed people down. So she had some hope that he might be of help…
But Nami quickly shot that thought away. No way a human could ever fight a Fishman. They were ten times stronger than men. 'Yeah, I am just going to give him a ride and be done with it.' she told herself, then blinked, 'That came out wrong.' But then she looked at Luffy, he might have a goofy smile, but damn that was a body. She shook her head, it wouldn't work out. And anyway, the boy was aiming to be a pirate.
Asking the Marines for help would be much better in her comparison. Who knows Luffy might be more dangerous than he let on. But those abs though…
"Yes, take a picture will you." Luffy said amused, before putting his hands behind his shoulder, flexing his abs, "These babies can shred cheese…"
The girl hid her blush. And didn't say anything, just focused on navigation. Yes, because it wasn't like she was a pervert...
37
As the journey, she became comfortable enough to ask some simple questions. "Um, Luffy?" He turned to her.
"Hmm?" he looked at her.
"Why are you heading to Shells town? What business do you have there?"
Luffy smiled brightly at the question. "I have heard there was a strong swordsman there… so I'm going to ask him to join me. His name is Zoro."
Two sets of eyes widened at this new information. "As in…?" Coby started to ask but trailed off. Nami recognized the name too. It wasn't exactly common.
"Roronoa Zoro. He's known as the Pirate Hunter," Luffy confirmed.
Coby broke into a cold sweat. "He's a friend of yours, Luffy?" Luffy nodded to him. The thought of the Pirate Hunter having friends sounded very far-fetched to him. But then again, Luffy did hunt a big-time pirate but a year ago… so maybe. But didn't he want to be pirate king.
"Not yet." Luffy said, grining, "I was wanting him to join my crew…"
Coby silently wondered how someone who was aiming to be Pirate King wanted to recruit most infamous bounty hunter in East Blue. That just sounded like a betrayal waiting to happen.
Thet didn't speak much, but that's all he would get. Coby found the six-armed Monkey, Sparky was his name quite cautious of new people. But he wasn't any different.
At least the monkey had the strength to protect himself. Coby might be a coward sometimes, but he was not stupid. He had seen the monkey break Alvida's mace just by blocking with one of its little hands. And had seen the monkey perform the same air walking technique that Luffy used.
By his observation even if Luffy didn't do anything, the monkey would have been enough to take the whole of Alvida's crew himself. And that was saying something.
Were all six-armed monkeys that strong… he had seen and heard of some weird creatures. So maybe they were just born strong this way.
Coby didn't think of it anymore. As he tried to focus on the journey, at least by the day was over —if things didn't happen— he would be able to join the Marines.
When they finally arrived on the island, Luffy locked onto Zoro's aura. It was easily the most profound presence on the island, towering above the others.
That was pretty cool. But what made Luffy curious was another aura that was just as profound near Zoro. Now that was interesting… Luffy was already ready for things to be not according to cannon. The time-line would be similar, but not identical to the canon.
So he was curious.
The boat docked and Luffy was the first one to go off. Funnily enough, all of them followed Luffy like a mother duck. Including Nami, he didn't know why though. Maybe he made her interested… if so that was good.
On the way to the bar, he listened in on some conversations as he walked down the street, gathering information on recent events, one of which seemed to be the topic of almost every conversation he eavesdropped on.
'This is interesting, someone already broke Zoro out and took out the giant Captain… and here I thought I would be able to show off.' Luffy mused.
Someone had managed to break Zoro out from the marines and raise hell in the base, plowing through unfortunate marine soldiers with his sword sheath and finally knocking an enraged Marine Captain Morgan out cold.
And what's, even more, interesting was it wasn't a swordsman, but a swordswoman. 'Hmm… real interesting.'
The entire town had been stunned by the news. This marked the end of Morgan's reign of tyranny, and it had happened so fast. While the Marines were grateful, they were also slightly disconcerted at the level of strength the unknown female blade user had so casually displayed, as if it was a walk in the park.
"It seems someone caused quite the ruckus here," Luffy said.
Sparky got down from his shoulder, jumping onto a nearby housetop.
"Well, someone's eager?" Luffy said, with a raised eyebrow. "But I don't think you will find any good guns here."
The monkey made some sounds which Luffy translated as, 'Yeah, but I'm getting bored.' the monkey said, before going off.
"Impatient," Luffy said as he walked slowly toward where the monkey was going.
Sparky picked up the gun recently after learning about Observation Haki. And he was eager to see if there were any guns around the marine base.
Coby and Nami had taken to following Luffy silently, and now looked at him with confused expressions. And so Coby asked, "Uh… where's your friend going?"
"To find some new toys…" Luffy said amusingly.
Coby didn't enjoy the vague answer, but didn't comment on that. But he was curious about how people were interacting with one another. Of course, after seeing the large weapons strapped to Luffy's back, they made themselves move sideways. They weren't afraid but were cautious. Saying something along the lines of 'another Bounty hunter…' but they seemed happy almost glad.
"The people around seem cheerful today…" Coby said. "It's almost weird… is today a festival or something?"
"Oh, you didn't know?" Luffy said, "Apparently Marine Captain Morgan, who was in charge of the marine base here, was abusing his rank to oppress the townspeople."
Coby looked baffled and somewhat angry while Nami just narrowed her eyes, not really surprised.
"His idiot son, Helmeppo or something like that, also used his influence to gain special privileges, and when Zoro put him in his place for harassing the townspeople, he threatened to start executing them. Zoro agreed to be locked up for a month in the marine base without food to avoid having civilian deaths on his conscience, but Helmeppo never intended to let him go. And it just seemed to happen that one of Zoro's friends was near the town, and helped him break out. Beating the crap out of Captain Morgan in the process. The Marines decided to apprehend Morgan right then and there."
Coby looked outraged now. How could a marine let that happen? Luffy didn't really care either way. Coby seemed to be a good candidate for the crew. And he won't shy away from manipulating him to join his crew. What he was a pirate, a greedy one no less and he would get what he wants.
Coby went from being a scrawny rat to someone that could patiently be a Marine Admiral in the future. When he last read the One Piece manga, he was already considered a hero of the Rocky Port incident. He didn't know what he did there, but anyhow he made a name for himself, and that was the kind of people Luffy wanted in his crew.
38
Besides, the Marine and the World Government was a failed organization. One could notice it just by reading between the lines of newspaper. Luffy had done some research.
Did you know in the New World, some of the safest islands were those that were under Whitebeard's banner? Well, he didn't actually get that from the newspaper but from the information brokers in the black market.
And it wasn't all. The West Blue was one of the safest Blue's because of the Chinjao family or better known as Hoppo Navy.
Sure more pirates originated for West Blue than others, but it was safer than East. And that's because most of the island was under a pirate's protection. The world government only were out for the tax, other than that they turned a blind eye to the most corrupt marines in their ranks.
The only reason why the rumor about East Blue being safer than the rest was because of the government had spread. To symbolize that this was the blue where the pirate king was killed, this was also where the marine hero lived.
So joining that kind of organization wasn't any better than joining a pirate crew in his opinion. If Luffy were to be honest, even joining the revolutionary was much more beneficial for Coby's sense of justice.
But Luffy didn't want Coby to join other parties. Because the boy had some potential. He wouldn't go around with his crew to serve justice and all that, but after he established himself as the pirate king and the world's strongest, he wouldn't mind taking over the World Government.
While the canon Luffy was more inclined toward Freedom, he was more inclined toward Ambition.
Nami turned to him with curious eyes. "How do you know all that anyway?"
Luffy just hummed, before answering, "It's a skill that I've picked up on. I listen to fragments of conversations while walking through crowds to try to gather a full picture of what's going on in the area. It's pretty useful." That was utter bullshit, maybe that was something no one… no, maybe Robin could do. But not him.
He just went along with his canon knowledge and picked up on some cues. And made a wild guess based on his observation. Also, Observation Haki also enhanced one's hearing ability, so it wasn't all that though.
The color of observation was weird in a way, it not only granted a supernatural sense. But also boosted his already five present senses to a supernatural degree.
Nami nodded, wondering if she should try to learn how to do that. Coby was impressed. "That's amazing Luffy! Where'd you learn how to do that?"
Luffy put on a cheeky smile. "A trade secret my friend."
When they arrived at the bar, Luffy noted that Zoro and the others had sensed his presence as well. They might have not known about Observation Haki, but a small burst of Conquere's was enough to make them stand on their feet with their guards up.
Did he have to do it? No, but he was going to make his entrance epic. All dramatic and such.
Luffy walked in, followed closely by his two traveling companions.
He stopped behind the bench on which Zoro and a female sat… no they actually were now standing on their guard. One hand on their sword, already ready to draw at a moment's notice.
"You must be Zoro?" Luffy said casually, standing carefree with arms crossed. The green head in question only narrowed his eyes.
"And you are?" the girl asked. She had black hair and fair skin. She wasn't your average faired skin beauty, had more of an athletic build. And she was someone that Luffy couldn't recognize from the show.
Well, she did look like Teshigi. But why would she be here?
"You a marine?" Zoro spoke this time.
"No actually," Luffy said, a grin on his face. "I'm a pirate. Monkey D. Luffy… but not just any pirate I might add… I'm someone who's going to go to places." He jabbed his thumb towards himself, "the future king of the pirates if I might add, humbly."
The others present in the restaurant would have laughed at Luffy's declaration… but they didn't. Why? Because of a small burst of Conquerers, not enough to knock them out, but enough to make the eat any words they had.
Was he abusing his Haki. Yes, but he convinced himself that this was training in its own way. You know what they say, Never stop the Grind.
Zoro gulped as he looked at his friend, both of them made small eye contact. If the straw hat boy made any sudden moves, they would make theirs. Zoro knew the younger boy might be stronger than him.
The green pride hurt even thinking that, but if both of them jumped in together, he wouldn't have a chance.
"And what do we owe the pleasure?" Zoro's grip on the sword tightened.
"Heard you are the strongest around this water…" Luffy said.
Everyone in the bar had put their conversations on hold and looked on, including Nami and Coby. They watched apprehensively as if expecting a fight to break out.
"…and so I have decided." Luffy continued looking at Zoro and other women. "I want you in my crew."
There was a sudden pause before… "You want to what?" Zoro flabbergasted.
As the straw hat boy laughed, the tension lifted off everyone's shoulders. All of them let out a unified sigh that they didn't know they were holding. "Sorry for being over dramatic, but you guys seem really strong. So I wanted to do a small test… I hope you don't mind." The boy said politely.
Everyone around then wondered if it was the same young man that just a moment ago was drawing thick tension around them.
"Can I get two more rounds over here? It's on me" The bartender nodded, looking relieved, and poured two more cups as Luffy sat down. "Alcohol?!" Luffy frowned, "Do I look like a peasant to you? Bring me Milk! And it better be ice cold with no sugar mixed in it."
Coby sweatdropped, Luffy wasn't kidding when he said he liked milk.
If anyone had any complaints, they didn't question the boy's odd choice of drink. But now looking at the boy's amazing physique. They could guess that he was one of those health-conscious guys who counted everything they put in their bodies.
With that out of the way, Luffy moved his attention to the two blade users."Oh, why are you standing. Sit down." he began, "By the way, what's your name, pretty lady?"
The two of them reluctantly took their seats opposite to Luffy. "Kuina."
Luffy's eyes slightly widened, but he hid it well. "Uh, a wonderful name." He expected changes, but not this soon. But oh well, her aura was just as strong as Zoro's if not stronger than the green head. Well, she did seem a few years older than Zoro. Might be already in her early twenties.
"Anyway, I have a proposal for you guys…" Luffy began but this time Zoro cut him off.
39
"Look, we don't want any more trouble. The marines have already blacklisted my bounty hunter's license." He said, jabbing towards Kunia, "I'm pretty sure they might do the same thing for her, as she took down one of the marine captains. No matter how corrupt he was… at the end of the day he was marine. So we dont' want any more trouble."
"But that's awful…" It was Coby who spoke, "You guys didn't do anything wrong…"
Kunia sighed, "That's how the world works. As bounty hunters, we have to be more wary of the marines most of the time then pirates. Bounty hunting isn't as easy as hunting down pirates and giving them to marines… some marine check-posts don't even want to hand over the cash unless you put some pressure on them. So we don't want any more trouble."
Luffy raised his eyebrow, "I don't get it sometimes how gramps is still in the marine." He mumbled mostly to himself, of course, it was to let Coby hear it. "Anyway, that's why you should join my crew."
Both Zoro and Kuina frowned, but Luffy wasn't finished.
"Don't you guys have a dream?"
"Yes," both of them said at the same time.
"And if I may able to hear them?" He said politely, leaning on the table.
"To become the strongest Swordsman in the sea!"
"To become the strongest Swordswoman in the sea!"
Luffy's grin widened, "Bold Goals… and are you going to let some man-made rules block you from that path?" he asked, "You can hide like a rat in the east blue for a couple of months. Change your looks, take on a new name and start your occasional pirate hunting… but will that help you gain strength."
Luffy leaned in, even more, he had a sharp fire in his eyes, "Or… you can join me. I just don't want to be the pirate king. No, I also want to be the world's strongest man? You see I'm a greedy and ambitious man… I don't just want Roger's title, no I want Whitebeard's title as well. And like the greedy pirate I am, I want you guys be part of my crew."
Both Zoro and Kuina could see the ambition in his voice and a fire behind the boy's eyes. He had an air of confidence that said that he spoke nothing but the truth. And he seemed to be a man that would do anything for his goals. It almost made them admire him. Even if the boy was a few years younger than them.
"…I promise you strength, I promise you wealth… but I can't promise you, your goals. That's something that you have to do for yourself." He said, "I can help you get strong and make it easy for both of you to reach your goal. But it is only your conviction that will make you fulfill your dreams. So… are you willing to join me? Join the future King of the Pirates. The man that will conquer the seas and the land in between. The man that will be one day the strongest in the world."
World domination wasn't Luffy's plan. And nor would the two sword user care, but he had to make his marketing speech impressionable. "So what's your answer?"
Both of them thought over what Luffy had said.
It was true, after what had happened they couldn't actually continue in their line of work in the east blue. They could just to another blue, and forge new identities. But what Luffy said was right.
Their target were the likes of Mihawke and Shanks… and being here won't make them reach their goal. They could have tried to joined the marines, but they had too many limitations and rules… and after this incident joining them was not an option.
Zoro and Kuina knew the boy was right… but joining piracy. The two of them had some lines they weren't willing to cross… and knew that not all pirates were bad. And the strawhat boy seemed genuine. So the offer was quite tempting.
For Zoro, he had a goal to visit a certain island. And that island wasn't just anywhere in grandline, that island was too far for him to reach right now. He needed strength, and if that meant joining a pirate crew so be it.
For Kuina it wasn't something she planned. But was eager, she did have a history with a certain blue-haired pirate, and the straw hat boy did say he was going to challenge the Whitebeard pirates. So joining his crew wasn't a bad deal.
And unlike Zoro, she had the chance to start her journey a few years before the boy. And visited each of the four blues, only the grandline remained unexplored to her. And she had gut feeling that this boy would not only be able to sail the grandline, but conquer it.
"We will join." Zoro answered for both of them. And Kuina didn't refuse, "But I will like to challenge you to an official dual. You are strong, and I see no way of defeating you… but that my swords are humming for a hunt."
Luffy's grin widened, "That's the kind of thing I want to hear. It's almost as if it's a music to my ear." The boy snapped his fingers, "But only on one condition… no make it two. Do you accept?"
"Yes." Zoro grinned manically. "Anything for a good fight…"
"Not even knowing what those said conditions are?" Kuina sighed. It seemed that when it comes to fighting, Zoro was still as impulsive as before.
But she didn't protest, as she just crossed her arms. She also wanted to challenge the boy. The straw hat boy did have two good-looking blades on his back. At least one of them was a named blade.
"First, we won't fight here. Let's go to another island." Luffy leaned in with a whisper. That made both of them raise their eyebrows, but didn't refuse the condition.
Maybe the boy didn't want to show his powers to others. It was understandable. While others might underestimate and think that the straw hat boy was trying to isolate the fight, so as to not get too embarrassed while losing.
Zoro and Kuina didn't think that way. Their instincts screamed to them, to not underestimate the boy. And they wouldn't, they would follow their gut.
"…and for the second condition." Luffy added, "I want the two of you to fight me at the same time.
40
After that whole ordeal was over, the town's people came outside the restaurant to look at their heroes. Actually, they were already there, but after seeing Luffy enter, some of them left, thinking that a dangerous fight might break out. But nothing like that happened, so they came back.
Even Coby was a bit of awe at the appreciation that people gave them. And at the same time, he questioned himself if all Marines were like this.
He still wanted to pursue his own brand of justice, but he wasn't sure anymore. And also the fact that Luffy was pushing him to join the crew.
Luffy was the strongest person that he saw alongside Zoro, and Kuina. He hadn't seen them fight yet, but he could guess they weren't to be messed with.
Coby really wanted to be like them. Stand strong, bold, never backing down, and stand for his own beliefs. And he felt a bit of happiness hearing Luffy telling Coby that he had the potential to be strong. And Coby would have joined in if Luffy was a bounty hunter, but the straw hat was a pirate, and he didn't know if it was the right thing to do.
But there was also the fact that Luffy's grandfather was the marine hero. Maybe he saw something that made him dislike the marines. Coby might be a nerd, but he wasn't as naive as he let on.
If the Marine base in east blue had this kind of corruption, from Luffy's demeanor. He couldn't see the boy joining the marines. But it wasn't like he could downright ask Luffy about it. They weren't that close yet…
Pirates were bad right, they destroy villages, kill, rape and other stuff. And he already had some experience in that department, so Pirates should be bad… That's what common logic told him, but all logic didn't work with the straw hat boy. Maybe he should think about it for a bit before joining the Marine, maybe sail with them for a bit.
'Yeah, I should spend some time before taking such a huge step.' Coby told himself, 'Now that I'm free I can join the Marines any time I want.'
He watched in exasperation as Luffy devoured plate after plate of food. His body was gradually expanding before their eyes, and some had lost their appetites just watching the process. And he wasn't the only one, Sparky, the six-armed monkey joined in on the feast and started devouring the food.
'Maybe strong people needed more food?… Or maybe,' Coby sweat-dropped, 'yeah, logic didn't work with him.'
Zoro and Kuina looked at Luffy a bit weirdly, and… Nami… where was she? She was with them just a moment ago. Did she leave?
She did say she would leave after giving them a ride on her boat.
Luffy sighed in contentment and stood up, his round physique sagging in response to the action. The same thing happened to the six-armed monkey who gained a foot in height due to his bulging stomach.
A few bystanders wondered how this was possible. When Luffy's face scrunched up in concentration and his round physique rebounded into his moderate muscular figure, muscles bulging as if the mass had been redirected. Red hot steam coming out of him.
The bystanders gave up trying to make sense of anything they were seeing. "Aaahh, that's better. Kami-e really helps with quick digestion…" Luffy said in satisfaction, "And… I feel like I can beat a sea king right now. I digested it too much, too soon."
Coby and the other sweatdropped.
Kuina spoke, "Are you guys staying here for a while? It's will get dark if you want to go to another island."
Luffy glanced at her then back to Coby and grinned. "Actually, we're going out to sea. Zoro and you will be my first crewmate. Or at least human crewmate, Sparky has you beat there…"
The monkey in question rolled his shoulder. It was weird seeing a six-armed monkey rolling his shoulder. Did it have two shoulders or six?
"We didn't join your crew yet… you have to show us that you are at least strong enough to become my captain." Kuina said crossing her arms. "You are overwhelmingly underestimating us… against two of us you wouldn't stand a minute."
Luffy just smiled amused as he leaned back on his chair, "We'll see."
"Two former pirate hunters joining a pirate…" Luffy said, "I find it quite the tail…"
Coby still tried to wrap his mind around the two Pirate Hunters becoming a pirate.
"Anyway, we should head for the next island." Zoro said, "the sooner we can fight, the sooner we can get rid of you or join you…"
"Ow, your such a cold sourpuss, Zoro." Luffy whined back to his comedic demeanor.
Coby just sighed. This was the time to make a decision. "So, when do we set sail, Luffy?" he said.
"Just as soon as we get a ship that can take us," Luffy grinned hearing it from the boy.
Coby facepalmed. He almost forgot that Nami was gone… Oh, he also wanted to be clear with Luffy, "Uh… I hope you don't mind, but I'm not actually joining your crew yet." The boy clarified, a bit nervous. "If it's not a problem with you… I want to accompany your journey and see a bit more of the world. Before making a decision."
Coby was almost proud of himself that he said that without stuttering even once. But he had to stand up for his own believes, if he wanted to fulfill his dreams in the wide sea.
"Uw… come on Coby, not you too." Luffy whined like a baby. That went better than expected. "But hey, at least now you are following your dreams. Shishishi."
Coby smiled, "t-thanks. But we need to get a boat first."
"I think I can fix the issue." Kuina said, "The marines want us to leave the island anyways, so we can all take my boat… it should be able to house all of us for a trip to the nearest island."
She was actually not present when Zoro was captured by the marines. No, she got a cue from the bounty hunter association that he would be near these islands. It had been two years since they last met, so she wanted to meet him as well.
She had already gone and visited her father beforehand. As she was planning to venture into the grandline all by herself. So she wanted to meet one of her childhood friends and rival before going on the dangerous journey.
But having found no clue after a week of searching, even after getting the cue, she came here to Shells Town to refill her rations. But then things happened and she found out about what the Marines were scheming. And had no choice but to get involved.
So she did have a decent boat for the journey, she would, of course, have to sell it as there was no chance that the small dingy would make her cross to the grandline. But it could be used for nearby visits. "Anyhow where do you want to go…"
"Orange Town!"
Without further ado, they set sail for the place they knew to be called Orange Town. To meet a future Yonko of the sea…