"Man, this barrel is so damn heavy!"
"I know! I wonder how much booze is in here!"
"Oi, Coby, come bring this barrel of booze to the storage area." The burly man hit the top of the barrel, little did they know that it had awoken a sleeping boy inside.
"O-ok," the young pink haired boy said. Suddenly the boy had broken out of the barrel punching two pirates in the process.
"Man, I slept well!" The black haired boy said as he jumped. Coby looked with such surprise directed at the boy. He had short black hair that stuck loosely underneath his straw hat, a scar under his left eye and a large scar on the left side of his mouth. He wore a loose long sleeve vest that was vibrant red. What was most interesting to Coby however were his eyes. They were pitch black and not the type of normal black eyes. This boy's eyes had no light in them, like his happy demeanor was hiding something awful, black eyes had some light to them, that was the difference. There were also massive eye bags under them, as if he had not slept in weeks.
"Hey, who are you?" The black haired boy asked.
"I-I'm Coby."
"I'm Luffy, nice to meet you. So, what is someone like you doing on this ship?"
"I was just fishing and then Aliva came and stole me from my village." Coby whined, "I knew I shouldn't have gone fishing that day."
"Do you have a dream?" Luffy asked plainly.
"... I want to become a Marine," Coby said unconfidently.
"Why would you want to join a group like that? You do realize what they allow, right? What evils they permit?" Luffy said flatly, as if he wanted to show emotion but did not have the capability to. His emotionless eyes peered straight into Coby, seeing straight through the short pink- haired boy.
"D-do you have a dream, Luffy?" Coby asked with anxiety to attempt to ease the tension. Luffy took an apple and ate it in a few bites, it was rather impressive how quickly he ate it to Coby.
"Yea, I want to be the freest man in the world, the King of the Pirates." At some point in his life, Luffy would have said that with all the pride and joy in his heart, but those feelings have long since been locked away.
"P-Pirate King?! That's impossible! The only way to do that is by finding the One Piece and the One Piece might not even be real!" Coby argued. Luffy just gave him a small smile of reassurance, mostly fake, but a small portion of it was real. A small bead of sweat rolled down Coby's cheek.
"So, how 'bout I get ya out of here?" Luffy said.
"What? I could never go against Alvida!"
"So are you not gonna chase your dream?"
"I-"
"Man, I hate guys like you." Luffy said as jokingly yet serious as he could manage. Coby stopped then and looked at Luffy with mouth agape. Luffy then motioned for Coby to follow him. As the boys made their way through the ship, Luffy seemed to be aware of everything going on at all times, like he had a sixth sense. His face showed no emotion and he was completely silent, like he had been sneaking around his whole life. Needless to say, Coby was confused on how a person like Luffy could end up in the East Blue of all places.
They made it up to the top deck, the sun beamed down on Luffy's pale face and flat eyes. He eyed a ugly woman, with a wide face, freckles, long black hair, ugly nose, and a cowboy hat and clothes. Her mouth was in a snarl and her greasy eyebrows furrowed.
"Who is this ugly old hag?" Luffy said, pointing to the woman, whose jaw dropped along with her whole crew.
"Coby!" She boomed, "Who is the most beautiful woman in the world?!"
"Why, i-its you Al-" Coby cut off when he noticed Luffy staring at him, with what looked to be disappointment in his eyes. Coby then snapped, "No, you ugly old hag! I'm my own person! You're the ugliest person in the whole East Blue!" She was practically red with anger, like a volcano about to erupt. Luffy gave a light "shishishi" at the whole endeavor.
"Oi, you damn brat, what the hell do you think you're doing?" A crew member cried out to Luffy."
"Going to kick your ass." Luffy retorted in what was almost a joking tone. Alvida appeared behind Luffy with her club raised and hit him right on the head, in a way that would knock out most people, but Luffy just absorbed the impact.
"WHAT?!" Everyone yelled.
"Shishishishi! That won't work on me! I'm rubber!" Luffy sprang up with a cool smile on his face. Once that smile would have touched his ears, but no longer. Everyone's face was on the floor. Upon springing up Coby saw a glimpse of a scar. It was on his left shoulder, large enough to bleed out a normal human, and from what Coby had seen, it had been old, which was saying a lot because Luffy couldn't be more than 14.
"Damn brat!" Alvida yelled.
Luffy hit Alvida with a normal punch that only went a little past normal human capabilities. "Anyone else?" He said jokingly. The whole crew cowered away from the young boy. He had a small smile that was cocky. He called for someone to get him and Coby a boat so they could sail.
xXx
I was on the Moby Dick standing near the edge. A million different auras filled my senses, conversations I had no part in. I felt Sir Marco approaching me, his kind soul warming me up. I turned around and saw him. Blond hair on the top of his head that was bald around, black lazy eyes with eyebrows so arched they looked like a bridge, an open polo with pineapples, revealing his tattoo. He had simple khaki shorts with the same sandals Ace owned.
"Hello, Luffy, yoi. How are you today?" I don't know how I feel.
"I'm good, sir," lying used to be so hard. I sink into my stomach, hunching and sweating slightly. These were pirates, I had to remember that. They know who I am, that I'm barely a human that if resold into slavery would fetch them a pretty penny. Marco continued to walk towards me, no ill will I could detect. Ace and Sabo seemed to trust these guys, and they knew far better than me as they were never slaves. They are free.
"I want to do a quick little test to see how you're recovering, yoi."
"Yes sir." I followed him into the clinic silently, greeted by my brothers once I walked in. I settled between Ace and Sabo, pushing into their strong arms hoping my protruding bones posed no discomfort to them. Marco was talking to me but I didn't register anything he said, just absent-minded nodding. Sabo must have noticed that I really wasn't present because he nudged me.
"You ok, Lu?" He asked.
"Yes sir, I'm sorry." Sabo looked at me sadly, his blue eyes soft but burning with unsung anger. I wonder if he'll take that out on me later.
"Anyways, Marco was wondering if you were in pain, but he's probably going to ask you the same questions now that you're with us again. It's not an issue though and it's not your fault." Sabo began to rub my back, and I stiffened. Mattress often did that before she used me. The memories flooded back into my brain, the torture. My breathing picked up and the world became dizzy. Sabo and Ace were talking to me but I couldn't understand them. The world shuts out and the next thing I know I'm in my bedroom, a closed barrel to my left.
xXx
"Luffy, are you ok?" Coby asked warily.
"Huh, oh. Y-yea." Luffy responded quietly. "So, when should we get to Shell's Town? I want to meet this Zoro person you talked about."
"Y-you want to meet the Demon of the East Blue?! W-why?! He could easily kill us both, you know! R-rumors say he's ruthless! He's a Pirate Hunter!" Luffy just gave him a fake smile.
Luffy and Coby arrived at Shell's Town later that day. After asking around, the two boys made it to the Marine Base on the island and hung upon what looked like a cross, was a man. He had a greenish-black bandana covering his green hair, a stoic expression, a simple white shirt with a green belly warmer, and blackish-green pants with sturdy boots. A small girl was giving Zoro an onigiri when a marine came and knocked her down.
"Oi, do you know who I am? I am the great Helmepo!" The blonde with a really bad bowl cut and gay clothing called out.
"You bastard, she's just a kid!" Zoro cried out. Before he could yell anymore, Luffy was already with the girl in the blink of an eye. His eyes focused, gazing into the man. The girl was wrapped in Luffy's protective embrace when he hoisted her up and ran to Coby.
"Keep her safe and bring her home. Find a place where we can get food, water, and rest for a time." Luffy instructed, his face stern but empathy clearly in his eyes, a sight that Coby was not used to seeing. Luffy redirected the girl's head towards him and smiled at her. It was small and conservative, but clearly there and extremely kind. Coby was unable to stop staring at the young boy. "Did you hear me?"
"Y-yes, Luffy," Coby stammard.
"Oi, do you have a dream?" Luffy asked Zoro.
"I want to become the world's greatest swordsman."
"The greatest swordsman? Shishishi, that's perfect for the future King of the Pirates! Join my crew!"
"Join your crew? You're a pirate? But you're like what, 13-14? Becoming the Pirate King is a pipe dream."
"For starters, I'm 17, and yes I'm Monkey Luffy. If I get your swords, will you join my crew?" Luffy said.
"Sure, whatever." Luffy raced off ignoring Helmepo who was shouting at him.
Running into the base, Luffy opened every door to search for Zoro's swords. The base was a moderate size with a fair amount of hallways. Looking in multiple different rooms, Luffy finally found what he was looking for three katanas in what appeared to be Helmet's room. Upon leaving the base and going back to the courtyard, Luffy was greeted by the Marines aiming at his new friend. He rushed to his friend punching and pushing away all of the guards.
"I didn't know which ones were yours so I just grabbed all three," Luffy explained plainly.
"All three are mine, I use the three-sword style," Zoro replied. Luffy made an 'o' with his mouth at that realization.
xXx
Luffy and Zoro were on a small boat, trying to get used to each other's company. The small captain weirded out Zoro. His near-soulless eyes peered straight into the older green-haired teen, making him slightly annoyed and uncomfortable.
"So what's your deal?" Zoro questioned, irritated.
"I want to become the pirate king, I thought I already told you this?" Luffy tilted his head to the side, a gesture that some would find cute. The large scar on the left side of his mouth slightly stretched into an even more jagged scar. Zoro deadpanned at the innocent boy, confused as to his naivety.
"That's not what I meant," Zoro explained, "I mean your eyes, your whole demeanor just seems… off like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders." Luffy made a small "o" with his mouth but did not respond, leaving Zoro in the dark to ponder that question on his own.
Hey, so its been a bit since I updated this story, sorry! I lost a lot of momentum with this in favor of my other fic, The Fire That Spread for Fairy Tail. So that's my fault, sorry. I'm not planning on this being all that long and updates are gonna take a hot sec, as I'm sure y'all have noticed.