Chapter 7
The Lawless Zone
Luffy, Hachi, Brook, Camie, Pappagu, Chopper, and Maxwell all sat on the root of a yarukiman tree. They had snuck out of town, far away from all the commotion involving the slave and Celestial Dragons. The towns folk had had hurriedly bustling to leave after the World Nobles were out of sight. Now, they sat in silence, reconciling with what they had just seen.
"…I feel awful," said Camie.
"I wonder if he'll be okay." Luffy sat with his arms crossed, looking down in thought. "He was taken by the marines, but—"
"He was a pirate," said Hachi. "So even if he was saved, he'll be stuck in prison."
"A pirate like that should have been able to win against an old man and a girl like that!" Chopper shouted. The Ah those nobles acted was absolutely cruel! "So why didn't he…?"
"If you hurt one of the Celestial Dragons, then an admiral from Marine Headquarters will personally lead a squad to come after you," said Pappagu.
Chopper jumped back in shock, while Brook spat out his tea he had just poured for himself. Luffy quickly turned to the starfish, "EH!? AN ADMIRAL!? Like Aokiji!?"
"Or Kizaru, or Akainu," respond Pappagu. "You don't know who will come."
Hachi nodded, "Marine HQ is nearby after all."
"Why are they so important!?" Chopper asked. Then he looked at Maxwell, "And why are you being so quiet, Max?" The mage was leaning against the bike with his arms crossed. He briefly looked down at Chopper before looking back out into the distance.
"…Slavery existed, back in my homeland... It was illegal in my country, but that didn't stop slavers from Tevinter try and smuggle people out of the South. Ran into a few groups while I was on my own… But it's not the slavery that I'm having a problem with."
Luffy, Brook, and Chopper looks at him oddly. "Don't get me wrong. If I can stop a slaver, I'll do it. But I find slavery is the symptom of a much larger problem. Oppression." Maxwell looked back at his friends, "You saw how everyone reacted when the Celestial Dragons came out. They knelt, kept their eyes closed, and did nothing! And those—" Maxwell didn't even have a word to describe those World Nobles. "They didn't even think of themselves as human! Like they were something above that, as if it were physically possible!"
Maxwell took a breath, trying to calm himself. "Oppression was a major issue back home. You could argue we were a backwater, compared to the rest of the world, but that doesn't change the issue. Mages were kept in towers, like prison camps. Not allowed to see their families or leave their Circle without escort. All under religious pretext. Those that didn't comply with the Templars, were either killed or made Tranquil."
"In Tevinter, it's the opposite. Mages are venerated, allowed to achieve higher status within the Magisterium, while every other regular person was either a slave or a commoner. And they were the most at risk of be used or afflicted by blood magic."
"Dwarves mostly kept to themselves. Mining lyrium in their underground cities, fighting darkspawn, or they were part of the Carta. So unless a dwarf was really adventurous, they mostly out of sight and out of mind."
"And the Qunari?" Maxwell scoffed. "They are a bunch of over zealous fanatics following the Qun. They'd sooner ignore, convert, or kill you rather than indulge in personal freedoms."
Then his tone became more heated, "But the most oppressed were they elves. Years of conflict and plundering have reduced their once great empire to little more than fringe groups. They were either trying to keep their traditions alive, roaming from place to place. Confined to the alienage slums, where they were overworked and underpaid by human employers. Or they had to give up their individuality to live a life under the Qun. Converted into spies or servants." Maxwell scowled, "Tch. There was even a tradition in Orlais that encouraged freshly minted chevaliers to hunt down elves in the alienages, just to bloody their swords!"
"Oh my," Brook covered his mouth with shock. Chopper, Hachi, Camie, and Pappagu all looked at Maxwell with grim surprise. The sea folk didn't really know anything about Maxwell's origin, but Chopper hadn't been exposed to the reality of Maxwell's home till now.
"And in Tevinter they had they worst of all three! But that doesn't matter, because the problem I'm having, is that I don't know which system is WORST!" Maxwell lashed out, frying a nearby sign with a bolt of lighting.
"The magisters at least had magic. They could enforce their own wills and be considered the scum of the earth for their hypocrisy and heresy! The Templars I fought could suppress magic, because possession was a legitimate threat mages were at risk of! But these Celestial Dragons? The marines!?"
Maxwell's eyes began to glow green with rage, "Those admirals have the power to wipe out entire countries, and yet they are supposed to be controlled by those worthless shits!? WHAT LOYALTY DO THEY HAVE TO THEM!? I THOUGHT SLAVERY WAS OUTLAWED ON THESE SEAS! YET THOSE PUFFED UP SNOW GLOBES DRAG THEIR SLAVES AROUND WITHOUT IMPUNITY!? HOW THE F*** DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE!?"
Chopper and Brook hugged each other scared witless by the glowing green aura Maxwell was exuding. Both Camie and Hachi bit their lip to keep from talking. But Luffy just stared down Maxwell. Calmly listening to his first-mate rage. Maxwell wasn't usually one to rant. His anger was usually swift and dealt with, unless something really bothered him. And this issue really did seem to bother him.
Maxwell caught the look in his captain's eye, realizing he was out of control. So, he closed his own eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressing the aura he had let slip.
Pappagu pursed his lips, "…It's because the blood of the creators runs through their veins." Maxwell snapped his head to look at the starfish.
"800 years ago, the organization known as the World Government was created by a group of 20 kings. Their descendants are the Celestial Dragons. And make no mistake; they have grossly abused their power over the years…"
"Great…! Vishante kaffas…" Maxwell growled, and walked away to give himself some space. He needed a moment.
Maxwell was absolutely disgusted at how an organization like this had stayed in power so long. This world was a realm of incredulous powers, and one thing to have survived spoiled it all!
This worse part was, he could unfortunately see how they did it. As far as history can recall, there had only ever been one central continent, the Red Line. The rest of the world was divided into island nations, vying for supremacy and resources. There had to be an institution or treaty that kept them all in check. And the World Government jut so happened to fulfill that role.
They monitored passage above the Red Line. Had a global peace force directly under their control. And they were funded, well informed, and well armed. Especially with individuals like the admirals that could decimate entire islands and rogue fleets with ease.
…And Robin wanted to know what led to their unification. The Void Century. A one hundred year gap in the historical public records. If Max didn't appreciate Robin's goal then, he certainly did now.
"YAAAH!" Maxwell quickly looked up to see someone falling from the sky. They had a sword held overhead. One that was ready to chop him up if he didn't move!
So, he didn't. Maxwell donned the Fade Cloak and then shoved a fireball into his attacker's face.
"YEEEEAAAAAAGH!" The ruffian dropped his sword, trying to shield his now melted face. Maxwell could smell the burning flesh, but he didn't care at this point. He needed something to take his frustrations out on.
Then Maxwell heard the scraping of drawn swords and scabbards.
He was surrounded. Ruffians of every shape and size were around him, swords drawn. They came out of behind roots and branches. Out of holes and ruined house. They entered the glade Maxwell had walked into, full of focused scowls. As if these thugs already had an idea what they were dealing with.
They were bounty hunters… Or slavers.
Maxwell nodded to himself, "One down…" At this point there really wasn't a difference.
Then he struck like a snake.
He blew past a group of hunters in the Frost Step! Men froze as ice and frost covered their limbs! Some of them couldn't move! And when Maxwell rematerialized, he slashed a man across his belly, the Spirit Blade cutting deep!
The blade faded out of existence as Maxwell drew his staff and blocked a cutlass, locking weapons with another thug. Maxwell wasn't muscular like Sanji or Zoro, but he had been learning from his spars with them.
"YAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!" Another man came running up from behind intent on slashing Maxwell across the back. Rather than let him, Maxwell broke the deadlock he had with the other hunter, and preformed the Mind Blast. Unbalance, both men were sent flying by the burst of telekinetic energy.
Maxwell started flicking arcane bolts with his staff into the crowd of bounty hunters. Each bolt aimed at different individuals. Some blocked, while others jumped out of the way, but that was folly. His arcane bolts always hit their target!
They tried to blitz him, running in at all sides! Maxwell conjured up a Wall of Fire, blocking one arm from coming in. They either skidded to a halt or were set ablaze by the magical flames. Wildfire burst into action, exploding all around as Maxwell aimed the spells.
Maxwell then went into the Frost Step again, jumping through his firewall. He started slashing bashing the fools held up the flames, his staff, bolts, and Spirit Blade working in tandem!
Another man trying to attack him from behind, but then a long rubbery arm shot past Max and punched the man in the face! It was Luffy!
"Hey!" Luffy dashed straight into the fight. "What do you think you're doing, attacking my nakama!?" They must have heard the screaming bounty hunter and realized Maxwell wasn't with them.
Chopper and Brook followed him into battle. Brook drew his sword, while Chopper transformed into his human form. Other bounty hunters rushed to meet them, and a particularly large one decided to clash with Luffy.
Maxwell didn't stay to watch though. He energized the anchors around his waist and levitated them above his head. They started rotating, Mordred, Mineive, and Salem possessed their foci, unleashing a barrage of arcane missles on his attackers.
"Arm Point: Rosen Cross!" Chopper's arms bulged as he brought his hooves together in an 'x' shape. He struck with both cloves, stamping his hooves into an nearby hunter. The man went flying, crashing into his compatriots and knocking them all down.
"Yohohohoho!" Brook blitzed past the scoundrels. His cane sword slashing as he went from man to man. They couldn't keep up with the skeleton! And they were unsure how to deal with him since they hadn't known about Brook's association with the Straw-Hate Pirates.
"BAZOOKA!" Luffy fired both palms to into the bounty hunter he had been fighting. He was the strongest one there, but even then he didn't compare to Luffy. The ruffian tried to block with his blade, but his machete shattered under the force of Luffy's thrust. He went flying! Struck straight in the gut!
"Horay!" Hachi, Camie, and Pappagu all cheered. They had been content to watch the Straw-Hats wipe the floor with these guys.
"You did it! Luffy-chin, you're so strong!" "Nyu-hoo-hoo-hoo!"
"Yeah!" Luffy punches a few shadow fists. "My stomach is full! There's no way I'd ever lose to the likes of you!" Luffy then looked at his crewmates, "Alright! Are you guys done over there?"
"Indeed." Brook sheathed his sword back into a cane.
"Are you alright Max?" Chopper asked his fellow crewmate. He was the one ambushed after all.
"Heh. I'm fine Chop." Maxwell patted the reindeer on his hat, "Thanks for coming!"
"Heheh!" Chopper gave him a big smile back. He felt a lot better now.
O O O
"The food sampling—" Brook cleared his throat, "I mean the souvenir shop is out of sight now…"
Hachi and Luffy kept driving through the groves. Chopper rode with Luffy, while Camie, Pappagu, Maxwell, and Brook sat on the big bike.
"There aren't that many people around," Chopper observed. Most of the buildings looked abandoned, with moss overgrown. There was even a skeleton in ruined marine garb pinned to a sign! "This doesn't seem like the kind of place where a coating craftsman would be…!"
"Nyu~ The archipelago is pretty big, so there are places where the government's arm doesn't reach," Hachi explained. "The marines tend not to go very far inland at all. We're at Grove 16 right now, and Groves 1 through 29 are pretty much lawless."
"EH!?" Chopper looked at the fishman.
"Take a look at this," Hachi handed Maxwell a piece of paper. It was a map, or at least an approximation of the Sabaodey Archipelago. "The islands are organized into groups of ten. It's not set in stone, but this is pretty much how it is."
There were a total of 80 yarukiman mangroves in the archipelago. Each numbered from 0 to 79, and split into eight groups. 1 to 29 were the three groups of trees labeled as the lawless zone. This was where all the pirates, slavers, and black marketeers hung out, and had the least marine presence. 30 to 39 was the amusement park, containing all the entertainment venues. 40-49 was tourism, with a bunch of shops, stands, and tour guides. 50-59 contained all the shipyards. Most people would use the legitimate ship coaters to paint their ships and travel underwater. 60-69 was the marine garrison. Heavily patrolled and full of government buildings. Then 70-79 were full of the hotels and residential areas.
"Why didn't you say anything earlier!?" Chopper demanded. "I could have had Zoro or Sanji take my place!"
"Wait a second…" Maxwell takes another look at the map, "Hachi, didn't you mean zero to twenty-nine?" There was a zero instead of a one marked on the map.
"Nyu~ It's fine!" Hachi smiled, "We're headed for Grove 13, so we're almost there!"
"Chopper-chin, Skeleton-chin, Maxwell-chin, you three are pretty strong and cool out there, too!"
Chopper blushed, starting to dance stuck in the membrane. "Daw~! Th-that doesn't make me happy at all, ya bastard~"
"I'm so flattered that my ears are turning red… Though I don't have any ears! Yohohoho!"
"Thank you for the compliment," Maxwell nodded.
They drove on for a few more minutes, until they finally reached Grove 13. "Okay, we're here!"
"Yahoo! We're finally here!" Luffy whooped as they came to a stop. Grove 13 was one of the smaller islands they've driven on. Yet it had an extra peak, compared to the rest of the roots in the grove. Everyone started getting off and out of the bon-charis.
"It's the shop on top of the roots, there," Hachi pointed out. "It's been about 10 years since I've last been here. I wonder if he's still running shop." The shop in question also had a long double peaked staircase leading up to it. Hachi started climbing those stairs. There was no other way up, beyond scaling the root.
"Is this coating guy a fishman?" Luffy asked Camie.
Camie shook her head, "Pappagu and I haven't met him before. But I've heard he's an amazing person."
"Is that so?" Luffy grinned, finished emerging out of the bubble. "Well, we'll know when we met him!" He tugged his bon-chari behind him, running up the stairs. The others followed behind, Chopper carrying Camie in his human form. Maxwell took the other bike up.
When they reached the top of the stairs, they were greeted with a rather rather run down building with moss growing in places. There were lights on, so it wasn't completely abandoned. But it also had a rather lack lustre sign up on top saying, "SHAKKY'S RIP-OFF BAR."
Maxwell stared at the sign.
"…Isn't that a bit on the nose for a lawless area?"
Hachi just looked wistful. "Nyu~ I've known this guy since I was a kid."
"Hachi… Are you sure this is the place?" Pappagu asked the octopus fishman. "The sign literally says they're going to rip us off…"
"It's fine," Hachi waved him off. "They're good people."
"Hey! Is it really a bar? Let's look!" Luffy didn't care how seedy it appeared. He just followed Hachi inside! Maxwell wouldn't have been surprised if he was hungry all over again…
Hachi went in first, "Rayleigh! Shakky! Are you here?" and they were greeted by a strange sight.
A woman was holding the shirt of a beaten up patron, while several other guys on the floor. They were all big and burly guys, but she barely seemed ruffled. "Welcome. What'll it be?"
She had short black hair, styled in a bob, and had a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. A golden pearl necklace hung around her neck, and a spider emblem t-shirt and frill lined sleeved jacket covered her top. Neither of which covered her mid section. She also had giraffe print leggings, a pink belt with a gold heart shaped buckle, a white cardigan around her waist, and square white dress shoes, all of which gave her an exotic look.
The lady hadn't seemed to bothere in more customers coming into her bar. However, when she took another look, "Oh my—Hatchan!?" she dropped the broken toothed bozo and looked delighted!
Hachi rubbed the back of his head, "Nyu~ It's been to long, Shakky."
"How long has it been!? Ten years?"
Shakky then saw Hachi had brought company. "Just take a seat and I'll be right with you. I was just extracting some outrageous amounts of money from these guys."
"Nyu~ Take your time." Hachi walked by heading towards one of the booths in the pub, Luffy following behind him.
Neither seemed put off by Shakky's brazen statement. Nor when she resumed beating up her victims.
"Good thing he knows the owner…" Maxwell said to himself. He did not want to know the prices Shakky charged here…
O O O
"I see… So you gave up the pirate life. That's good. Your health comes first!" After Shakky had thrown out her extorted patrons, she sat down with Hachi and Camie, catching up with her old friend.
"And you're little miss Camie, right?" Shakky asked. "It's pretty rare to see a mermaid above the surface. Are you two lovers?"
"EH!?" Camie balked and blushed older woman's question. "I… I-It's not like I… I'm Hachin's b-bride… or anything… yet…"
Pappagu deadpanned at his owner, "You jumped the gun a little to far there."
"She's from the takoyaki stand," Hachi explained.
"Oh, I see."
Shakky then remembered she had other guests in her bar, "Ah, that's right. Do you guys want anything to drink?"
Max and Brook had taken a seat at the bar, while Hachi caught up with his friend. Luffy was going through the refrigerator, behind the counter, and Brook had a bowl of rice and beans in his hands. "Shakky-san, these beans are quite delicious."
"YOU GUYS ARE GOING THROUGH THE REFRIGERATOR!? WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!? AT HOME!?" Pappagu balked at the pirates. Maxwell hadn't taken anything, but he hadn't done anything to stop his compatriots either.
Shakky only laughed. "Do as you like."
"MAX! WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP THEM!?" Chopper yelled at his medical student. He had been patiently listening into the conversation till now.
"You're friends of Hatchan, so it's all on the house," Shakky reassured him. She even gave Chopper something from under the counter, "Here, this is for you."
"COTTON CANDY!" Chopper raced for the flossy treat, totally forgetting Brook and Luffy's manners. He still remembered tasting it for the first time back on Long-Ring Long Island. And when he got that giant stick of candy floss of Water 7.
Luffy looked back from the fridge, "Hey lady, how do you know what Chopper likes?"
"You're Monkey D. Luffy, captain of a Straw-Hat Pirates, right?"
Luffy was slightly surprised he was being called mister. "You know about me too!?"
"Of course," Shakky walked towards her cupboard. "You guys are getting pretty notorious in the newspaper. Plus, I'm a well informed person."
"Luffy-chin, you're famous now!" Camie cheered. Luffy only grunted and jumped back over the counter once he determined there was nothing else he wanted in the fridge.
"Well, I didn't know about you having a skeleton in your crew," Shakky amended. "Or that skeletons could move for that matter. Tell me, Mr. Maxwell, is he an experiment of yours?"
The mage spun in his seat to face the bar owner. "Unlikely though it might seem… we actually found Brook this way, madam. And I can assure you, anything those newspapers try to write about me are quite… exaggerated."
Much of what was in the newspaper was bullshit. At least when it came to the Straw-Hat Pirates. Not that many of the Straw-Hats actually read the newspaper! Most articles related to them seemed to exaggerate their actions. Trying to paint them in a bad light. Honestly, he would have considered the World Economic Journal a gossip rag if it weren't for the fact this was the only global newspaper available.
"Hm… We'll see about that." Shakky eyed the foci around Maxwell's waist like a pleased cat. She honestly made him nervous. Especially with all the confidence and poise she exuded. It was like Shakky could sense the spirits within the anchors.
Shakky handed Luffy a cup of coffee, "I read about the Enies Lobby incident. How much of it is true? Did you really start a fight with the Government?" She didn't concerned though, just mildly curious.
Luffy grimaced, "Man… I don't want to talk about it. It was a pain in the ass."
Maxwell approved. He didn't think Luffy was smart enough withholding information like that!
"Ahahahahaha! No boasting huh?" Shakky laughed, leaning on the counter. "What a big shot. You've got the same name as Garp from the Marines."
Luffy took a sip of his coffee, "Yeah, 'cause he's my grandpa."
Maxwell facepalmed, "Damn it, Luffy…"
Shakky only grinned, "I knew it… You know, Garp's come after me before."
Luffy perked up a little at this. "Huh? Why?"
"Shakky used to be a pirate," Hachi pointed out.
The barkeep only chuckled, "It's been over forty years since I sailed the seas, though."
Maxwell did a double take. Shakky was over 40 years old!? She looked barely 30! …Though her former pirate status might have explained her calm and collected manner when greeting to them.
Luffy decide to voice the question. "How old are you, lady?"
"Right now, I only look forward to cheering on rookies like you." Shakky avoided the question. You really shouldn't ask a lady her age.
"By the way, Shakky—"
Shakky held up a hand, "There's no need to say it. I already understand. The reason why you and Ms. Camie came this way, by land, was to help young Monkey and his crew get their ship coated, right?" Hachi remained silent at that that. "In other words, you want Rayleigh to do the coating for you?"
Hachi nods, "Nyu, that's about it."
"Well, he's not here right now." Shakky took a drag on her cigarette.
"EH!?" Luffy stood up from his stool, "The guy's not here!? But we want to go to Fishman Island!"
Shakky wave her hand dismissively, "There's no way he would have left the archipelago. You should be able to find him in the bars and gambling houses around here."
"Well, if we wait here, he'll come back, won't he?" Luffy tried asking.
"I suppose so." Shakky thought about it for a moment, "But he hasn't been back for about six months now."
"SIX MONTHS!?" the Straw-Hats shout in suprise.
"He's probably been meeting women and shaking up here and there, so I'm not worried about his health or anything. I guess picking up and leaving for long periods of time is just what former pirates do."
"This craftsman guy was a pirate, too!?" Luffy seemed to be full of questions today.
"That's a problem," said Brook. They needed someone to coat their ship! "Then I suppose we must searching for him. Where should we start looking, Shakky-san?"
"Let's see…" Shakky starts to think, "I think he would be somewhere in Groves 1 to 29. He's pretty notorious himself, so he's not going to relax wherever the marines are… Other than that… He does like Sabaodey Park."
"The amusement park!?" Luffy starts to get excited. "We'll look there!"
"YEAH!" Brook and Chopper cheer beside him.
"Guys! You know we have find Rayleigh first, right!?" Maxwell tries to scold the trio. All three of them whistle, or at least try to whistle, like their thoughts weren't obvious.
"Wherever you go," Shakky puffed out a trail of smoke, "you better be careful. My sources tell me that with you guys here, there are now twelve pirates on Sabaodey with bounties over 100 million."
"THAT MANY!?" Chopper freaks out at having that many strong people in one place. Luffy had made 100 million after defeating Crocodile. And now he was 300 million!
"That's nine other people than you, young Roronoa, or Maxwell over here," Shakky clarified.
"When you all entered the Grand Line, there were 7 different routes you could have taken. You picked one route and followed that log to this point, right?"
"Yeah," Luffy nodded. He was actually paying attention to her.
"So, of course the pirates who chose one of the other 6 routes, went through the same kind of difficulties as you did, and some of them made it here. No matter what route you take, you run into the Red Line. So everyone gathers here to cross the wall. You get it?" Shakky winks at the pirate captain. "All the world's rookies have gathered here at the same time. That's not something that happens everyday…"
Shakky blew out a trail of smoke, "Kid, Luffy, Hawkins, Drake, Law… Those names have been all over the newspapers."
"Wait! Basil Hawkins is on the Sabaodey Archipelago, right now!?" Maxwell asks, scraping his stool as he stands up and slams his hands on the counter.
"Oh, so you do read the newspaper!" Shakky grins at the mage. "Information is a weapon. And you know all of the names of your rivals, right?"
Maxwell grimaced thinking of all the names he'd seen in the paper and wanted posters. Capone "Gang" Bege. "Big Eater," Jewelry Bonney. "Roar of the Sea," Scratchmen Apoo. Eustass "Captain" Kid. "The Masssacre Soldier," Killer. "Mad Monk," Urouge. "Red Flag," X. Drake. "The Surgeon of Death," Trafalgar D. Water Law. And then there was the pirate Maxwell had a personal interest in, Basil Hawkins, "the Magician."
He had been the culprit behind several robberies, all including grand theft, larceny, and arms robbery. All targeting upper-class venues and cultural treasures. Any attempts at arrest has so far been thwarted with Hawkins barely harmed.
And worse, it had been done with magic!
Several articles tried to connect Maxwell with Basil Hawkins, as both had displayed a variety of abilities during combat. Hawkins was a publicly known practitioner of tarot cards and voodoo. And a majority of his crew wore similar robes, indicating a cultish culture upon his ship.
There was speculation about Hawkins bathing in the blood of virgins. But Maxwell chalked that up to rumour as Hawkins also had a record of public nudity and illegal bathing.
"Speaking of bounties," Shakky turned her attention back to Luffy, "Among the other rookies, you're only number 2!"
"THERE'S SOMEONE HIGHER UP THAN LUFFY!? ON THESE ISLANDS!?" Chopper balked at the thought.
"Only 315 million…" said Maxwell grunted, thinking about Kid's bounty.
"There were mountains of pirates who entered the Grand Line, but now, only a few are left… The Grand Line really is a gigantic survival tournament. The surviving pirates from each route have proven themselves to be the fittest, the elite. One of them might even become the person who inspires the next generation of pirates. At the very least, all these rookies entering the New World won't go unnoticed. The reason why Captain Kid has a higher bounty than you, is because they cause a huge amount of collateral damage. Not very cute at all, right?"
Shakky flicked her cigarette into an ashtray, "So that's why I'm rooting for rookies like you, young Monkey."
"Well, I'm just going to have fun. But all these pirates being around makes me worry about the craftsman guy." Luffy grinned in spite of the adversity.
"Oh, he'll be fine. He's about a hundred times stronger than all you boys."
"Wait—What!?"