So this is the first batch of rewrites for this fanfic. Again, comments and feedback are appreciated.

Chapter I: The Captain and the Navigator

"This thing's pretty damn heavy. Maybe it's got some pretty good booze inside."

"B-But if the captain finds out-"

Luffy's mind was in a daze, and being rolled around only made things worse. He could barely hear the voices outside. He swore one of them sounded really familiar. He tries to find his bearings before his body suddenly feels warm. He was nearly overwhelmed by the influx of stimulus: the increased sensitivity, auras suddenly flickering around him, and time seemingly slowing down. His senses were bombarded from all directions, and he felt a slight headache. It was almost too much, but he was able to collect himself. He gave himself a few seconds to settle down before he let his mind wander.

Countless images flooded his mind. All of them are foreign, yet everything felt familiar. Memories that seemed to be of someone else, but it is as if he's looking through a window. The election from his greatest triumphs, the sadness of his gravest defeats, and the warm and fuzzy feeling brought upon by images of people he knows and has yet to meet. All of it merged into one. After a while, his mind settled down, and he began filtering in everything around him.

He was in a barrel, wasn't he? He remembers this. This was right after the whirlpool.

He was back where his journey started. It worked. He has a chance.

'But if I'm here, then…'

If it really worked, then they're here. He can start all over again with everyone he holds dear.

But as much as he was thankful for the opportunity, he wished he was sent somewhere else. Outside the barrel, perhaps. To be fair, it's probably his fault, after all. Maybe he shouldn't have sailed through the whirlpool. Thinking about it, he was surprised that no one had heard him. That's good, he thought.

His thoughts were interrupted when the barrel was placed upright, the loud thud masking the little "oof" he let out. He barely resisted the urge to cuss these people out.

"Tell you what, Koby. If you don't tell the captain, then we'll put in a good word for you. Say that you scrubbed the kitchen floors real good." A faint voice says before letting out a chuckle. Followed by the laughter of another. Based on how loud he heard it, this one is holding the barrel. After a while, Luffy hears someone tapping the wood hard. It seems like they're trying to open it.

"Anyways, we better check this out. If it's the good stuff, we'll drink it. If not, we'll just send it as a gift to the captain." The group, minus Koby, starts laughing once again.

Luffy could see a bit of light now that the lid was slightly ajar. Then, the top pops open. The sudden barrage of light, combined with his heightened senses, flooded his sights, so he shielded his eyes with his hand.

"What the- Who are you?" The pirate was greeted by a strange looking boy wearing a straw hat lying on his back. He was too stunned to react to the boy in the barrel.

Luffy takes a quick peek after adjusting to the light, seeing the pirate's baffled look. The other pirate and a small kid, who he recognizes as a young Koby, peeks to see what's inside. Luffy lets out a small laugh upon seeing the shocked look on the boy's face before slowly getting out of the barrel. The pirates, too stunned to digest the series of events properly, casually make way for the boy.

"That was a nice nap. Thanks for opening this thing for me." Luffy pats the dust and dirt off his clothes before looking at the group. "Is anything on my face?"

The pirates regained their composure before shouting in anger. "Who the hell are you?!"

"I'm Luffy, and I'm hungry. You guys have any food here?" He says innocently.

This was a foreign sight for Koby. It was evident that the man with the straw hat was dealing with pirates. The swords on their hips were a dead giveaway. Despite that, the man just casually addresses them when he expects someone else to flee in fear, or at least take it seriously.

"Who do you think we are, kid?" One of them says, motioning to the sword strapped to his hip.

The men smiled once this strange boy took a glance at their weapons, thinking he would apologize after realizing his mistake. They didn't expect him to shrug and turn to Koby. "Do you know where I can get some food? These people won't give me a straight answer." The man says before pointing at the two pirates.

Koby started to worry for this Luffy person's well-being when he saw the pirates pulling their weapons out, pointing them at the straw-hatted boy. "We're the Alvida Pirates. We're one of the most notorious crews around here. And we don't like your tone, you dumb brat. Maybe if we bleed you dry, you'll learn your lesson." One of them says.

"Listen," Luffy faces the pirates with his hands raised and a wide smile. "I'm starving and tired right now. So, is it alright if I grab a bite?" He adds a layer of his willpower to his voice. He doesn't have the spare energy in this body to take them out using Haki, especially when he just arrived. But he's not really in the mood for a fight, either. Luffy learned in his journey that you don't always need to fight to tackle a problem, especially if it's relatively minor. Hopefully, these two get the message.

The two pirates step back in alarm. They didn't know why, but this guy was different. They were so used to Alvida threatening them with violence that they were compelled to obey this man. He wasn't openly threatening them, nor was he trying to hurt them. Yet their instincts were screaming at them to flee, which they gladly followed.

Luffy chuckles before turning back to Koby. "Anyways, do you know where I can get some food?"

Koby remained silent. He wasn't even on the receiving end of this man's apparent annoyance. Yet, despite the man's relatively lighthearted demeanor, he felt something that made him tense. Alvida will definitely punish Koby once she hears him slacking off, but appeasing the man before him appears to be the wisest decision right now.

"R-Right this way." Despite his shaky legs, Koby then motions for the man to follow him.

"Y-You wench-" One of the pirates, lying on his face on the ground, tried reaching out before being smacked on the back of the head with a wooden staff, rendering him unconscious.

Nami then picks up the bag full of treasure before slinging it behind her back. Hearing the commotion around dying down, she looks up at the ceiling with an excited smile. "Can't wait to see you again, Luffy. You better catch up." Her smile gets wider when she feels Luffy's aura briefly flare in response as if trying to welcome her return.

Carefully moving around the unconscious group of pirates scattered on the floor, she walks out of the room with her loot.

"Oh, hwow! Hanksh a munch for the ood!" Koby couldn't understand this strange man from all the food he was shoving down his throat, but he seemed content, at least. It's surprising to see how the same man who terrified the pirates earlier is now punching his chest to try and swallow all the food he's eating, which almost made Koby laugh. This man no longer seemed dangerous, but Koby couldn't be sure, so he kept watching him while occasionally peeking through the small window on the door.

"I name'sh uffy, my de way."

"Eh?"

Luffy held his hand up as he tried to swallow his food before clarifying. "I said my name's Luffy."

"O-Oh. Uhm, I'm Koby." He says in a more subdued voice. "You, uh, mentioned your name earlier, so I kinda know…"

"I see." Luffy said before returning to his meal. The room fell silent except for the sounds of Luffy's loud eating. After a good minute or two, Luffy lets out a huge huff of air as he finishes. "You don't look like a pirate."

Koby shyly looks down at the floor. "W-Well, I kinda got roped into being one on accident." He laughs awkwardly before continuing. "I didn't know then, but I boarded a boat bound for a pirate ship. I've been here ever since."

"So why not leave?"

"It's not so simple," Koby says in defense, his tone a bit firmer. "Even if I want to, I can't. Just thinking what the captain will do to me if she finds out terrifies me."

"Your captain? The Alovida they mentioned?"

"Alvida." Koby corrected. "She'd probably kill me if I even entertained the thought of disobeying her." Koby was surprised when he saw Luffy's blank stare. "You don't know her? She's one of the most fearsome pirates in East Blue. That iron mace of hers sends shivers down the spine of even the most fearsome pirate in East Blue."

"Well, whatever. It's kinda wimpy, but I guess I do understand." Luffy meant that. He would've insulted Koby back then. But during his journey, he discovered the true meaning of absolute fear. But rather than for self-preservation, he feared for his loved ones. He still believes that people should never give in to fear. But at the same time, you also need to take a step back when you're not prepared, especially when the risk of death for you and your friends is involved. But he also knows that wallowing in despair would lead to nowhere. So, he needs to push Koby in the right direction. He needs to learn this, among other things.

Koby, however, awkwardly laughs before he lets out a sigh of irritation. The man was right. He was a wimp. He's always been a coward. He was ashamed because deep inside, he dreamt of being a marine and capturing people like Alvida. But here he is, serving the same criminal he wanted to bring to justice. The thought of it deeply frustrated him to no end. Koby's change in demeanor didn't go unnoticed by Luffy. "You alright?"

"Oh. Uh, sorry?"

"It looks like you're thinking a lot of things."

"Is it that obvious?" Koby asks, to which Luffy nods. He's unsure why he was tempted to tell his troubles to a stranger he just met. Maybe it's because he's the first friendly face in a long while. Still, he continued. "Well, I want to do something. But I don't think I have the courage to do it. And I'm not sure if—"

"You can do it."

"Huh?" Koby was taken aback by Luffy's response. That's the first time he heard someone say that. "You don't even know what I was about to ask or what I wanted to do."

"Well, you don't look like someone who wants to do bad stuff. You're too wimpy to do that." Luffy says before laughing loudly.

"Hey," Koby says jokingly. Despite being called a wimp, hearing someone encourage him made him happy. "I guess you're right. I wanted to join the Marines. Protect the citizens from criminals like Alvida. I've experienced firsthand what pirates do to people, and it's not good." He says before letting out a sigh. "I just don't know whether I can do it."

Luffy nods in approval. "That's not a bad dream, but you must work on yourself. Eventually, as a marine, you'll encounter powerful enemies. You have to have the courage and strength to deal with them. But you need to start somewhere."

All these years, he never felt courageous. Especially in the past few years, when Koby's been doing nothing but serve under the boot of Iron Mace Alvida. But for some reason, this man's words seem infectious and have given him strength. With a defiant look in his eyes, he stared back at Luffy. "I will."

"Captain Alvida!"

A large woman, annoyed at the sudden interruption, turns to her henchmen, who were brave enough to bother her. "You idiots better have a damn good reason you're not doing your jobs."

"T-There's a guy below deck! I-I think he's a bounty hunter. We dunno!"

"So what did you two do then?" Alvida asks.

The two pirates mumbled incoherently. Alvida could barely hold herself back from hitting the two. But someone as beautiful and elegant as her must keep their cool, she thought. "What did you two idiots say?"

"I, uh, we kinda ran." One of them says said. The last thing he saw was a giant mace slamming his face before being sent crashing away, stopping only once he hit a wall. Alvida then glares at the remaining pirate.

"There were two of you against one man, and you ran?!"

"B-But Captain Alvida, he looks very—" He couldn't finish before being crushed by Alvida's mace, knocking him unconscious. She then addresses the pirates on deck, who are too terrified to move after seeing the violent display from their captain. "This is what happens to you lowlifes when you don't do your damn jobs!" She says before turning to a group of pirates moving their haul. "You lot!"

"Y-Yes, captain?"

"Come with me below deck. We'll have a chat with the guy these buffoons were too afraid to deal with." She says before heading below deck with the men right on her trail.

"Enough about me. What about you, Luffy? Why were you in a barrel in the first place?"

Luffy laughs at the absurdity of Koby's question. Putting it that way, being in a barrel was a bit terrible in hindsight. "Ah, that. There was a huge whirlpool that wrecked my boat. You could say I panicked and went into what I thought was the safest place. Barrels are pretty strong, after all."

Over the past few minutes, Koby adapted well to Luffy's strange behavior. "Well, I guess it beats drowning."

"Yeah. And besides, I can't swim anyway."

This confused Koby. Sailing the seas seemed a bit risky for a man who couldn't swim. "You can't swim but decided to sail anyway?" Koby asks casually before noticing his error. He curses himself, thinking he offended Luffy. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you or anything!" He exclaims, trying to apologize to the man.

Luffy waves him off. "No worries. The reason I can't swim is I ate a devil fruit."

"Eh?!" Koby shouts before immediately covering his mouth. He looks around the hallway, thinking someone might've heard him, before returning to Luffy. "A devil fruit?! Like the fruits that give you abilities, but you get cursed by the sea as punishment from the gods?!"

Luffy forgot that outside the Grand Line, devil fruits are scarce. The only times they might have seen or heard of it is through legends or the occasional pirate captain or marine officer. Luffy stretches his cheeks to an inhuman degree to prove his devil fruit ability. "Yeah. I'm a rubber man." Once he lets go, his skin snaps back.

"A rubber man. Luffy is a rubber man…" Koby repeatedly said to himself. This man turned his world upside down. Maybe he shouldn't know that because Luffy might do it literally. First, he managed to scare the pirates away. Then, he turns out to be a man cursed by the sea. What's next? Will he say that he's a pirate? "A-Anyway. Where were you sailing to?"

"To the Grand Line."

"Eh?"

"I want to become the Pirate King."

It's worse. It's much worse than Koby thought. He was a pirate, the same type of people he was trying to flee from. He ate a devil fruit, he plans on sailing to the Grand Line, the most dangerous stretch of ocean in the world, in a small boat. And to top it all off, he's a pirate trying to encourage someone to become a marine.

"But you said that being a Marine is a great dream! If you're a pirate, then that would make us enemies." Koby was a little disappointed about that. He didn't know that someone that seemed kind was a criminal.

"Well, I don't have a bounty, so no one's gonna arrest me," Luffy replied. However, Koby noted that he seemed sad about it for some reason. "And second, just because I'm a pirate doesn't mean I'm a bad guy. I'm not hurting anyone unless they hurt my friends or steal my meat."

"But all pirates are bad guys!"

"Not all." He says before pointing at the straw hat he's wearing. "The man who gave me this hat saved my life. And he's a pirate." Luffy then lets out a sigh, seeing that Koby wasn't convinced. "Look, I know many pirates do a lot of bad stuff. But simply being one doesn't make you a bad guy. Do you think I'd hurt you?"

Koby slowly shakes his head. It's still difficult to believe Luffy after everything he's suffered under Alivda and her crew. And if you're a pirate, you're a wanted man with a bounty, right? Being a criminal isn't just some label the government brands you as. Indeed, the world government wouldn't simply brand you as a criminal for no reason, right?

Without warning, the ceiling collapses in front of them as a large plume of smoke and debris envelops the room. As the dust settles, a large woman holding a spiked club is in the middle of the room. The lady seems to have terrified Koby as he steps back and hides behind Luffy. His legs start shaking. Pirates at the top deck surrounded the hole while a few entered the room through the door.

The large woman looks at Luffy, seemingly studying the man before her. "You don't look all that impressive. And you don't look like a bounty hunter." The woman says. "I can't believe those cowards were terrified by a skinny brat. Do you know who I am?"

The man tilts his head before turning to Koby. "Is this the Alvida person you're talking about? She looks kinda weird."

Everyone's mouths were agape from shock, including Alvida. The pirates have never heard this level of disrespect aimed at their captain. Alvida's shock turns to anger as she clenches her mace hard. Still, a beautiful and elegant woman should never lose their cool. The little display from earlier was a minor slip-up. "I'm going to deal with you later, brat." She says before looking down at Koby. "What were you doing here, Koby? Weren't you supposed to keep watch for Marine ships? Or did you find spending time with this kid more important than your job?"

Koby looks down at the floor, unable to meet Alvida's stare. "S-Sorry, Captain Alvida. It won't happen again."

Alvida nods in approval. "Good. But you're gonna get punished for this, Koby. Come here, you brat."

"Yes, Captain Alvida…" Koby resigned to his fate as he hesitantly stepped away from Luffy. It's always going to be like this. He is trying to appease Alvida by any means necessary.

"Well, that was boring."

Everyone turns to the man with the straw hat. Everybody, including Alvida, was unsure what the man meant. But Koby understood after they spent some time talking. He can practically feel the disappointment coming from Luffy directed at him. It was as if their entire conversation about taking the first step was meaningless. Koby sharing his dream to Luffy? Worthless. Luffy gave him confidence, encouragement, and acknowledgment of his desires. Yet here he was, licking the feet of the evil he promised to conquer. He stops in his tracks, clenches his fists, and grits his teeth in frustration. Alvida notices this.

"Oi Koby, are you tryin' to piss me off?"

"No."

"Good. Now come here before I—"

"N-No!" Koby shouts defiantly. Alvida was stunned into silence, unsure how to react. Luffy, meanwhile, was smiling. Finally, Koby found his courage.

"I-I'm done taking orders from you! I-I've never even wanted to become a pirate in the first place! You! Y-You kidnapped me and forced me to be in your crew. I don't want any of this."

Alvida can only take so much. First, it was the sheer incompetence of her crew. And now, this puny little kid decided that defying her was a good idea. She lifts her club, intending to hit and hurt Koby and Luffy. "Anyone who disobeys me can go to hell!" She yells in frustration.

Koby covers his face in preparation for being hit. He's finally done it. Alvida might hurt him for standing up to her, but he's done taking orders from her. As he braced for the hit with tears flowing down his eyes, Luffy's words kept repeating inside his head.

'You have to have the courage and strength to deal with them. But it all starts with a first step.'

Koby braces for impact. However, he feels someone tugging on his collar before being pulled into the air. Koby sees that Luffy jumped through the hole in the ceiling and dragged Koby with him. The two sailed into the air before landing behind the pirates surrounding the hole. Disoriented from the jump and how fast he had just moved, Koby kneeled to collect himself.

"That was great. Keep that up, and you'll become a great Marine."

He looks up to see Luffy looking at him with a big smile, which Koby returns in kind. Feeling good after hearing a pirate's compliment was strange, but it meant so much to him.

"You better duck, though."

Koby is taken aback by the order but follows nonetheless. He then watches as Luffy's elongated leg sails over him, hitting the pirates running toward them behind. He was too distracted to notice that some pirates surrounding them earlier began attacking the pair.

"W-What was that?!" Asked the pirates who witnessed the attack.

"So you've eaten a devil fruit, huh? I thought those things were legends." Alvida says, finally walking out of the hole she created.

"Yep. I'm a rubber man." Luffy says casually, to the shock of the Alvida's lackeys.

"If the rumors are true, then I will send you to hell down at the bottom of the sea!" Alvida swings her club down at Luffy. Koby shouts at him, trying to warn the man of Alvida's famed mace. Devil fruit or not, he's never seen anyone who wasn't knocked out by her attack. Seeing the rubber man fail to dodge Alvida's attack, Koby winces after seeing the mace hitting Luffy's head. To his surprise, however, Luffy was unscathed.

"L-Luffy..."

"I'm made of rubber. Blunt objects don't affect me." He says with wide a grin.

Alvida drops her mace as she takes a step back, shocked that her powerful attack that defeated pirates from all corners of the East Blue didn't do anything. For the first time in a long while, she felt fear and was unsure what to do. "Just who the hell are you…"

"I'm Luffy, and I'm going to be the Pirate King. Gomu Gomu no, Bazooka!"

Alvida was sent flying off the ship. The men, eager to attack Luffy just earlier, seemingly lost all their drive after seeing their captain being trounced. Koby felt a mixture of relief and shock. Finally, the menace that hovered above him for all these years is now more. He looks at Luffy with awe.

'Maybe someday, I might be able to be like that…'

Suddenly, the ship was rocked by massive waves as the sound of cannon fire sounded over the distance. Looking far out into the sea, Koby can see a few Marine ships firing at them. It shouldn't be a surprise. The Jolly Roger was pretty obvious. He feels someone tap his shoulder. Looking back, he saw Luffy pointing at the Marine ships.

"I know you wanted to be a marine, but I doubt they'd let you join."

Koby nods. "Yeah, but how do we get out? There aren't any lifeboats around." Indeed, there were no lifeboats. They were either destroyed or were probably taken by civilians trying to flee Alvida's initial attack.

"Don't worry, I got that covered."

Koby didn't have time to question Luffy before the rubber man's arm wrapped around his waist. Remembering what happened earlier, he braces for another nauseating experience by closing his eyes. Luffy then launches himself into the air with Koby in tow. With a quick flash of his Color of Observation, he scans the area, looking for a familiar presence. If he remembers it correctly, then she should be...

'There!'

With a destination in mind, Luffy adjusts himself midair, slowing down to avoid making Koby nauseous like last time. He sees the boat close by with a familiar head of orange hair trying to row away from the pirate ship. With her, a few sacks filled with what seemed to be treasure. Fully aware that with the speed they were falling, they might damage the boat, he opted to land on the waters beside. He'll put his faith in his comrades that they'll rescue him.

Koby, however, starts panicking, unaware of his surroundings and orientation in the air. However, it wouldn't need a detective to realize that they're falling to the sea. At this height, it's still going to be painful, so he braces for impact, adjusting his body and making it streamlined. Moments later, the pair lands on the waters below. Koby did not waste any time to swim up. Upon reaching the surface, he looks around him, only to find Luffy's sinking body, his eyes that of a corpse. He quickly dives down to grab the rubber man's hand before swimming back up.

"Oi, come here!"

Looking at the source of the sound, he spots a woman on a boat waving at them. Desperate for any means of escape, he swims to it, dragging the rubber man with him. As they get closer, the woman pulls Luffy to safety, followed by the woman helping him get on board.

"Luffy, you idiot. You can't swim with your devil fruit!" The woman shouts as she continues paddling away.

"Sorry, I don't wanna damage your boat," Luffy says with a slight slur, still recovering from the sea, sapping him of his strength.

The unknown woman then looks at Koby. "We need to get out of here before the Marines see us. Help me row away from this mess."

"Uh, miss. Can't we unfurl the sail?"

"The sail is pretty wide, so it'll be easier for us to be spotted by the Marines. At least with just the boat, we can blend in with the debris."

Seeing no fault in his logic, Koby begins paddling. Luffy seems to know her, so she can trust her at least. Occasionally sneaking a few glances at the unknown woman, he notices the worried look she was giving the rubber man. They spent almost half an hour navigating around the area to try and avoid being spotted by the marine ships and the other fleeing pirate boats. Once they were sure they had managed to escape, the woman relaxed.

"Glad that was over." The woman says before turning to Luffy. "Are you alright, Luffy?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks, Nami." The rubber man says before sitting up once he feels his energy coming back.

"Uh, Luffy." The boy interrupts, causing the two to look at him. "Is she your crew mate?" Koby asks, looking back and forth between the two.

"Yeah, she's my Navigator," Luffy says proudly.

The woman looks at him with a smile. "I'm Nami. Thanks for dragging him out of the water. He says I'm his navigator, but I just keep him out of trouble most of the time, so I really appreciate your help."

"Oh, no. That's fine. Luffy helped me escape from a pirate, so I owe him a lot." Koby says, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

Nami laughs after hearing this. "He does that from time to time." She jests.

After the noise and chaos from earlier, the group welcomed the silence in their journey. Koby gazes at the open ocean. For the first time in a long while, he can finally look at it without the terror of Alvida and her crew hanging above his head. Finally, he can appreciate the sight of the vast sea.

As for the captain and the navigator, the two share a look that conveys a lot of emotions. Understanding, happiness, determination, and excitement. But a single thought drowned out all of those emotions.

'We're back!'

I'm trying to rewrite and hopefully improve on this fanfic. So there may be minor edits based on reviews but they won't affect the story.