DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE
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|MEETING LUFFY
Confession time: I didn't save Zoro.
I know, I know. I had Devil Fruit powers now. I could use the powers of the Hito Hito no MI: Model Lunarian and destroy Alvida's crew. Even the power of the Saru Saru no Mi: Model Humandrill would probably be enough.
So why didn't I?
I wanted to meet Monkey D. Luffy.
Not only to find out if what the Celestial Dragon said was true. That he really was from another world where everything around me was just a story in a manga. But also because I had seen what Luffy did for me in the Celestial Dragon's memories. How he helped me achieve my dream and how we became friends despite me being a marine and him being a pirate.
I could hardly contain my excitement as I raced across the deck of the Miss Love Duck, swords clanging in my arms. The lookout had spotted a luxury liner and Captain Alvida had ordered the helmsman to intercept.
This was it—today was the day!
The grog-soaked pirates around me hooted and hollered, greedily snatching the blades from my grasp. I grimaced at their rotten teeth and rancid breath, picking up my pace toward the ship's railing where Alvida awaited.
My nose wrinkled at the overpowering stench of sweat and grease as I drew near the obese captain. Captain Alvida leered over the sea, beady eyes locked on her prey – a pristine luxury cruiser on the horizon.
When the Miss Love Duck rounded on our target, Alvida raised her huge spiked club into the air.
"Fire!" she bellowed.
I clamped my hands over my ears as the cannons lining the Miss Love Duck's deck exploded around me. Lead balls sailed toward our prey. Water exploded around the luxury liner until one of the shots smashed into its mainmast. The tall wooden pole splintered and fell to the deck, its mainsail draping over the fleeing crew and crippling the ship's movement.
As the Miss Love Duck neared the helpless ship, Captain Alvida turned to me.
"Ko-by!" she shrilled, spraying me with spittle.
I straightened the glasses on my face and ran up to the obese pirate. "Yes ma'am?" I asked.
Alvida grimaced and leaned in closer. "What was that?" she demanded.
"Yes, Captain ma'am!" I corrected, fighting hard not to spit in her freckled face. I hated kowtowing to this fat bitch, but I had a lot of practice doing it.
Though the practice was not mine.
Wait…yes it is! I shook my head. The Celestial Dragon had been right. His memories were affecting me. More than I'd like if I was being honest.
It was getting harder and harder for me to bite my tongue around Alvida. Most days all I wanted to do was transform and pop her head in my hands like a grape. But I toughed out the last two weeks knowing I'd eventually meet Luffy. Copying the Nika Nika no Mi and meeting the Straw Hat captain was worth dealing with Alvida's crap.
The Celestial Dragon had been right—no normal human had a chance of finding the One Piece. Even the weakest people in the Grand Line could take astronomical damage and not die.
I needed to take every opportunity possible to get stronger. No, not just stronger, I thought. I need to be like Luffy. I need to be lots...lots...lots...lots...lots...lots...lots...lots...lots...lots...lots...lots...stronger!
"Who is the most beautiful woman sailing the sea?" Alvida asked, holding her head high, preening for an invisible audience.
Here we go again, I thought with a shudder. I despised the vile pirate and her constant demands for hollow flattery, but I forced a smile onto my face. "It's you, of course," I said through gritted teeth.
"Yes, it's true," Alvida agreed, flicking a hand of hair off her shoulder. "I'm gorgeous!"
The rest of the crew all forced toothless smiles onto their faces and nodded in agreement. I had never grown used to this disgusting ritual. Alvida, who was clearly not the most beautiful woman sailing the sea, was notorious for asking that nauseating question. When she wasn't barking orders or swiping her iron club at the crew, she strode the deck of the Miss Love Duck forcing compliments from us.
Her first mate, a muscular man with a thin mustache, pointed at the luxury liner. "What about the schooner, Captain?" he asked.
"Let's take 'em!" the enormous woman shouted. "And when Iron Mace Alvida takes you, you're taken for good!"
Her crew roared with laughter and they all scrambled to the ship's railing as the Miss Love Duck pulled alongside the luxury liner. The men tossed grappling hooks toward the other ship's rigging and when their lines were set, they swung across the gap between the two ships to board the crippled vessel.
I flung a hook of my own. When it was firmly attached, I held it tight with both hands. If I fall, I'm dead, I thought as I prepared to swing over.
The space between the ships wasn't large—no more than twenty feet of water separated the Miss Love Duck and the luxury liner. But if I fell in, it didn't matter how short the swim was. My body would lock up the minute I hit the water.
This is the price for power, I scowled as I glared down at the waves below. I had eaten a devil fruit to hopefully give me a chance against the monsters of the world, but that kind of power didn't come without a cost.
And now water could kill me.
"Koby!" Alvida barked. "What are you doing?"
"I'm about to swing over, Captain!" I answered, my voice quivering.
The hefty pirate stomped toward me. "Am I hearing things, or did you just dare to talk back to me?"
I didn't have to worry about swinging over anymore.
"Get over there!" Alvida ordered, her massive foot slamming into my back, catapulting me over the water.
I flew over the ocean and crashed painfully across the deck of the luxury liner. When the sky went dark and a massive shadow covered me, I scrambled clear just as the titanic captain fell out of the sky.
The entire ship shuddered as she landed, cracking part of the deck under her feet.
I picked myself up and brushed the wood splinters from my clothes as Alvida stalked across the deck. Her spiked club dragged behind her, carving deep furrows into the planks with an awful scraping noise that set my teeth on edge.
Around me, the rest of the pirates flung themselves onto the luxury liner, hooting and laughing like a pack of crazed hyenas.
"Let's go men!" Alvida ordered, lifting her iron mace and storming towards the interior of the ship.
While the crew raided the ship, I tried to stay out of the way. I lingered at the back of the crowd as the pirates stormed the luxury liner's ballroom. The ship's well-dressed guests—men with monocles and finely trimmed mustaches, women in silk gowns and glittering jewels, children dressed in lace and ruffles—all cowered at the other end of the large room, eyes wide with fear and confusion like livestock being led to slaughter.
Alvida's first mate laughed coldly. "There's nothing to fear. We won't take your lives, I swear it," he pointed his sword at the man closest to him. "But we will take everything else you've got."
"That's right, and anyone who fights back will be eating their dinner off the bottom of the ocean!" Alvida cackled with laughter, and the pirates descended on the passengers like a swarm of locusts. Necklaces were ripped from soft necks, rings from trembling fingers, and watches from silken pockets.
While the crew was busy, I slipped out of the fancy ballroom. I need to find Luffy, I thought as I crept below deck, peeking into rooms, searching for the barrel Luffy would be sleeping in. I opened a door, revealing nothing more than hefty coils of rope and promptly shut it before I continued down the hall.
There was another door, and behind it was the storage room, filled with an assortment of cheese, bread, apples, and more! Luffy would be thrilled.
Finally, tucked away in the last room—a tipped-over barrel. "Yes!" I cheered, rushing over.
I tipped the barrel upright, eager to crack it open, when I heard heavy footsteps approach. I spun around to see three of Captain Alvida's men blocking the doorway behind me. The first bore a tattoo on his face, while the second, tall and thin, was wearing a vibrant red bandana wrapped around his head.
"You little coward!" sneered the third pirate, a big broad man in a striped shirt. "Hiding away while the rest of us fight!"
I resisted the urge to smirk. This was a hilarious moment in the Celestial Dragon's memories, and I was going to enjoy seeing it play out in front of me. "I was just looking for some beer!" I said, pointing at the barrel. "I figured you guys would be thirsty after a big raid!"
The pirates exchanged glances. "Not a bad idea," said Tattoo Face, glancing at the barrel. "Let's help the coward crack this thing open."
"I agree," the broad pirate as he stepped up to the barrel. "Move aside, Koby."
I stepped back as the burly man raised his fist, clearly a complete moron. What kind of idiot tried to smash open a barrel they assumed was full of liquid?
Then, just when the big idiot was about to smash the barrel open, the top exploded.
Monkey D. Luffy burst from the barrel like a jack-in-the-box, stretching out his arms in a big yawn.
"I SLEPT SO GREAT!"
I grinned as one of Luffy's fists slammed into the burly pirate's jaw so hard that it sent the man flying backward and crashing down on the floor, out cold. Everything in the Celestial Dragon's memories was real, I thought in awe as I stared at the back of Luffy's red vest.
One of my favorite manga characters ever was standing just a few feet away from me.
Not a cosplayer. Not a cutout. But the real deal.
Monkey D. Luffy in the flesh!
"What the hell!" the two still-conscious Alvida pirates shouted.
In sync, they both drew large swords, the glint of steel pointed directly at Luffy.
"Who are you?" asked Tattoo face.
The thin pirate sneered, "Who cares! Get him!"
The two pirates raised their swords and chopped down toward Luffy. When the blades were almost about to hit his shoulders, he leaned to the side and punched the swords.
I blinked as the swords snapped in two, the shattered steel tips flying upwards and impaling the ceiling. So THAT was how he did it! I grinned. I'd always been curious about how Luffy had broken the swords.
I guess I should have known it was something as simple as punching them. It was a very on-brand thing for Luffy to do.
"You could hurt someone with those," Luffy said, all cheerful and friendly. The baffled pirates just glared at him.
"Who are you?" Tattoo face asked again through gritted teeth.
Luffy held out his hand. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy!"
Neither pirate shook his hand. Instead, they grabbed the legs of their unconscious friend and ran. As the pirates scrambled away dragging their comrade, Luffy shrugged and climbed out of the barrel.
Before I could introduce myself a loud rumbling noise echoed through the room. Luffy groaned and clutched his stomach with a pitiful look.
"I'm so hungry!" he complained. "Where do they keep the food?"
Luffy didn't wait for an answer and headed for the exit, not even glancing my way.
My shoulders slumped. So much for introductions. But I couldn't really blame him—food came first for Luffy, always.
It's now or never! I hurried after the hungry captain before he got too far. I tapped Luffy on the shoulder to get his attention. When the captain of the Straw Hats turned around, I pointed down the hall at where I knew the storage room was located.
"Food is this way," I said eagerly.
"Really!" His eyes lit up like a little kid's on Christmas. "Lead the way!"
I led Luffy back to the stock room where he froze, enchanted by the feast before him. "Wow! This is almost as good as finding buried treasure!" he cheered. "Thanks, Kobo!"
Kobo? I wondered, before realizing he probably misheard my name in the barrel. "It's Koby," I corrected, sticking out my hand.
"Nice meeting ya, Koby!"
The second Luffy grabbed my hand to shake it, I felt a bolt of energy surge through my body. It was the same sensation I had experienced two weeks ago when I copied the Hito Hito no Mi: Model Lunarian and the Saru Saru no Mi: Model Humandrill.
My Kopi Kopi no Mi had just copied the Nika Nika no Mi!
Of course Luffy had no idea what just happened. He simply bounded into the storage room with childish glee. "What should I eat first? Let's see, there's cheese, bread, and apples!"
He opened a barrel of apples and grabbed one from the top, stretching his mouth freakishly wide to inhale the apple whole.
"Crisp and sweet!" Luffy swallowed the apple and grabbed another. "Is this a pirate ship?" he mumbled through his full mouth.
"No," I shook my head. "It's a passenger ship that's being raided by the Alvida pirates."
"Really?" Luffy swallowed. "Are you a pirate, Koby? I mean, why else would you be with a crew of pirates, right?"
"No, I work for her, but I'm not part of her crew. I was supposed to be going on a fishing trip. Instead, I ended up on a boat running supplies to a pirate ship." I took off my glasses and wiped them on my shirt. "It was the scariest day of my life. It's been two years and I'm still alive because I do what they tell me to do."
Luffy finished off his second apple and ripped off a hunk of cheese from a cheese wheel. "Are you a coward or something?"
I glared at him. "Don't call me that!"
"If you hate it here then why not leave?" Luffy suggested.
"I was planning to," I said. "I always wanted to leave. Every day I thought about escaping and joining the Marines. I wasn't strong enough before, but now I am."
"The marines?"
I nodded. It wasn't really a lie. That had been the plan. "What about you, Luffy? Are you a pirate?"
Thanks to the Celestial Dragon's memories, I didn't have to ask. I knew what Luffy's dream was. But our conversation in the manga was important. Despite knowing how it went, I wanted to hear Luffy say the words.
"Sure am! I'm going to be King of the Pirates!" Luffy said with a wide smile, as if he couldn't be happier I had asked him that.
"King of the pirates, huh?"
I couldn't help but smile, hearing those iconic words from Luffy himself. To anyone else, his declaration would have sounded insane. After all, he was still just a rookie pirate in the weakest of the four seas. But I knew that in just over three years, he would be closer than anyone to finding the elusive One Piece.
"Well, now that I'm full, let's go find your boat!" Luffy said casually, polishing off the last of the cheese. He strode up the stairs and reached for the door.
"Great idea," I agreed eagerly. "I'm tired of calling Alvida 'Captain and ma'am' when she's just a mean, fat bitch."
Before Luffy could open the door, we both heard Alvida's shrill voice shouting from the other side of the wood.
"Ko-by!"
Luffy jumped back just as the door exploded inward. I closed my eyes and covered my head as wood splinters rained down around me.
Through the settling dust, I saw Alvida standing on the other side of the broken doorway, her crew gathered behind her. She pointed her huge spiked club at me.
"Did I just hear you say that I'm fat?" she snarled.
Before I could tell her where she could shove that spiked club, Alvida turned her attention to Luffy instead.
"Is this that monster you told me about?" she asked her crew.
The two pirates from before nodded quickly.
Alvida looked Luffy up and down before clicking her tongue in disappointment. "I thought that pirate hunter Zoro got free the way you two cowards came running."
"Zoro?" Luffy's eyes lit up curiously. Then he turned to me, utterly perplexed. "Hey, who's the fat lady?"
The crew of hardened pirates gasped like school girls.
Alvida shook with rage, veins bursting from her forehead. "WHAT did you call me?!"
She charged into the room, swinging her massive club. Luffy jumped out of the way and her swing obliterated a crate of apples instead.
Luffy landed next to me and grabbed my arm. "Let's go!" he said, dragging me along as we bolted past a stunned Alvida and her crew.
We burst onto the deck, only to skid to a halt, finding ourselves surrounded on all sides by Alvida's crew, swords drawn and ready.
Guess it's time to show off a little, I thought with excitement.
I felt my muscles start to swell and bulge, my shirt stretching tight across my expanding chest. Coarse hair sprouted rapidly across my skin as my arms and legs grew thicker and heavier. My jaw thrust out into a jagged muzzle lined with fangs. My nostrils flared as my senses sharpened. Deadly claws extended from my fingers and toes.
Towering over the pirates, I let out a roar that shook the entire deck.
The pirates shrieked, bug-eyed with fear. "It's a monster!"
I dropped to all fours and charged forward, barreling into the terrified pirates and slamming them hard against the walls. I snatched up a barrel in one hand and hurled it easily with my massive simian arms, bowling over the advancing pirates like they were toy pins.
This raw power was incredible!
I pounded my chest triumphantly and roared, drunk on this incredible strength!
A pirate on the upper deck jumped down at me. I headbutted him hard, his face crunching as he crumbled bonelessly to the deck.
"Woah!" Beside me, Luffy was bouncing with excitement, eyes shining. "That was so cool, Koby! You just went GRAHH and WHAM!" He threw wild punches, reenacting my rampage.
"Kill the monster!"
Around us, the rest of Alvida's crew had assembled behind me, snarling as they raised their swords.
"I can't fight all of you!" I realized. Taking a page from Luffy's book, I turned and ran down the deck.
The mob of pirates gave chase, yelling furiously.
"Get him!"
"Throw him to the sharks!"
I grabbed the main mast as I raced past. With my fingers firmly gripping the wooden pole, I kept running toward the ship's bow, my arm stretching the entire way. my arm stretching like taffy behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see the pirates had stopped dead in their tracks, staring in shock at my elongated limb.
Reaching the front of the ship, I stopped and looked back. The pirates had stopped dead in their tracks, staring in shock at my rubbery arm.
I jumped off the ground and snapped back like a rubber band as my elastic arm yanked me violently toward the stunned pirates. They dropped their swords and turned to run, but it was too late.
Gaining speed, I crashed into the crowd, sending them flying in all directions across the ship. I tumbled to a stop on the deck, now littered with the groaning forms of Alvida's crew.
With the fight over, I let my Humandrill form start to recede. My bulging muscles shrank back down, fur receding into smooth skin. My elongated snout shortened into my normal nose and jaw. My heightened senses dulled as my body returned to its regular proportions.
After a few moments, the hulking beast had vanished, leaving a small, skinny teenage boy standing exhausted on the deck. I wiped the sweat from my brow, back in my familiar human form.
Luffy ran up to me, laughing delightedly. "Koby, you just turned into a monster! And how did you copy my Gomu Gomu powers? That's so cool!"
I grinned at him, straightening my glasses. "I ate the—"
THOOM! I was cut off as the deck shuddered under stomping feet. "Well well...the legends of the Devil Fruit are true!" Alvida raised her spiked club, murder in her beady eyes.
The club slammed brutally into my head, but I didn't move an inch. I glared up defiantly at the shocked Alvida.
"That won't work anymore!" I declared.
I focused, triggering my Humandrill transformation again. Coarse fur rippled across my skin again as I swelled up into the hulking ape.
"W-w-what?" Alvida stuttered, fear shining in her beady little eyes.
I jerked my head sharply, knocking the club clean from her meaty grip. It crashed loudly on the deck between us.
Before she could react, I grabbed the whale of a woman in both massive hands. Muscles bulging, I spun Alvida rapidly, once, twice, like an Olympic hammer toss. Then with a loud roar, I slammed the obese captain into the deck.
Before Alvida could react, I grabbed her in my massive simian hands. Muscles bulging, I spun the obese pirate captain rapidly around, once, twice, like an Olympic hammer thrower. Then with a loud roar, I slammed Alvida into the deck.
I shrank back down to normal size as Luffy laughed delightedly next to me. "Nice job, Koby!"
I beamed at the praise, straightening my glasses. "She deserved it," I said, feeling like a weight had been lifted on my chest.
Honestly, slamming Alvida like that had been incredibly cathartic after two years of being her punching bag.
Luffy slapped me on the back, still laughing. "I can't believe you were stuck with that weakling Alvida for two whole years! What a wimp!"
I rubbed my neck sheepishly. "Well, I hadn't eaten my devil fruit until a few weeks ago.
Luffy nodded, folding his arms across his chest. "Yep, that's why I'll need a good pirate crew."
He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "That fat lady mentioned some pirate hunter...what was his name again?"
"Roronoa Zoro," I said. "Alvida thought you were him because you scared her crew."
"Oh yeah, Zoro!" Luffy snapped his fingers. "I wonder if he'd wanna join my crew." He stretched his arms up, linking his hands behind his head.
I pointed across the water to the Miss Love Duck. "Zoro is actually being held captive on Alvida's ship right now if you want to ask."
"Huh? He got caught by that weakling Alvida?"
I waved my hands frantically. "No no, Alvida didn't catch him herself! Her crew just found him drifting at sea."
Luffy scratched his head, looking unconvinced.
"I promise, he has a really fearsome reputation as a pirate hunter!" I added quickly, terrified I'd just ruined the Strawhats. What if Zoro didn't join? "He's as violent as a demon and three times as horrifying!"
That must have been enough for Luffy, because he rocketed his stretchy arm across the water, yanking himself onto the Miss Love Duck beside Zoro at the mast.
Man, Luffy sure doesn't look impressed, I thought. I couldn't blame him. Tied to the mast, Zoro didn't exactly scream "ultimate warrior". He looked almost pitiful—skinny, sunburnt, battered.
"What do you want?" Zoro growled, glaring up at Luffy.
"I hear you're supposed to be really strong?" Luffy frowned as he looked Zoro up and down. "But you're stuck out here for all the world to see and nothing. Are you really that strong?"
"Mind you're own business!" Zoro snapped.
Luffy sighed moving closer to tap the ropes wrapped around Zoro. "I'll untie you, but only if you promise to join my crew," he offered.
Zoro looked baffled. "You're what?"
"I run a pirate crew," Luffy explained. "I'm looking for people to join up."
Zoro laughed. "What makes you think I'd wanna play pirates with you?"
Luffy pouted. "What's wrong with being a pirate?"
"I kill your kind for a living," Zoro said. "Pirate…hunter."
Luffy waved his hand "Yeah, that's great, but I've already decided that you're gonna be on my crew."
"What! You can't do that!"
"Yup, you're joining my crew!" Luffy cheered. "Captain's orders."
"You can't just force me to join your crew!" Zoro roared, straining at the ropes till his face reddened.
"Shishishi! Too late, already did!" Luffy laughed. He yanked at the thick ropes binding Zoro. "I hear you're the best swordsman in the East Blue!" He looked around. "Hey, doesn't a great sword fighter need a sword?"
"I am!" Zoro glared at Luffy. "But that fat captain took my swords when they tied me up!"
"Well, if you promise to join my crew," a mischievous grin spread over Luffy's face, "then the first thing I'll do is go and find your sword."
"Now you're really pissing me off!" Zoro shouted, thrashing in his bonds. "I'm gonna slice you to bits the second I'm free!"
I pointed to the cabin on the Miss Love Duck. "I'll go get his swords," I told Luffy. "I know which room is the captain's room."
Leaving the two future crewmates bickering at the mast, I headed below deck. After two years on the Miss Love Duck, I'd scrubbed every inch of the ship and knew where all the rooms were. Alvida's captain's quarters were near the front of the ship, right behind the figurehead.
Zoro's swords were mounted on Alvida's wall, acting as some undeserved trophy. I snatched all three off the wall and went back above deck.
"Don't let any of them escape!"
Above deck, I saw Alvida was back on her feet, flanked by a bruised and battered crew. Using the grappling hooks they'd thrown over when boarding the luxury liner, Alvida's crew swung back onto the Miss Love Duck's deck.
The pirates raised their guns. I stared down the barrel of their pistol. Luffy and I would be fine, and with us standing in front of him, Zoro wasn't in any danger either.
"Shoot them where they stand!" Alvida ordered.
The pirates fired their guns. Each and every shot struck Luffy in the chest. However, the bullets pushed through his rubber body, stretching out his back. "See ya!" he shouted as he stretched his arms wide, deflecting the bullets back at Alvida's crew. They screamed as the shots flew back, eyes bugging out of their heads.
Luffy's laughter rang out. "That won't work on me!"
"W-what the hell are you!" Zoro shouted.
Luffy turned to face Zoro. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy," he said, giving a thumbs up. "And I'm going to be King of the Pirates!"
"You're gonna be King of the Pirates?" Zoro scoffed. "You must be out of your rubbery mind. Do you have any idea what that means?"
"King of the Pirates means King of the Pirates. How can it mean anything other than that?" Luffy asked.
Captain Alvida screamed in frustration, her face purpling. "If guns don't work, cut them down!" she bellowed.
Luffy ignored them, still focused on getting Zoro to join his crew. "Which sword is yours?"
"All three are mine. I practice Santoryu, the three-sword style," Zoro said.
"Cool!" Luffy snatched the swords from me and held them out—as if expecting Zoro to take them with his arms tied. "Take them already."
Alvida's crew set down their guns and pulled out their swords. Luffy glanced back. "Well, you've got a choice," he smiled at Zoro. "You can either join my crew or would you prefer to be killed like this?"
"What are you, the son of the devil?" Zoro grinned crookedly. "Well, whatever. I'll be your pirate, 'cause if I don't choose your side, I'll just end up dead."
"Woohoo! My first crewmate!" Luffy cheered, completely forgetting the danger they were in as he danced around happily with Zoro's swords. "This is the best thing ever!"
"Would you quit celebrating already and cut these ropes off me!" Zoro yelled in irritation.
Luffy got to work on Zoro's ropes. They were tied very tightly.
Alvida's crew moved faster. They seemed to think they could sense the helplessness of their prey.
"We don't have all day," Zoro growled. "Come on!"
Luffy tugged on another part of the rope. "Uh-oh. I think I made it tighter by mistake."
The pirates broke into a run. They yelled as they approached. They raised their sharp swords over their heads.
Zoro waved an open hand. "Give me my swords, quick!"
Luffy stopped fiddling with the rope and unsheathed one of the swords. He placed it in Zoro's hands. With amazing speed, the pirate hunter slashed the ropes with the razor-sharp blade. Once free, he grabbed the other two swords and leapt toward the group of pirates. In usions, the men brought their swords down on Zoro. With a sword in each hand, and one held with his mouth, Zoro blocked very attacking blade at once.
"Wow!" Luffy shouted. "How cool was that?"
Zoro held the blades steady, keeping the pirates at bay. "Move and your dead," he told them through clenched teeth.
The pirates froze in position. They did exactly as Zoro instructed. Excerpt for quivering in fear, none of them moved a muscle.
Zoro glanced back at Luffy. "I told you I would join your pirate crew and I don't intend to go back on my word. But I'm going to make one thing clear. You need to know that like you, I'm also pursuing my dream," Zoro said.
"You are?" Luffy asked.
"Yes," Zoro replied. "I'm going to be the greatest swordsman in the world. If being part of your crew ever gets in the way of fulfilling my dream, I expect you to apologize…at the end of a sword."
"The King of the Pirates wouldn't settle for anything but the best," Luffy said.
Zoro spun around, knocking the pirates back.
"Why are you just standing around?" Alvida yelled. "Get them! Now!"
Zoro raised his swords, preparing for another attack.
"Don't worry," Luffy said. "I've got you covered. Now duck!"
Zoro did as Luffy instructed as Luffy spun in a circle. "Gum Gum Whip!"
In one turn, Luffy stretched out his leg. His long limb reached out and swatted the sailors as if they were pieces on a chess board. They tumbled to the ground.
"How did you do that?" Zoro asked.
Luffy laughed. "I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi."
Mission accomplished! I congratulated myself. Crisis had been averted and Zoro was on Luffy's crew, even if they had met a little earlier than Shells—
Oh, crap!
I wanted to smack myself. Shells Town!
Zoro had been stuck on Alvida's ship, which meant he couldn't be in Shells Town to save Rika and her mother.
"Gum Gum Pistol!"
Instead of joining in the fight, I hung back and watched Luffy and Zoro. Alvida's crew wasn't a match for them, so it was obvious that they were just having fun.
"Gum Gum Bazooka!"
Luffy knocked Alvida's first mate into the sky until he was nothing but a black dot.
"Not bad, captain," Zoro said, holding back four pirates with one sword.
Luffy grinned, but before he could reply, cannonballs started whistling toward the ship. Three plumes of water exploded around the luxury liner and Alvida's pirate ship.
I stumbled as the nearby explosions rocked the deck. High-pitched whistles sounded as more cannonballs sailed toward them.
"Gum Gum Balloon!" Luffy's stomach expanded until he was the size of an elephant. He caught the barrage of cannonballs and launched them harmlessly into the ocean, far away from the ship.
I turned around and saw three large naval ships approaching. Their large sails billowed in the wind.
"Hey, it's the Marines, Koby. Now you can enlist!" Luffy pointed at the ships.
Before I could tell him there was no way the Marines would let me enlist, that they would think I was a pirate and throw me in jail, Luffy and Zoro were already running to the edge of the ship. Alvida's row boat was hanging off the side of the Miss Love Duck. Luffy and Zoro jumped in, and with one swing of his Wado Ichimonji, Zoro had them plummeting into the water.
I ran after them.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Alvida's club crashed into the deck in front of me. Alvida herself had lost it. She was red-faced, huffing, and didn't seem to care that the Marines were shooting cannonballs at us.
"I'll kill you!" she shouted.
I ducked under another swing of her club. Now that my body was rubber, the hit wouldn't have hurt, but I wasn't as strong as Luffy. In my regular human body, Alvida could have knocked me off the Miss Love Duck as easily as hitting a baseball.
"I don't have time for this," I muttered and transformed back into my Humandrill form.
Alvida must have had the memory of a goldfish because she swung her club again.
I caught the club mid-swing and yanked it out of her hand. I clubbed her (pun intended) over the head and knocked her out. For the second time today, she crumbled to the ground at my feet.
Devil Fruits really are amazing, I thought as I tossed her club away. For two years I was nothing but a bug to Alvida, and now I'd beater her down…twice!
"5 million beri," I scoffed, letting my Humandrill transformation fade. "You're not worth the beri it'd take to print a wanted poster."
I stepped over Alvida and was about to run to the side of the Miss Love Duck to escape with Luffy and Zoro.
Beri!
I slid to a stop and ran back to Alvida, dragging her body across the deck. If I was going to travel the Grand Line, I was going to need a ship.
"Your fat ass is going to help me with that," I told Alvida as I leaned out over the water.
Luffy and Zoro were already gone.
Another barrage of cannonballs crashed into the ocean. Through the spray of water, I saw Luffy and Zoro sailing in the opposite direction. Zoro was rowing as fast as he could. With how freakishly strong he was, I wasn't surprised to see their little dingy moving faster than a speedboat.
Luffy hung dangerously far over the side of their dingy as he waved. "Good luck, Koby!" he shouted.
They disappeared behind another shower of water as more cannonballs exploded between us.
"Useless marines!" a female voice cried.
I looked down and saw Nami her small boat. That's right, Luffy saw her when he and I first escaped. I remembered the scene from the Celestial Dragon's memories.
If I want to get to Shells Town in time to save Rika, she can take me there! I thought and grabbed Alvida.
"Look out below!" I shouted, gaining her attention before I tossed Alvida into her boat and down after her.
Nami let out a shriek of fear as she almost fell off the boat. I grabbed her before she could. She smacked my hands away and glared at me.
"Are you crazy!" she screamed.
I ignored her and grabbed the rudder, pointing the bow toward the open sea. The naval ships and the pirates were left behind. They were so busy fighting each other, that no one noticed our small boat sailing away.
At least that's what I hoped.
"Move!" Nami shoved me out of the way and jerked on the rudder as a cannonball whistled through the air toward them.
I jumped up onto the edge of the small boat.
"What are you do—" Nami cut herself off with a squeak as I stretched out my body, inflating myself like a balloon.
"Gum Gum Balloon!" my rubbery body absorbed the cannonball's impact, protecting the boat.
As I launched the cannonball high into the air, I transformed into my Humandrill form again. I jumped up and smashed the cannonball volleyball style, sending it screaming back at the Marine ships.
The iron ball punched straight through the lead ship's hull with a tremendous crash.
"What are you!" Nami shrieked as I landed back in the boat. She looked horrified, scrambling as far away from me as she could.
In a boat as small as the one we were in, and with Alvida's fat ass in the way, that wasn't very far. She grabbed her staff and held it between us. was me in horror.
I quickly reverted to my short and skinny human self. I really needed to start working out. Get me those muscles I had in the "One Piece Manga" after training with Garp.
"My name's Koby," I said, holding out my hand.
Nami knocked it away with her staff. "I don't care what your name is!" she shouted. "Just get off my boat!"
I shook my head. "I can't do that. See, I need to get to Shells Town on Naval Base Island. I was hoping you would take me there?"
"Why would I do that?"
"Because fat ass here," I kicked Alvida in her giant stomach, "has a bounty of 5 million Beri. If you help me, I'll split the bounty with you."
I knew Nami loved money, but it was still a little shocking how quickly her attitude changed when she heard that.
Her eyes lit up and she smiled at me.
"Deal!"
Chapter 2 is up!
And I promise, this will be the last rewrite!
Zoro being on the Miss Love Duck will be explained in the next chapter!
P.S. For anyone asking me to update faster, I'm glad you like the story and want to read more! But I'm not a professional writer. This is a hobby that I wish I had time for. Trust me, if I could ditch school and spend all day watching anime and writing I would...but sadly I can't :(
Anyway, thanks for reading!
