Hey Guys! Crescent Rider here and I am back with another chapter!
But before you begin, there is something I need to tell you all first. To ensure that readers can find and re-read their favorite chapter. I will be adding titles to the chapters to make them easier to find.
And to add a bit of fun, feel free to ask random 'What if' Scenarios and the answers to those what ifs are found at the end of every chapter!
Here's an example from me: What if Marie decided to form her own crew rather than join up with Luffy.
That is all and enjoy the chapter!
Open Sea
With Koby at the helm and Marie at the sails, Luffy sat on the very end of the boat bow.
"So, Marie-san. I don't know if I mean any offense but... Are you and Luffy-san really related? You don't seem to hold any resemblance that you're siblings," Koby politely said,
"That's because Luffy isn't my biological brother. we grew up together on the same island for the past ten years," Marie explained, "As for the name, it was something Ojisan gave after he adopted me from the Grand Line,"
"You're from the Grand Line?!" Koby exclaimed,
"Yep, though I've never sailed those seas since I was only 8 years old at the time," Marie clarified, "I don't even recall the island I was born in, nor the island I lived in,"
"And you still plan on going back there!" Koby said,
"That's right, I swore to my Captain that I'd follow him into the Grand Line, and obtain the Legendary One Piece since we were kids," Marie swore, turning to Luffy, "Whether my dream is intertwined with his or not is irrelevant. As long as I stay by his side, I'll gladly follow him through those treacherous waters and potential dangers to the bitter end,"
"Wow, Marie... You're so loyal to him," Koby said in amazement, and Marie smiled in response,
"Hey Koby, How much longer until we get to the next?" Luffy asked,
"As long as we can stay on this heading, we should reach the Marine Base in no time at all," Koby answered,
"Wow, Koby. You're great out here. You mean we're actually going to reach the place we originally set out for?" Luffy inquired,
"Of course, it's nothing. I'm just using the skills every sailor should have," Koby said,
Though Luffy just laughs at his carefree nature while Koby fixed his glasses, "You know there's really nothing to be so giggly about. Because at the Marine Base. They're holding the great Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro,"
Koby then proceeds to give a grim description of Zoro's reputation as a bounty hunter. People of the East Blue even considered him a living, breathing demon in human form. However, Luffy and Marie didn't care about his reputation.
For the former, he's only curious about how strong he is and the latter is curious about who he really looks like.
A Few Minutes Later...
Upon arrival, Luffy jumped onto the docks and raised his left arm high, "We're here! The Marine Base City!"
Koby and Marie would carefully tie the rope onto a bollard. Once secured, they'd go after Luffy and stroll the streets together.
"Seriously, Luffy-san! You're out of your mind if you think the right thing to do is get this guy to join you!" Koby advised,
"Well, I haven't made up my mind yet. Gonna see if he's a good guy," Luffy said,
"He's in prison because he's obviously not!" Koby yelled,
Luffy grabs a pear from one of the fruits and Marie tosses a coin to the vendor. Then the former asked the vendor, "Hey, is that guy Zoro around here somewhere?"
Without a second thought, the vendor and everyone within earshot jumped and kept their distance as if the three had caught the plague and it confuses the two.
Then Koby slides in with his hand by the side of his lips, "Maybe you shouldn't mention the name 'Zoro', okay,"
Though Luffy won't listen, they continue onward to the Marine Base, "Let's head to the base and check it out. You wanna be a marine right?"
"Well, of course I do, Luffy-san. But I really don't think I'm ready just yet," Koby said, "From what I heard, the man in charge of this base is named Captain Morgan,"
Once again, the people within earshot jumped and avoided them and Marie began to suspect that Captain Morgan wasn't all good if people feared him. But she wouldn't say as she didn't want to discourage Koby.
As for Luffy, he just laughed off their reactions, "This town is such a weird place,"
"That was odd. I mean I understand they're scared of Zoro, but why would they flip when I mention the Marine Captain's name," Koby questioned, "I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling about this,"
"Maybe they were all just jumping around for the fun," Luffy assumed,
"And how would that make any sense?" Koby questioned,
"It doesn't," Marie said, "He's just positively speaking his mind,"
Koby looked a bit despondent, but he couldn't deny that's how Luffy would think in a situation like this. Still, he has his thoughts on why the people would fear the Marine Captain.
Eventually, they arrived at the very doors of the Marine Base and Koby felt teary-eyed since he was one step closer to becoming a Marine. He would say that this is where he will part ways with Luffy and Marie, but he would soon see the former scaling the wall in search of Zoro.
This caused Koby to panic and yell for Luffy to get down before the Marines saw and captured him.
"Now where's this Demon," Luffy said,
"They wouldn't keep him out there in there. He's probably tucked in a prison cell below ground," Koby noted with a sweatdrop,
"There is he!" Luffy said, and drops down from the wall,
"You found him?" Marie inquired,
"Yeah, I'm gonna get closer!" Luffy replied and scaled another wall,
Marie goes after him, scales the wall to take a peek beside Luffy, then comes Koby who still believes that he wouldn't be out there until he finally sees him with his own eyes.
There was a man tied to a wood post, wearing a plain white shirt, a black bandanna, a green haramaki, and black trousers tucked inside black boots. This was Roronoa Zoro, the Pirate Hunter of the East Blue.
"If we untie those ropes, he'll just walk away," Luffy said,
"Oh, don't be such an idiot, Luffy! There's no telling what a man like him if you let him go! He might just kill all three of us!" Koby yelled,
"Don't worry, I'm strong. I could protect us," Luffy assured, and Marie giggled in response,
"Hey, you two!" Zoro called out, and it caused Koby to panic, "You're an eyesore. Get lost!"
"Luffy-san, Trust me! There's no chance you'll survive with someone like him on your crew!" Koby frantically exclaimed, then Marie noticed a ladder being placed against the wall,
The one who climbed it was a little girl and she shushes the three before throwing down a ladder and running towards Zoro. Koby became overly concerned for her safety while Marie just watched their interaction.
This girl came all the way here to bring Zoro some food she made. He refused, but the girl presented some rice balls she made and offered them anyway.
Of course, Zoro would start refusing and yelling at the girl. But then came a newcomer with two marines by his side.
"Hey look, there's another weird guy," Luffy remarked,
"That's great, he must be with the Marines!" Koby said with relief, "Now we know the girl will be safe,"
"I somehow doubt it," Marie openly said, and Koby briefly turned to her and then back at the scene,
They soon witnessed the man take one of the girl's rice balls for Zoro and took a bit much to the girl's exclaim. The man soon bugged his eyes and spat out some of the rice for being too sweet.
He then rudely yelled at the girl for using sugar instead of salt. Even though she tried to reason with him, her second rice ball was smacked out of her hand, and proceeded to stomp it much to the girl's sadness.
"Ugh... That's just awful," Koby remarked,
As for Marie, she may seem calm. But one of her clones was fuming within and her voice was heard within her mind, 'I want to hit him!'
"You will not," Marie muttered, "Not until the time is right,"
"Who are you talking to, Marie-san?" Koby inquired, but received no answer,
Not when they witnessed the girl being thrown over the wall under the rude man's orders. The one who caught the girl was Ecstatic as she emerged from Marie's back, caught the girl in mid-air, and rotated her body to keep the girl from being hurt.
"Are you okay?" Ecstatic Marie asked with a smile,
"Yeah, thanks, Miss," The girl thanked
"Glad to hear it," Marie said as she approached them,
The girl soon looked at her and Ecstatic and calmly stated, "There's two of you,"
"I know it isn't normal, but I assure you that there's an explanation to all of this," Marie said, helping the girl to her feet, then turned to Ecstatic with her hand stretched, "Good work,"
"Anytime," Ecstatic Marie replied, took Marie's hand, and was pulled back into her body,
"Wow..." The girl mouthed,
"Marie-san! Is she alright?" Koby inquired as he ran to them,
"She's fine," Marie said,
"And the other you?" Koby timidly added,
"Don't worry about her, she can take on anything. Much like the others," Marie assured, then noticed something by the wall,
Koby looked relieved, then became despondent once more, "How could that man be so cruel?"
"One can never tell which is good or evil, Koby," Marie remarked, then noticed something, "Where's Luffy?"
"Huh?" Koby looked around, and noticed his disappearance as well, "Ah, he's gone!"
Marie would take a guess and scale the ladder. Her guess was correct and Luffy is seen conversing with Zoro. She didn't have to listen to what they were saying, all that matters is what happens between them.
After a few minutes, she soon witnessed Luffy pick up the rice ball from the ground and toss it into Zoro's mouth per his request. After that, he asked him to tell the girl that the food was good and thank her in his stead.
With that, Luffy leaves with a smile. Feeling content to know a little about Zoro.
A Few Minutes Later...
"Really?!" The girl, Riki, cheerfully asked,
"That's right, he ate every last grain of rice there was!" Luffy stated,
"That's great!" Riki said with relief,
"I'm glad you're happy, Riki. Though I must ask, why was Zoro strung out there in the first place?" Marie asked, "Most people around here say that he's a demon,"
"He's not!" Riki denied,
"Don't be sad, Riki. We aren't like those people," Marie assured, "We just want to know how and why he's there,"
With that, Riki explained the details between Zoro and the man known as Helmeppo, Captain Morgan's son. Apparently, Helmeppo was strolling the streets with a vicious dog and it soon entered the tavern that's owned by her mother and all the meals of the customer.
Riki tried to fend it off, but Helmeppo's dog got agitated and tried to lunge at her. That's where Zoro got involved when he saved her by killing Helmeppo's dog.
This results in an altercation between him and Helmeppo, though Zoro has the upper hand and threatens him on sword point. But Helmeppo convinced Zoro into a wager between men.
If Zoro turns himself in and is crucified for one month, Helmeppo would spare Riki and her mother from execution as well as forget their altercation. In response, Zoro agreed and has been crucified since.
In addition to being strung up, Helmeppo amuses himself by kicking and punching Zoro in this state. It brought tears to Riki's eyes, but Marie was there to comfort her while refraining Fury from openly expressing her thoughts on the matter.
But that did not stop her from expressing her thoughts within, 'Now I really want to hit him!'
After Marie sighed once, she straightened herself up and pinched the bridge of her nose, "As much as I hate to admit it, I'm afraid we can't get ourselves caught in between this affair of theirs,"
"Why, Marie-san?" Koby inquired,
"Even though Helmeppo deserves every right to get hurt, he made a deal between him and Zoro. And Zoro agreed despite the treatment he's received in the past three weeks," Marie explained, "As long as Helmeppo keeps his word, interfering will only worsen the situation between him and Zoro,"
She then turns to Luffy, "And that will lessen your chance to recruit him,"
"I guess you're right," Luffy reluctantly agreed while slumping his head down,
Without warning, shattering glass drew their attention and the four went to check it out. Apparently, Helmeppo was acting like the child of a nobleman and demanded that he be served freely.
As Helmeppo's glass was poured, he admitted to something that would change everything, "I'm trying to think of something interesting to do seeing how I'm bored out of my skull. I suppose I could execute Zoro tomorrow,"
With Helmeppo laughing, something snapped within the two. Marie could barely restrain Fury seeing as how Helmeppo would break his deal even after Zoro was crucified for three straight weeks.
It even caused a few veins to pop from the back of her left hand as she clenched her fingers hard. It may as well bleed since the nails were close to breaking the skin.
However, the one who did not hesitate to hit Helmeppo was Luffy as he dashed right in and punched him across the face and straight into a wall.
'Yeah, that's what I want to see! Now let me at him! I want a piece of the action!' Fury yelled,
"As much as I want you to do that, you can't. Not until the time is right," Marie muttered,
"Y-You! You just hit me!" Helmeppo exclaimed in disbelief,
"Luffy, no! You can't hit him!" Koby yelled as he restrained Luffy,
"This guy is scum!" Luffy yelled,
"You actually hit me!" Helmeppo replied, "I am Captain Morgan's son!"
"So what of it!" Marie yelled, and Helmeppo turned to her, "You deserve to be hit after you deliberately broke the agreement between you and Zoro! With that kind of standard, you're even worse than scum!"
"Yeah!" Luffy agreed while Koby held him back,
"Yeah, well you're all going to pay once my father executes you both!" Helmeppo yelled,
"Why don't you just be a man and fight!" Luffy yelled,
"Luffy-san, just ease off him! Why are you trying to get on the Marines's bad side!" Koby yelled,
"Marie, I've made up my mind!" Luffy declared, "Today, Zoro joins our crew,"
Marie just nods to her captain's words, not minding Helmeppo running off with his Marine escort.
Marine Base
After they've arrived at the same wall, Marie watched her brother climb the ladder while Koby was with the two, "Marie-san, are you really sure that this is a good idea?"
"Of course isn't it," Marie said, "What we're about to do is free a prisoner from Marine custody and defy Navy's law. But I wouldn't care about it since Luffy has made it clear that we're recruiting Zoro, so we're going to do this,"
Koby just stares as Marie scales the ladder, but she finishes this conversation with the following, "You don't have to get yourself mixed up in all this if you don't want to, Koby,"
Marie then scales over the ladder and jumps down from the wall. Then she marched towards Zoro while glancing around for Luffy. But he wasn't here and asked Zoro for his whereabouts, "Have you seen Luffy, Zoro-san?"
"He went to the Marine Base to look for my swords," Zoro replied, "Now tell me this, why is he so bent on having me be part of his crew,"
Marie giggles, then beams at him with a smile, "It's because he wants to!"
"Oh come on! Give me more of a reason than that stupid answer!" Zoro angrily yelled,
Marie ignored his yell and tried to untie the rope, "H-Hey, what are you-"
"Pipe down, I'm trying to untie the ropes. However, the knot they used is quite different than what I expected," Marie said,
"You don't have to do this. If they come and see you, they'll kill you. Plus I've only got like ten days and-" Zoro tried to say, but Marie would unveil the truth to him, "You're not long for that since Helmeppo plans on executing you tomorrow,"
"What?!" Zoro exclaimed with disbelief,
"You're an honorable man, Zoro-san. But the deal you've struck with Helmeppo had been rigged from the start," Marie explained, "People like him will always have their way of twisting their deals into benefitting themselves over others, and when they're through with them. They'll get rid of them without a second thought,"
Zoro was rather quiet by this and began to reflect upon his mistake. Then he asked, "Your brother, what did he do when he found out?"
"He punched Helmeppo for it," Marie said as she tried to untie him, "And without hesitation,"
Moments later, she and Zoro soon heard a crash from the Marine Base and assumed that Luffy had made a mess again. But Marie wouldn't mind what he's doing so long as she can free Zoro from his binds.
But she wouldn't be alone for long as Koby ran up to them, "So you want to help too, Koby?"
"Well I can't stand and watch the Marines behave like this anymore," Koby said as he tried to untie Zoro's other arm, "A true Marine should be honorable,"
"Well said," Marie remarked and focused on her rope,
Though progress was slow, it's still progress especially when Marie noticed the knots loosened. But being slow had brought the group to another situation when Captain Morgan and his men arrived, "End of the line! For the crime of treason against me, I sentence all three to die where you stand,"
"Marine Captain 'Axe-hand' Morgan," Marie recognized, "Quite fitting for a man with an axe for a hand,"
Koby whimpered before the Marines as they aimed their rifles at them, and Zoro just stared at them. As for Marie, there wasn't a hint of fear in her even with all these guns pointed at them.
"You've been pulling some interesting moves around here, what is this? Some kind of poorly executed coup? You three planned with the Straw Hat?" Morgan questioned,
"I've always fought alone like a real man does," Zoro stated, "Not like a coward who hides behind his wall of expendable cronies,"
"Roronoa Zoro... Don't you dare underestimate me! You may be a strong fighter, but under my authority, you're just a rat we threw out of the trash. Take aim!"
Marie stands upstraight and stands between Zoro and the Marines, "Koby, keep trying to untie him. I'll try and hold them off as much as it takes,"
"R-Right!" Koby replied and tried to untie Zoro from his binds,
As for Marie, she had her hand close to the left side of her waist and planned on using her Devil Fruit Powers against Morgan's men. But the need for it was no longer necessary when Luffy arrived just as Morgan yelled 'Fire' and shielded the three with his body.
Bullets were useless against Luffy's rubber body and after they were stretched back, they'd bounce right off, "See ya!"
Marie straightened her posture, and muttered with a smile, "Showoff,"
"What the, who the hell are you?!" Zoro exclaimed,
"My name's Monkey D. Luffy! And I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" Luffy introduced himself,
"You're going to be King of the Pirates?! Right, you must be completely out of your rubbery mind, do you have any idea what that title means?" Zoro questioned,
"King of the Pirates means King of the Pirates! How could it mean anything other than that?" Luffy inquired,
"Yeah! When he first told me, it was shocking!" Koby said, "But he's completely serious! That's how he is, I suppose. Plus he actually has every intention of becoming King of the Pirates! And obtaining the ultimate treasure, the One Piece!"
Luffy gets all giggly, then shows three swords to Zoro, "Here's what I promised you. There's three, I couldn't tell which one was yours, so I just took all of them,"
"All of them belong to me, I use Santoryu, The Three Sword Style," Zoro answered,
Luffy processes this for a brief moment, then stretches the swords to him, "Take 'em already! Just know that if you fight with me now, you'll be a government-defying villain! So it's either that or you're left out here and killed by the Marines Execution Style,"
"What are you, the son of the Devil? It doesn't matter, If I don't choose your side I'll just end up dead on these sticks, so let's do it," Zoro agreed,
"Ha-Ha! So you're finally going to join my crew!" Luffy happily cheered, "Did you hear that, Marie? We have our first member of the crew!"
"Of course, Luffy," Marie said, then turned to Zoro with the same smile as before, "I look forward to working with you, Zoro-san,"
"Would you quit celebrating already and get these ropes off me!" Zoro yelled,
Marie and Luffy try to untie Zoro again, but progress is still slow considering how tight the ropes are wrapped around his arms. As for Captain Morgan, he wasn't going to let this slide, "It doesn't matter what abilities they have, all who oppose are executed! If the guns don't work, we chop!"
With swords drawn, the Marine charged towards the four, and Koby screeched in fright.
"That's funny, the knots got tighter instead of looser," Luffy remarked,
"Just give me one of my damn swords now!" Zoro yelled,
With the Marines closing in on them, Marie resorts to an alternative by grabbing the sword with a white sheath, and hand on the hilt, "Move!"
Luffy pulls back while Marie draws the sword and cuts through the rope with ease. She then tosses the sword back into Zoro's hand and the rest is handled swiftly as Zoro blocks all the Marines with two swords in hand and one in his mouth.
'So that's what he meant,' Marie understood, 'Two swords on each hand and one in his mouth. A great swordsman,'
"Today I officially become a criminal, having fought the Marines. So I'll become a pirate, that I can promise you," Zoro explained, "But I want you to know one thing. While I'm with you, the only thing I dedicated to myself to is fulfilling my ambition!"
"Which is?" Luffy inquired,
"To be nothing less than the greatest swordsman," Zoro revealed, "If somewhere along the way I had to give up, I want you to take responsibility. After which you get to apologize,"
"The World's Greatest Swordsman. Sounds pretty good, The King of the Pirates wouldn't have any less than the best on his crew," Luffy said,
Zoro scoffed, but smirked despite the sword he was holding there, "Big talker, from this point on, no matter whether I'm a criminal or not, I will spread the name Zoro throughout the world!"
"What are you standing frozen there for?! I want you to kill all four of them right now!" Morgan yelled,
"You might want to duck!" Luffy ordered as he pulled his leg back, "Gomu Gomu no...!"
Zoro does what Luffy says and ducks while Luffy swipes his stretch against the Marines, "Muchi!"
Morgan gaped as his men were knocked back with a single attack and Koby cheered, "Yes! You knocked them all down!"
"Mind telling me what you are?" Zoro asked,
"I'm just the guy who ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi!" Luffy said,
"Gomu Gomu no Mi?" Zoro mouthed in confusion,
"He's a man made of rubber," Marie clarified, "And he's not the only one with powers,"
While Zoro pondered about Marie possessing powers, Captain Morgan had heard enough of his men's cowardice and ordered them to shoot themselves.
Luffy wouldn't allow them as he dashed towards Captain Morgan and attempted to punch him. But the latter blocks the attack with his axe hand,
"Rankless lowlife bums! You have no right to defy my superiority! I am Marine Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan!" Morgan yelled,
"And I'm Luffy, nice to meetcha," Luffy stated before facing the Marine Captain,
Morgan's swings were strong but were slow as Luffy evaded them and landed hits on him. The Marines watched their captain get pummeled by Luffy but did nothing to help him.
Once Morgan was on the ground, Luffy proceeded to punch him across the face a few times while blaming him for ruining Koby's dreams.
Then the situation changed when Marie felt a barrel pressed against her left temple, "Straw Hat! Stop right there! Look at what I got!"
Marie would calmly glance at Helmeppo pointing a gun at her while Luffy ignored him as he focused on beating Morgan, "Are you stupid or something?! I said stop! If you were paying attention to me, I have a hostage here you might want to look at,"
"Hey," Zoro calmly called out, and Luffy turned to see his sister held at gunpoint,
"If you value your precious friend's life, You won't move a muscle!" Helmeppo threatened, "I'm serious, one move and I'll shoot, I swear!"
"No! Don't point at her. Point it to me instead!" Koby demanded,
As for Marie, she gave a wink at her brother and he grinned as he got off of Morgan and winded his arm around, "Shishishi! You're wasting your time, you big idiot. She's ready for everything,"
"Don't you move! I said don't move or I'll shoot! I swear it!" Helmeppo warned,
"If you can, how will you do it when there's a hand holding the gun?" Marie inquired,
Helmeppo was confused, but when he turned to the gun. His eyes bulge out as Marie had grown an extra arm and the thumb kept the trigger from being pulled,
Everyone excluding Koby and Luffy were surprised, what followed was another hand emerging from Marie's back, grabbed Helmeppo by his shirt, and what followed was another hand and the upper body of another Marie emerging from her back, grinning towards Helmeppo.
"Now you're mine!" Fury Marie declared, and pulled her fist back,
Helmeppo screams while Luffy prepares to punch Helmeppo as well. Not minding Captain Morgan as he got back up with his Axe-Hand raised above his head, "Gomu Gomu no...!"
"Luffy! Behind you!" Koby cried out,
"Time's up! For I am fearless Marine Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan!" Morgan yelled,
"Daddy! Hurry up and kill them already!" Helmeppo frantically cried out,
"Pisutoru!" Luffy yelled and went to punch Helmeppo alongside Fury Marie, "Thank you,"
Morgan's axe blade inches from Luffy's head. But Zoro had cut him first and he fell while the Marines just watched from the sidelines, "I'm just doing my job, Captain,"
Luffy grins and so does Marie after Fury submerges back into her body.
"Captain Morgan's been beaten!"
"Unbelievable!"
"Those guys are unreal!"
"And what will do about now?" Marie asked and the Marines turned to her, "Are you guys going to keep fighting?"
The Marines briefly glanced at each other, then began tossing their hats, guns, and swords into the air as they rejoiced in Morgan and Helmeppo's defeat. Luffy would remark on how weird it was for the Marines to be celebrating their Captain's defeat, and Koby would say that the Marines have feared Morgan for too long and they're all happy that it all came to an end.
Zoro soon started to groan, but Marie would catch him rather quickly before he fell to the ground.
"Zoro-san! Are you okay?! What's wrong?!" Koby exclaimed,
"I'm just... really hungry," Zoro replied,
Marie giggles a bit, then turns to Luffy, "Hey, Luffy. Let's get Zoro to that tavern Riki lives in. I'm sure we'll all get something good to eat after all this,"
"Great! Let's go!" Luffy declared,
With that, the four of them walked their way to the tavern to have Zoro, their first official crewmate, eat after three weeks of being crucified...
That is it for this chapter, but before you all go. Here's the answer to the What If Question I made above.
What if Answer: Marie would formed the Ego Pirates and sail the Grand Line. She has no interest in obtaining the One Piece, but will become an ally of Luffy's crew at some point. Never sailing alongside him.
That is all I have to say and I'll see you all in the next chapter!
Marie's Jiga Fomu (Ego Forms):
Supaida Hensei (Spider Formation)
Marie's Jiga Kuron (Ego Clones):
Ecstatic Marie
Purist Marie
Fury Marie