A/N: Let me start off by saying I love One Piece, a lot. Which is why I wanted to write a One Piece fanfic since...2015 to 2016. However I stopped myself for a few reasons.
First and foremost, One Piece is really hard to change and make interesting, and with how I do like adding OCs; I couldn't think of any major changes I could realistically without thinking of how the story would change drastically. It doesn't help that I seriously love it to a point where changing it is the most difficult thing I've ever had to do for a story.
Secondly, because of how I wrote back then and with the series having no way of me knowing how close it was to being finished, I was afraid that I'd be forced to come to a full stopping point like a lot of One Piece Fics come to be when following the manga/anime. I really didn't want to go through that effort only to come to a stop and be forced to wait months at a time so I can post maybe a few chapters at best.
This is gonna be one of the biggest challenges I've done in a while and I do have a lot of ideas I want to explore with. It'll be easier to put them into action once more information is revealed, but that's not until later. I'm also very welcomed to ideas that you'd like to see for this story. I won't promise about using them all, just what I think could actually work.
For now, I know you want to read the story and be warned, OCs are gonna be part of the story, both as major and minor characters of the story. You have been warned. Now, enjoy!
Rising Black Flags of Freedom!
(East Blue, Sea)
The East Blue was considered to be the weakest out of all the seas, having normal islands that lived peacefully for the most part. Pirates who are considered great and threatening in this sea are regarded as low rate compared to pirates from the other seas and especially in the Grand Line. Ironically, despite its poor fame, the East Blue was the birthplace of the most powerful pirate of all time, the late Pirate King Gol D. Roger.
The man was quite literally the world's greatest Pirate, not only conquering the Grand Line, but also having a large vast amount of treasure that he had called One Piece. The man had surrendered himself to the Marines for unknown reasons, allowing them the chance to show what happens when you go against the Marines. However after telling the whole world that his treasure was still out there and that anyone could find it, more and more pirates appeared wanting to have the title as King.
Now the Pirate Era continues on, brimming with adventure and awaiting for newcomers to venture out through the seas.
(Organ Islands, Orange Town: Docks)
Organ Island, the birthplace of Orange Town where it stood tall for forty-two years. Years ago, after their village had been destroyed by pirates, the survivors managed to find the island to hide out. It was thanks to the current mayor, Boodle, that the town was built and has worked hard to keep it steady and alive for many years and had hoped to keep peace within. Unfortunately within the Era of Pirates, such a thing was not possible.
Enter Buggy the Clown, a rather infamous pirate and captain of the Buggy Pirates that has currently taken over Orange Town. The people, having no real weapons or fighting experience, found themselves forced to flee out of town by the Buggy Pirates. Now their homes were empty and were being ransacked for anything valuable for their captain. Once cleared they would blow it up for fun due to their captain's obsession with flashiness. It seemed like they would be done for, but their luck had seemed to change when a certain group of people chose to visit their home.
At the docks, three of Buggy's pirates were currently sitting in a beached rowboat, exhausted and terrified beyond belief. All the while unaware of a simple sailboat beaching right next to them.
"D-damn that green haired bastard." One pirate managed to get out, completely pale in the face. "H-he could have helped row us in here."
"We did try to rob him." Another Pirate said, his tone filled with defeat. "Seriously, we should have guessed who he was by the three swords."
"How the hell were we gonna know that Roronoa Zoro was gonna be a basic row boat!" The same pirate complained, finding strength to do so. "Gah! It's all that orange haired girl's fault! Once I find her, I'm gonna take her to Captain Buggy myself!"
"If he doesn't kill us first." The Pirate said with a gulp. Their Captain was quite cruel when he wanted to be.
"Grr...If there's one thing good out of this, that Pirate Hunter won't be able to cut into Captain Buggy. He's definitely dead by now." The Pirate said, smirking at the thought. Then he paled. "I just hope he doesn't mention us!"
"Roronoa Zoro and Buggy the Clown are on this island?"
"No shit dumbass...wait." All Three Pirates stood straight up, rows in hand at the new voice speaking.
The person before them was a male, standing 6,1 tall with a notable build for a well trained fighter, along with having unkempt, onyx-coloured hair. From what they were able to make out, he was slightly fair skinned, but looked to be a bit pale from what they say.
He was wearing a black, zipped up vest that had a white "X" mark made that went full circle around his back, a slightly lighter black, long-sleeved muscle shirt underneath, brown pants with a satchel tied to his left leg, black boots with white metal upfront and silver going along the lines and his gloves followed the exact same style, going over his hand. The most interesting part was that he was wearing a silver mask where only a black visor made it possible to partially see his eyes that seemed to be glowing pinkish-red.
"H-hey, this guy is freaking me out!" The third pirate finally spoke, his voice weak. Before the other two could speak, the masked man spoke again.
"Thank you for your info. Goodnight." Before they all knew it, they were flung off their boat and dropped on the sand unconscious. The masked man didn't seem to care too much, glancing over into the town upon hearing an explosion. His eyes glowed brighter for a moment before fading back to normal. "Understood."
Without another word he vanished from sight, leaving the unconscious pirates by themselves and towards the action.
(Organ Islands, Orange Town: Buggy's Hideout)
Three people were currently standing in front of Buggy's Hideout, all of which were there to deal with Buggy and his goons. These three people were known as Nami, Roronoa Zoro and Monkey D. Luffy.
Nami was a slim, young woman of average height, fair skin with short orange hair and brown eyes. She wore a simple, short-sleeved white shirt with an orange skirt and brown boots. Her weapon of choice being nothing more than a wooden staff.
Roronoa Zoro was a muscular man of average height with lightly tanned skin, having short, cropped green hair. He wore a plain white shirt with three undone buttons at the collar and his green haramak along with black trousers tucked inside black boots. There were also a single set of three identical ear rings on his left earlobe. By his left side were three swords testing by his side and ready to be used.
Finally was Monkey D. Luffy, having black shaggy hair, round black eyes, tanned skin and a slim muscular build. Most notably he had a scar with two stitches under his left eye. He wore a sleeveless red vest, blue shorts with cuffs and sandals. Finally a straw hat with a red band and a string remained firmly placed on his head.
As for why these three were here, they wanted to stop Buggy from destroying any more of the town. Well to be exact, Luffy wanted to kick Buggy's ass for the mayor, who he kindly knocked out before coming out here. Zoro was following Luffy, who considered himself a pirate and thus made Zoro his first mate. Finally Nami, while wanting to help out, mostly planned on grabbing as much of Buggy's treasure that she could possibly carry.
But they were all in it together at least.
"HEY YOU BIG NOSED BASTARD!" Luffy yelled up to where Buggy was. The Pirate's Hideout was that of a bar as a man came out.
Buggy was a slim blue-haired man with an appearance resembling that of a clown, as to mirror his epithet. His skin was fair and his eyes were black while his build was average at best. He donned a striped white and red shirt with short sleeves, white clown gloves, a blue sash around his waist, and a pair of loose pants, just above a pair of striped socks and pointy shoes. He also has a scarf around his neck and an orange, fur-lined captain's coat on his shoulders. On his head he had an orange hat with his jolly roger on it, a skull with a clown nose.
And yes, his bright red nose was real.
"WHO THE HELL ARE CALLING BIG NOSE YOU DAMN BRAT!" Buggy yelled as he and his crew glared down at the group. Luffy was giving him a large grin, Zoro had already drawn two of his blades and Nami had looked a bit scared. Upon seeing them, rage flashed in his eyes as he screamed. "YOU THREE! I'LL MAKE SURE YOU ALL DIE A FLASHY DEATH!"
"Flashy?" Luffy questioned with a head tilt before seeing a large cannon pointed down at them. "Oh that thing."
"YES! THIS THING! MY SPECIAL BUGGY BALLS WILL BLOWN YOU LOT INTO SMITHEREENS!" Buggy declared with a lit match in hand. His men cheered him on while Nami was freaking out down below. However Luffy seemed ready while Zoro was watching his captain, unsure.
"Hey, we should move." Zoro said, lazily. Luffy however shook his head and grinned while biting into his thumb.
"I got this." Luffy declared, waiting for Buggy to make his move.
"NOW IT'S TIME FOR AN EXTRA FLASHY DEATH!" Buggy yelled, lighting the cannon. His men made sure it was aimed firmly at the group below, allowing him to cackle. "NOW DIE!"
"AHHH!" Nami screamed out in fright upon seeing the cannon launch. However Luffy acted.
"Gum-Gum: Balloon!" Luffy yelled as his body expanded into a large ball. Nami watched in pure shock as the Buggy Ball bounced off his chest and back towards the bar. Buggy and his Pirates screamed in terror before they were consumed in a massive explosion. Luffy deflated back to his normal form. "HA HA HA HA!"
"What in the world are you?!" Nami yelled, very confused on the whole. Luffy just turned to her and pulled his cheek, stretching it out far while making her scream again.
"I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit. I'm a Rubber Man!" Luffy said before letting go of his cheek.
"Y-you ate a Devil Fruit?" Nami questioned, stunned. Devil Fruits had given the consumers amazing powers and abilities in trade of never being able to swim again. She knew Buggy ate the Chop-Chop Fruit, but didn't think Luffy ate one! "You could've mentioned that before!"
"What's the big deal? We're still alive, aren't we?" Zoro questioned nonchalantly. Nami instantly found herself glaring at the man for the attitude while Luffy laughed.
"EXCUSE ME FOR NOT WANTING TO GET BLOWN UP! NOT ALL OF US CAN SURVIVE THAT KIND OF STUFF!" Nami exclaimed only to be ignored altogether. She was really regretting all of this.
Hearing the sound of rumbling, they turned to see Buggy perfectly okay. He had used his own men as meat shields and didn't seem the least bit sorry.
"HA HA HA! THE GREAT BUGGY LIVES FOR ANOTHER DAY!" Buggy yelled as he threw the two corpses away and started laughing once again. He looked ahead and glared at the group that had dared to defy him. "AS FOR YOU FOUR, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU ALL A FLASHY DEATH!"
"Captain, allow me to deal with them." A man said, coming up from behind Buggy. He was holding a giant white lion with purple fur before he tossed it away like it was nothing.
He was a tall slender man with fair skin and a unique hairstyle that covered half of his face. Light green where it was shaved and dark green where it was longer. He was wearing a sleeveless, purple coat, white pants larger near the end and held up by a blue sash and white shoes.
"Besides, Roronoa Zoro is someone I wish to face myself." The pirate said with a dark gleam in his eye. Zoro merely raised an eyebrow at the guy.
"Cabaji, good to see that you're still alive." Buggy said with a sick grin while another man stepped from the building remains, having white fur all over his body. "Ah Mohji you finally woke up."
Mohji was...strange, to put it simply. He was an average guy with a muscular torso, pale skin and thick lips. He wore a white fur vest that covered the area of his chest, blue pants held up by a black sash and shoes in the shape of animal white fur feet. Needless to say, he looked weirder than Buggy.
"RICHIE!" Mohji yelled as he saw the state that his pet was in. The lion moaned in pain as his owner turned to glare at Cabaji. "YOU USED HIM AS A SHIELD!? I'LL KILL YOU!"
However he was instantly knocked out by a single blow from the green haired pirate, who couldn't help,but to chuckle. "Maybe if you were a bit stronger, then you would have taught me a lesson."
"So you wanna face me huh? Fine, I accept your challenge." Zoro said, tying his bandana around his head. He had then grunted a bit, feeling his wound burn a bit as Nami spoke up.
"Are you seriously going to fight in your condition?!" Nami asked, clearly a bit worried for the swordsman. He had been harshly stabbed in his side and it still needed time to heal.
"I never walk away from a challenge...Luffy, do you remember what I said?" Zoro asked as he gave his captain a light glare, only to see him nod. Grinning like a maniac, Zoro put his full attention on Cabaji. "Good."
"I hope you enjoyed your kill streak while it lasted, because I will be the one who cuts you down!" Cabaji declared as he pulled... a unicycle out of the wreckage and hopped on it. He had then pulled out a long saber as he gave Zoro a grin. "I'll be happy to cut you down for good."
"...This is seriously a circus show." Nami decided with a deadpan face. Even with how deadly the pirates were, she just couldn't take them seriously with things like this. "Shouldn't you hurry up and beat these guys already?"
"I'm fighting Buggy, Zoro can beat that other guy." Luffy said, confident in the swordsman's ability. Said man couldn't help to grin at the complement as he stepped forward. "What're you gonna do?"
"I'm gonna make sure I get Buggy's treasure obviously." Nami said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
"Oh, okay." Luffy said before turning back to look at the fight. Cabji wasn't playing fair at all, taking advantage of Zoro's wound by kicking it every chance he got.
However Zoro wasn't the Pirate Hunter for no good reason.
"Is poking my wound...that much fun?"
Instead of blocking, Zoro allowed Cabaji to go right past him, barely scratching his side as the Acrobat quickly stopped himself and turned around. Zoro himself turned around and had a big grin on his face. "Is that enough of a Handicap for you?" Zoro asked as he prepared himself in another stance. He seemed to be taking glee of Cabaji's startled expression. "If I lost to someone like you with such weak injuries, then I won't make it far in life."
'Is this...how Zoro the Pirate Hunter truly is?' Cabaji thought unnerved before shaking his head. 'It doesn't matter, I'll use everything I have in order to beat him!' He then pulled out several spinning tops before throwing them forward at Zoro, who had already placed his third blade in his mouth. "Acrobat Technique: The Dance of 100 Kamikaze Tops!"
The spinning tops however were quickly cut down by Zoro, but it allowed Cabaji to start riding alongside a building. Buggy smirked at this and gathered several knives in his hand and aimed it out at Zoro before launching it at him. His hand flew true towards the swordsman side, but it never came once Luffy stomped down on it and made Buggy scream out in pain.
"Don't interrupt Zoro's fight, bastard!" Luffy yelled while Zoro jumped out of the way of Cabaji's attack. Pulling his leg back, Luffy stretched it out far enough with a glare on his face before kicking it forward. "Gum-Gum: Stamp!
Buggy was too directed from the pain to see the incoming foot that slammed right in his face and sent him flying on his back. Luffy grinned at this and pulled his leg back while keeping his foot firmly planted on the clown's hand.
"I must say, I'm impressed that you fight so long with those injuries, but it's time that I end you for good!" Cabaji yelled before charging forward, intending to kill the famed Swordsman. However Zoro had been waiting for him to make his move and brought his blades to his chest and focused on the unicycle-rider.
"Three Sword Style:Oni Gini!" Zoro yelled as he slashed forward at incredible speed, slicing Cabaji's chest as he fell off his unicycle and onto his knees.
"How? How could I lose to a bunch of thieves?" Cabaji asked as he fell back on the ground, unconscious. Zoro placed his swords back, breathing a bit as he started wobbling.
"We're not thieves, we're Pirates." Zoro declared before falling back unconscious, his battle won.
"NO WAY! HOW COULD CABAJI LOSE TO THAT PUNK!" Buggy exclaimed while Luffy laughed and Nami looked stunned. She couldn't believe how crazy this all was. Then she shook her head and started to sneak away.
'I better leave it to them. No telling who's gonna win this.' Nami thought while making her way through the ruble. However as she passed, she spotted a masked man leaning up against a building and looking at the fight. "What are you doing? Don't you know those two are pirates?"
"The Straw Hat boy is a pirate too?" The masked man questioned with Nami nodding. "Regardless, I'm only watching. I'm interested in seeing how this goes, but I'm sure you have more important things to do than speak to me."
Nami seemed unsure what to make of that response, but didn't see a reason to convince him otherwise and moved on. The Masked Man returned his attention back to the pirates to see how this would continue.
Buggy growled at him and fired his other hand at Luffy, carrying another set of knives. The sudden action made the Rubber Man rush out the way, in doing so releasing Buggy's hand. With both his hands free, he brought them back and reattached them while Luffy seemed ready to continue their fight, but the clown spoke up.
"There's no way a bunch of rookies like you can be pirates!" Buggy yelled, no doubt annoyed with them for all the trouble they caused him. "What do you plan to do anyway? Go sightseeing in the Grandline?"
"To become King of the Pirates." Luffy said with a straight face. Buggy gasped heavily to the point it seemed like he was gonna choke while the Masked Man perked up at that.
'King of the Pirates...interesting.' He thought, his eyes shining purple for a moment.
"Get real! You, King of the Pirates?! Would that make me God, then?! I'm the one who's gonna be a King of the Pirates and obtain all of the world's treasure! Quit your dreaming!" Buggy yelled as his eyes became even more red than before.
"You're annoying. Let's just fight already." Luffy said, reading his fist while Buggy pulled out his knives.
"Seeing that straw hat of yours, brings back unpleasant memories of him...that red haired batard!" Buggy snarled out in pure hatred. Luffy however seemed more surprised.
"Red haired...you know Shanks?!" Luffy asked.. "Do you know where he is?"
"LIKE HELL! Even if I did know, I wouldn't tell a little bastard like you anything!" Buggy declared, his anger not settling for a moment.
The Pirate Clown fired his hands forward, rotating like a rampaging saw blade. However Luffy jumped over these as they came, but Buggy threw some extra Knives at the teen. Acting quickly, Luffy stretched out to a pole before yanking himself out of the way of the knives. Now on the ground, Luffy pulled his fist back with a mad grin on his fist.
"Gum Gum: Pistol! Luffy yelled, throwing his arm forward while stretching it out to hit Buggy. However the clown was a lot faster than expected as he simply moved his head just enough to allow the first to go right by him. Buggy was about to stab Luffy's arm only to see the young teen launching himself at him. "Gum Gum: Sickle!"
"Chop Chop: Quick Escape!" Buggy yelled out in fear as he popped his head off before Luffy could clothesline him, allowing the teen to go flying into the broken building. Reattaching his head on, he turned around and launched his hand at Luffy once more, making him dodge. However his other hand came from behind and stabbed into Luffy's hat and ripped it from his head. "HA! GOT IT!"
"No!" Luffy exclaimed in shock. He landed on the ground and watched Buggy bring the Hat up to him, a nasty smirk on his face. "You bastard, you damaged my hat!"
"This old thing? You're pissed that I ruined it?" Buggy asked mockingly. He used his fingers to spread out while sending out his free hand to do something else. "Maybe I'll cut into it a little more than that. It sounds like the perfect revenge on that Red-Haired Bastard, Shanks!"
Luffy didn't seem to appreciate that comment and showed it by charging forward. Before Buggy could react, he was punched across his face hard enough to send him flying back. His hand lost the hat and Luffy quickly grabbed it with a relieved look on his face. Buggy however seemed more annoyed at being caught off guard like that and it showed.
"I got it back." Luffy said, somewhat happy. The holes were seriously bothering him, but it didn't stop him from placing it back on his head.
"Why the hell do you care about that old and rugged thing anyhow! It's nothing important!" Buggy declared, managing to keep his smirk off his face. He did have more planned.
"Shanks gave me this hat. It's my treasure." Luffy explained, keeping his glare solely focused on Buggy. "It means more to me than you'll ever know!"
"Treasure? Don't make me laugh! That thing isn't even worth the dirt under my boots!" Buggy mocked, a twisted grin settling on his face. "But I suppose that won't matter once I deal with you a lot. Starting off with that bleeding swordsman!" Luffy looked over at Zoro and was shocked to see Buggy's floating hand far above him, several knives ready to stab. The Swordsman was still very much out of it and remained completely unaware of what was coming. "You should have expected this! This is a battle between pirates after all and everything is fair game! Consider a good lesson from the great Buggy!"
"ZORO!" The Rubber Man called out, getting a snore as a response. He started running over just as Buggy launched the hand downward. With a gleeful expression, he used his other hand to grab Luffy's leg and forced him to trip. "NO! ZORO! WAKE UP!"
Zoro grumbled, like he was trying to move, but remained asleep all the same. The blades came flying down, ready to pierce through the Swordsman neck before the Masked Man suddenly appeared and kicked the hand away. Buggy wailed out from the pain while Luffy got up, surprised.
"GAH! YOU SHITTY BASTARD THAT HURT!" Buggy said, bringing his body back together and blowing on his hands. Luffy made it over to them with a wide smile.
"Hey! Thanks for saving Zoro." Luffy said with a laugh. He had done a complete 180 from how he was a few seconds ago.
"I don't like it when someone attacks a wounded man. There's nothing more to it." The Masked Man said, earning a nod from Luffy.
"Still, thanks!" Luffy said, giving his widest grin. "Oh. Who are you anyway?"
"I'm..." He stopped himself, his eyes glowing purple once more before fading back to normal. "...My name is Rukido."
"Heh. I'm Monkey D. Luffy, good to meet you." Luffy said with Rukido nodding.
"DON'T IGNORE ME, BASTARDS!" Buggy yelled, catching their attention. He was extremely red in the face now and looked ready to snap at any moment. "You have a lot of nerve to treat me this way! You're no better than that Red Haired Bastard!"
"Eh? What do you have against Shanks anyway?" Luffy asked, still a bit miffed at the clown stabbing his hat.
"I'll tell you what happened! That bastard ruined my life!" Buggy declared before going into more detail. He explained that Shanks and himself were a part of the same crew, and the fact they had managed to find a Devil Fruit and with a map of some kind. Buggy then said how he took them both and planned to sell it and use the map to get the treasure. Unfortunately, Shanks caught him off guard and in an attempt to hide the fruit, he accidentally ate it whole. What was worse was that he dropped the map and jumped in after it into the water. He would have sank to the bottom if Shanks hadn't saved his life, but that part didn't seem all that important to the clown. "And now you understand why I hate the bastard! I'd kill him in the flashest way possible if I could!"
"...But didn't he save your life?" Luffy asked with a head tilt.
"All that was your own fault." Rukido said, unimpressed with what he just heard.
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT! HE RUINED MY CHANCES OF GETTING THAT TREASURE!" Buggy yelled, feeling like his anger was justified. However he gained a dark gleam in his eyes. "However with this Chop-Chop Fruit's power I'll have as much treasure I desire upon land." Buggy declared as he popped his upper half up into the air as he started floating, pulling out several knives. "THAT'S WHY ALL WHO TOUCH MY TREASURE WILL DIE!"
He then flew off towards Nami, the girl pulling a rather large sack filled with valuables away. She cursed upon being spotted while Buggy readied his knives to stab her! However Rukido suddenly appeared halfway, making Buggy switch his attention to him.
"Tekkai: Iron Body." Buggy plunged his knives at Rukido only for all of them to shatter on impact, much to his shock. "Well now, with Knives that dull, I didn't need to use Tekkai at all."
"W-why you Bast-GAH!" Buggy cried out before collapsing on the ground. Rukido looked down at him before looking over at Luffy. The Rubber Man chose a different approach and attacked Buggy's abandoned lower half...by promptly kicking the man between his legs.
"I can't say he doesn't deserve it." Nami said from behind, no doubt pleased with Luffy's action. "This treasure was mine the moment I stole it."
"Not..yours..." Buggy muttered out from below. "NOT YOURS!" The Clown brought himself back to life, several knives in hand as he attempted to throw them at Nami. However a swift boot across his jaw sent him flying back into Luffy's direction. The Rubber Man grinned before punching Buggy in the back of the head and slamming the Clown in the street. "Ow..."
"He's seriously not all that strong." Nami said with Rukido nodding. The man was more crafty than a fighter.
Buggy seemed to hear that and let out a scream as he forced himself apart. Luffy quickly jumped away to avoid a pair of knives heading his way while Buggy brought himself back together. He turned to glare at Luffy, him being the closest source of his anger right now. Lunging at him and letting out a scream, he fully intended to kill him, but a punch to his nose sent him flying back.
"GAH YOU BASTARDS!" Buggy yelled while holding his nose. It was broken after that hit too! Forcing his tears away, he glared at Luffy who was waiting for his next move. "I'VE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH YOU PEOPLE! I'M GONNA KILL YOU IN THE FLASHIEST WAY POSSIBLE AND MAKE SURE THE SEAS KNOW TO FEAR THE GREAT, CAPTAIN, BUG-"
"Rankyaku: Tempest Kick." Buggy suddenly found himself split in half by a blade of wind, making him scream in terror. It didn't stop there as several more wind blades cut through his body and chopped him up. However he was still very much alive, making Rukido tilt his head while Buggy turned to sneer at him.
"You dumbass! I ate the Chop-Chop Fruit! I can't be cut!" Buggy declared as a manic gleam came to his eye. "NOW PREPARE TO WITNESS MY FULL POWER!" He waved his hands around as he started to pull himself back together...and found himself missing his arms and legs. "...What?"
"Missing something~" Buggy turned to see Nami, having roped together his missing limbs that weren't moving any time soon.
"YOU DAMN WITCH! GIVE THEM BACK!" Buggy yelled, a mixture of fear and anger in his voice.
"How about no!" Nami yelled with a smirk.
"HA HA! You're an awesome thief!" Luffy declared while stretching his arms far back. "Gum-Gum!"
"N-no wait!" Buggy tried, waving his hands up in surrender.
"BAZOOKA!" Luffy stretched his arms out and slammed into the small body of Buggy. The Clown was instantly sent flying off his feet and out of the town, disappearing in the horizon.
"...And he's gone." Rukido said, no longer spotting the Clown. Either Buggy was really weak or Luffy was way too strong. Could be both really. Then his eyes flashed once again with him nodding. "Understood."
"I have to say sorry to you guys. I thought you guys were just like the other pirates, but you're surprisingly nice." Nami said while walking up to them with a smile. She really meant it by the sound of her voice.
"Does that mean you'll join our crew?" Luffy asked with pure excitement while Nami got a frown on her face.
"Don't get too excited, I will never join a Pirate crew." Nami said firmly while making Luffy frown. It must have been effective because she looked like she felt bad. However she stuck her hand out with a smirk. "However, I wouldn't mind being partners for a while."
"Deal!" Luffy said while shaking her hand. Instantly they both gained wide grins before Luffy turned to the approaching Rukido. "What about you? Wanna join?"
Before Rukido could respond they heard the sound of yelling and turned around to see the townspeople before then, armed to the teeth and glaring at them.
"You the pirates that attacked the mayor!"
"We'll make you pay for what you have done!"
"Get ready to die Pirate Scum!"
"Yeah we knocked that old guy out." Luffy said bluntly while picking up Zoro. This had only made the villagers angry while Nami picked up her treasure with a glare.
"Don't tell them that moron!" Nami said before shoving her treasure into Rukido's arms. "You help me get this to the boat! They don't look like they're gonna be listening."
"We're also Pirates too." Luffy said suddenly while the townspeople growled in pure rage at this point. Holding Zoro tightly and grabbing Nami's other treasure bag, he turned around with a big grin on his face. "Let's get going before they try to kill us!"
"GET THEM!" The entire Town roared as they soon charged at the group before them, forcing them to run off towards their boat.
It was a quick trip thankfully with them making it back to their boats while a dog came out of nowhere and stopped the townspeople from continuing their chase. The same three pirates from before were approaching them, looking one too pleased.
"Alright, it's payback-" They were quickly scared to unconsciousness upon seeing Zoro's death glare.
"Huh?" Zoro questioned before taking in his surroundings. "Who the hell are you?" The Swordsman questioned Rukido.
"Rukido. Now get on." Rukido said, hopping onto his Ship. They didn't question it, Nami especially given how she didn't get much from her Ship either way. Pushing them off the land and out to sea, Rukido quickly jumped back on board. "Ah, we made it."
"Yup. Too bad we couldn't stay any longer." Luffy said with a shrug while Nami huffed. This was far from the funniest experience she had, but she at least got a large amount out of it. "Hmm? Hey there's that old guy!"
True to his world, Boodle was out there. He was an older man with white hair and fair skin. He was also wearing some kind of makeshift armor over his casual clothes. With tears in his eyes, he spoke. "THANK YOU FOR SAVING OUR TOWN!"
No one said anything back, but they did smile at the thanks. Though Nami quickly took notice of one of her money bags being left on the shore and screamed.
"GAH MY MONEY!" Nami screamed while Luffy laughed.
"They looked like they needed it for their town." Luffy explained, having been the one who put it there. His reward was promptly being pushed over the ledge and his head forced in water.
"THAT WAS MY MONEY! YOU HAD NO RIGHT!" Nami screamed, trying to drown Luffy. Zoro couldn't help but laugh at this while Rukido made sure the sails would make do.
It took half an hour to calm Nami down, who was still downcast at the loss of the money she stole. Now they were sailing off slowly with the day nowhere close to ending. However there was a matter to discuss.
"So what's your deal?" Zoro asked while staring at Rukido. It caught Luffy and Nami's attention, having forgotten about the Masked Man. "You come out of nowhere and help us escape? Who are you exactly?"
"Oh. I'm an ex-agent of the World Government." Rukido said casually, making two out of the three freeze. Nami went as stiff as a board while Zoro slowly put a hand on his blade. Luffy on hand...
"Cool! I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!" Luffy declared with a cheeky grin.
"King of the Pirates?" Rukido asked, his eyes flashing for a second. "Sounds interesting."
"You bet! Hey, wanna join my crew?" Luffy asked, shocking them a bit.
"I would be honored." Rukido said with a nod.
"Luffy! This guy said he worked for the World Government and you're a pirate!" Nami hissed out, making sure to not mention her status as a thief.
"Ex means he used to, doesn't it?" Luffy asked, confused.
"He could be lying!" Nami pointed out.
"I'm not." Rukido said simply.
"See?" Luffy had the widest grin on his face.
"THAT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING!" Nami yelled, making Luffy laugh once more. She groaned while holding her head before turning to Zoro. "Can't you do anything?"
"Can't. He's my Captain." Zoro said, lazily. He'd be lying if he said he agreed with Luffy's choice, but it wasn't his call. Besides, he'd just cut him up if he pulled anything. "Now leave me alone, I'm gonna take another nap."
"Feel free to use the Cabin. I have a few cots in there." Rukido said, making the Swordsman nod.
"Great...this is how it ends." Nami said, holding her head and looking up at the sky. She was going to get sent to prison or worse.
"WOO-HOO!" Luffy yelled while jumping around the boat. "I GOT ANOTHER CREW MEMBER! I GOT ANOTHER CREW MEMBER!"
'Quite exciting, isn't he?'
Rukido only nodded, his eyes flicking purple before turning back pinkish-red. He set his gaze out to the sea, an endless vast of adventure awaiting them all. For better or worse however, he could never tell.
(Chapter End)
A/N: Welp, that's the first chapter, I hope you all liked it. I honestly couldn't think of anything to change here. I did consider making Buggy a lot tougher, but I didn't think it would fit too well. Plus I'll have other opportunities to make much more notable changes outside a few minor ones.
Also, say hello to Rukido. Again, for long time fans. His introduction was a bit more different than how I normally handle it, along with his personality. Now I'm sure many of you are questioning why a former agent of the World Government is in the East Blue and so easily agreed to join a pirate crew. All the while wearing a mask over his face and knowledge of the Six Powers?
Well I don't just throw in OCs for no reason, least of all for a story like One Piece. His back story will come to be within the coming Chapters in the East Blue. I have thought it out well enough I hope, but that will be up for you to decide if it's good or not.
But I don't really have anything else to add, this is still the beginning of the story after all. So, I hope you've enjoyed it, that you come back for more and that you have a great day! Until next time we meet!