AN:
I was very eager to get this chapter out. I just still can't believe we made it! Honestly, it's a pretty standard chapter but I enjoyed writing it so I hope you guys enjoy it.
I had a couple of questions in the comments I wanted to address. One was about Luffy and if he'll have a harem. My answer is I honestly don't know. Lol. I would say that that picture in my head I have for Luffy's relationships with women is something similar to Asta from Black Clover if that makes sense. I'm not saying it will always be like that but this is as good of an answer as I can give right now.
The other question was if Nami would be hiring Merry's Terrible Trio to take care of Arlong. Honestly, I really liked the idea and it's probably better than what I have planned. However, I do have something planned for that part of the story. I really loved the suggestion though and would loved to hear more from you guys.
As always let me know what you think.
Enough from me, here it is. Our Romance Dawn.
Chapter 25: Romance Dawn
Makino stood next to the mayor of the village with a large smile on her face as they both watched the lamb-headed ship sail out to sea. "So, he's finally doing it… I'll miss that little rascal.", she looked over at the short man beside her and sent him a smirk, "Just like his brother, amiright, Mr. Mayor?".
"Don't even get me started on Ace, Makino.", the man replied grouchily, watching the vessel disappear in the distance. "If he becomes even half the pirate his brother is…", he turned his back to the sea, beginning to walk back toward town, "He'll bring even more shame to this village.".
The green-haired woman watched the mayor leave in amusement, before turning back to the sea and smiling. "Be safe, Luffy.", she whispered to no one in particular. Once the words left her mouth, she held her gaze until the vessel faded from her sight before turning away and following the mayor back into town with a soft smile on her face.
Luffy stood on the figurehead of the Going Merry with a massive smile, a loop of rope resting firmly in his hands as Levi pulled him on his first-ever voyage as a pirate.
The now seventeen-year-old boy had changed much since he and Levi had set out on that day almost a year ago. He stood at a height of five foot eight and it looked like he would continue to grow in the future.
He'd shed some of the youngness in his face and his body had filled out a bit more making him seem a little older than he had back then. The muscles showing on his figure had also grown as well and were slightly bigger, looking a little more defined. The lankiness of his form had all but disappeared and he really just looked lean and built, now. He probably even looked a little older than his actual age.
His outfit was almost the exact same, the only changes to it being the pants and a small adjustment to his red vest. Instead of the usual shorts, he now wore a pair of loose-fitting jeans that cut off just below the middle of his shin bone. Around the bottoms of the jeans, the fabric was frayed making it look white and fluffy. The change to his vest was in the form of a high collar wrapping around his neck instead of the fabric laying flat like it used to. Everything else was the same as he usually had it.
In regards to strength, Luffy had grown by leaps and bounds. His punches were literally as strong as pistols, now. Plus, he'd learned how to find cores a little better. He still didn't think he'd even really scratched the surface of what he could do with his Sun Palm but he could at least use it consistently now.
The one thing that wasn't so great, was the fact that he STILL couldn't use Armament Haki. The battle against Forest Guy had been forever ago and it was still gone! A part of him was already reserved to the fact that he might have been cut off from the power permanently. The other part was still hoping that it would just suddenly come back at some point.
He'd been wondering if the exhaustion affected his Conquerer's Haki, so, after he'd made it back to Dawn, he'd had a couple of days to himself and found a secluded place to answer that question. And it didn't. Thankfully. It would have been a real bummer if he hadn't been able to use that either.
"Levi! What the heck is that?!", Luffy yelled, his eyes glued to a spot just off the starboard side of the ship. His answer was a deep rumbling from the water below. "A whirlpool?… I've never seen one before.", he said in wonder, watching the swirling water intently as they passed it. If he wasn't the only one on the ship he totally would have tried to swim in it, it looked like it would be tons of fun.
The pirate captain pouted while he watched the swirling water get further and further away, turning to face the sea once again. As he looked out at the blue water glittering in the sun, the pout on his face disappeared and was replaced with a massive smile.
He was finally a pirate.
The thought made Luffy absolutely giddy inside. It also reminded him of something. "Levi! Stop for a second! I gotta do something real quick!", he yelled down to the water below. The taught rope in his hands slackened and he hung it around the neck of Merry's figurehead, turning and rushing down to the main deck, the boat continuing to slowly drift forward from its remaining momentum.
The straw-hatted teen's eyes found the cloth bag Makino had given him and he rushed to pick it up, opening it as soon as it was in his hands. He reached in and grabbed what he was looking for, pulling it out with an excited bout of laughter.
Black fabric spread from the opening of the bag in the form of a flag. On the black flag was the image of an artistic smiling skull wearing a straw hat, the same hat currently on Luffy's head. Crossbones sat behind the skull, creating an 'X' in the background of the picture and turning the flag into what it really was… A pirate flag. And, not just any pirate flag. No... It was the flag of Straw Hat Luffy.
The flag of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Luffy quickly turned and ran straight at the mast, firmly grasping the fabric in his hands. He wasted no time in scaling the large wooden pole, hastily making his way toward the crow's nest. He would have jumped, but he didn't want to hurt the Merry. His hands grasped the edge of the circular rail and hoisted him over it, never letting go of the black flag.
The black-haired teen walked over to the tip of the mast and began tying the flag onto the wood. Once finished, he let the fabric out of his grasp and took a small step back, admiring the black cloth now waving in the wind.
Satisfied, Luffy hopped back over the railing and slid down the mast. He turned to go back to the figurehead and continue sailing but noticed that the bag Makino had given him didn't look empty. He walked over, picking it back up, and reached into it curiously. His hand came out with another smaller black cloth and a piece of paper. He let the fabric unfold itself before opening the piece of paper and was surprised to see a smaller version of his flag… What would he need this for?
The boy shrugged and opened the piece of paper, recognizing Makino's handwriting.
'Don't forget about the mizzenmast!'
'Be safe out there! You'll always be missed here on Dawn but I know I'll be seeing you in the newspaper again, soon enough!'
'Also, open up the mainsail when you get the chance. I left you a little surprise!'
'Makino'
'P.S. If you see your brother out there tell him I said hello!'
Luffy folded the note back up with a smile, slipping the paper into his pants pocket and turning his attention back to the flag in his hands. He wanted to put it up but there was a small problem... He had no idea what a mizzenmast was… His eyes glanced around the ship looking for an answer, and it came quicker than he thought it would. His gaze found the mast at the back of the boat and his problem was solved. Mizzenmast had the word mast in it so that had to be what she was talking about.
The straw-hatted teen rushed the mast now in his sights, and scaled this one even quicker than the last. There was nowhere to stand when he made it to the top, so he wrapped his legs around the skinny pole and held himself there as he tied the flag at the same time. When his job was completed, he lightly loosened his legs and fell back to the deck below, turning to walk to the figurehead again. However, he remembered one last thing from Makino's note and stopped. The mainsail.
Luffy made his way back up the large wooden pole and into the crow's nest, his feet stepping back over the railing, onto the boom. He walked to the end of the horizontal piece of wood and carefully undid the rope keeping the sail rolled up. When he felt the rope slacken and the fabric start to unroll, he quickly stood and rushed his way to the opposite side, repeating the same process.
The sound of the mainsail tightening from the wind hit the pirate captain's ears and he rushed to get back to the crow's nest, once again sliding down the main mast. As soon as he felt solid wood under his feet, he blasted off up to the front deck, wanting to see what Makino's surprise was. He had a feeling and it was making him giddy.
The boy's sandals found Merry's figurehead and he slowly turned to face the now-unfurled mainsail, anticipation all over his face. When his eyes met the fabric he couldn't help the largening of his smile… Makino really was the best.
The mainsail was almost completely covered in another perfect rendition of his jolly Roger.
Luffy continued to smile at the picture for a moment before turning away and toward the sea behind him, "Alright, Levi! Time to go get Zoro! I left him in Shel-".
Cannon fire echoed in the distance and the boy paused in his speech, squinting as he looked in the direction of the sun. He saw… Something. Was it another ship? "Hey, Levi! I wanna go see what's up over there.", he said, grabbing his end of the loop of rope from the figurehead's neck.
The rope was pulled taught and the ship began to move quicker than she had been moments earlier, Lufffy grasping the rope tightly as he strained to keep himself anchored to the Merry. Honestly, one of the reasons he'd probably put on some muscle was because he had to do this all the time. It was hard!
The two companions covered the distance to their destination quickly and arrived to the sound of more cannon fire.
Now that he was closer, Luffy could see that one of the ships was flying a pirate flag. The flag had a skull and crossbones with the skull facing the left side of the flag. In the center of the skull's head was a big red heart. The straw-hatted teen whistled to Levi as he examined the rest of the pirate ship, the Merry slowing on his command.
A light pink color that wasn't very appealing to the eye covered the entirety of the vessel. It was bigger than the Merry by a good margin with three masts that all had white sails with red hearts in the center of them. All in all, he thought it was a really ugly way to travel.
The teen's head turned and he looked at the craft currently being fired at. It was huge, way bigger than both the Merry and the pirate ship. Most of the boat was colored white and windows lined almost every inch of it. He began to turn his head back to the ugly ship but something caught his eye. A small boat, connected to the large white vessel via a short rope, sat rocking in the water. He searched for any occupants but found none.
The Luffy shrugged to himself before turning to the pink ship and stilling for a moment while he decided what to do, cannonballs splashing against the water in the background. "Hey, Levi!", the boy eventually yelled. "I think I'm gonna go beat those guys up.", he said, pointing in the direction of the pink ship as his friend rose out of the water to look at him, "You think you can take care of the Merry for a little bit? I promise I won't be long!". He hadn't had a good fight in a while and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
At the nod of the sea monster, Luffy dove head first into the water. "Thanks, buddy!", he exclaimed, beginning to swim in the direction he'd indicated. It still wasn't close enough to the other ship for boarding but it was getting there. It wouldn't be long before all hell broke loose and he wanted to be there when it happened. He slowed his form, nearing the boat, and grasped the pink wood to climb up. It was hard to find handholds, but he managed and eventually pulled himself over the edge of the railing.
Luffy looked around the deck as scrambling men tried to prepare to board the larger ship, cannon fire still sounding in the background. Not a single one of them had even noticed that he was on the ship. He shrugged to himself and began to casually walk the wooden planks under his feet. Pirates rushed by him as the bigger ship continued to get closer and, still, no one said a word… Maybe they were just idiots?
A door on his left caught Luffy's eye and the boy didn't hesitate to pull it open, walking straight through. He stepped into a long empty hallway with doors on either side, standing still for a moment, before he pushed onward, eventually stopping in front of the last door on the right. The reason he stopped was simple. It smelled like there was food the door and it made him hungry... Now he wanted something to eat, and, with that thought in mind, he pulled the door open and stepped through.
As soon as he crossed the threshold, however, a scream pierced through the air.
Nami stripped off her dress and tucked it into her backpack, turning to walk out of the bathroom door.
The orangette had gone to change at just the right time, right before the pirates boarded. Now, they would all be over there and not guarding their ship. Their treasure would be ripe for the taking. Her feet carried her out of the bathroom and through the halls of the cruise liner, finding the end of the hallway. She waited with her ear against the door, until she could hear the sounds of commotion outside, before pushing it open.
Screams ripped through the air as chaos spread around the deck of the ship but Nami ignored it, pushing her legs as hard as she could. She grabbed the knife from her short skirt and got ready to use it to help her get to the pirate ship. She stepped up to the railing and placed her knife over one of the boarding ropes now connecting the two ships, taking a deep breath. She hoped what she was about to do would work...
Just before the girl went to launch from the rail, however, she froze, eyes wide. Out of the corner of her vision, she'd seen something that made her halt in place.
Nami slowly turned and couldn't help but gape at what she saw floating out on the water…
Was that… The Merry?
"Thanks for the food!", Luffy exclaimed, stuffing his face with apples, "You said your name was Cody, right?". He turned and looked at the pink-haired boy watching him eat, almost choking on a piece of apple from laughing at the sight. He looked funny.
The other occupant of the room was short and stumpy with pink bowl-like hair parted down the middle. On his round face, he wore a pair of circular glasses and he seemed to almost be trying to hide behind them, somehow. His clothes consisted of a white t-shirt with three black stripes on each shoulder, long black pants, and a similarly colored pair of shoes.
"It's actually Koby…", the boy replied as he watched the other teen eat with his mouth still hanging open in shock. What was going on? He glanced back at the door and his eyes found the two unconscious men lying there, his vision shifting back to the straw-hatted boy.
Koby had been in the kitchen trying to escape having to board the cruise liner that was currently being looted when the strange boy barged in out of nowhere! He was ashamed that he'd screamed when he'd heard the door open but he didn't know who to expect when he turned around. He could honestly say, though, it certainly wasn't who was actually there.
"Thanks for the meal, Cady.", Luffy said patting his stomach, a loud belch leaving his lips, "Those apples were really tasty.".
The pinket's jaw seemed to drop even further, if possible, making the boy laugh. Was this kid some kind of monster?! How had he eaten every single one of those apples?! The box had been completely full!... "It's actually Koby…", he repeated, meekly.
Luffy laughed brightly at the look on the other kid's face before standing up and dusting apple crumbs off his jeans. "I really appreciate the food, Cobb.", the black-haired boy said genuinely, loosening up his shoulder, "But I gotta beat you up now.". He came here to fight and he was gonna do just that... This kid had fed him so he wouldn't beat him up too bad...
Koby immediately scrambled away with a look of fear on his face, tripping over a pile of boxes and falling to the ground. The pinket scrambled to get to his feet but couldn't. He ended up just turning to sit on the ground, sliding away from the boy with the straw hat as he slowly approached. He began to frantically wave his hands in front of his body, "Hey! Hey! You don't need to beat me up! I don't even want to be here! And... Again... It's Koby...".
The words made Luffy pause, "What's that mean?". If he didn't wanna be there, then why was he still there?
Koby slowly lowered his hands when he saw the other teen was no longer poised to strike him. "I just mean that…", he was having trouble figuring out how to word it the right way, "I mean that I was never supposed to be here in the first place.".
Luffy gave the pink-haired boy a side-eyed look but made no move to interrupt.
"About two years ago, when I still lived in my hometown, I went out to go fishing.", Koby explained, morosely. "However, instead of getting on the fishing boat… I got on the boat taking people to this pirate ship.", he finished, looking down at the ground in shame.
Luffy burst into laughter at the story. "You must be some kind of idiot, Coly!", the straw-hatted teen exclaimed, continuing to giggle while Koby hung his head in shame. After a moment, he got a handle on himself and asked a question, "So, if you came here by accident, why stay?".
The pinket seemed to hang his head further, if possible. "To be honest… I'm just too scared… I don't want her to kill me.", he replied honestly. "And... It's not Coly... it's Koby...", the boy pouted, continuing to hang his head.
"So, you're a coward?", Luffy asked like he already knew the answer, crossing his arms in front of his body. He honestly wanted to hit this kid. "I kinda hate guys like you... Guys like you are too scared to chase their dreams just because they might die.", he said, plainly.
Koby's head seemed to somehow lower even further, but he did manage to ask a question in return, a good bit of skepticism to his voice, "And you're not?".
The pirate captain didn't even need to think about the answer, flashing his signature smile, "As long I'm chasing my dream, I don't care when I die.".
Koby looked up with wide eyes and was met with the face of someone who meant every word they said, "What… What exactly is your dream?". The question seemed to make him smile bigger if that was even possible.
"Listen up, coward boy.", Luffy said, his eyes set ablaze by the flames that fueled his dream, "My name's Monkey D. Luffy.". He uncrossed his arms and screamed his next words as if intending for the entire world to hear, "AND I'M GONNA BE THE KING OF THE PIRATES!".
The other occupant of the room looked at the boy wearing the straw hat incredulously, "You can't be serious! The Pirate King is the one who has everything the world has to offer! Almost every pirate in the world is vying for that title. No way! No way! No way! It's simply impos-".
A palm smacked into the back of Koby's head, interrupting him, and he held it in pain, looking up at his offender, "What the heck'd you do that for?!".
"You were being annoying.", Luffy replied, matter-of-factly.
"But I was just telling the tru-", again, the pinket's words were cut short as another palm connected with his head. "Why do you keep doing that?", he asked the straw-hatted teen, moaning in pain.
"You were being annoying.", Luffy repeated in the same tone as before.
"But, Luffy, you could die if you pursue being the Pirate King!", desperately reasoned Koby, trying to make him understand.
The pirate captain shot him a blank look, "So?".
"What do you mean, so?!", the pink-haired teen yelled frantically, "Don't you care about your life at all?!".
"I already told you already, Cowy.", Luffy grinned, "Nothing is gonna stop me from chasing my dream.". He turned and walked away, effectively ending the conversation, "Not even death.". Just as he went to open the door, the coward's voice stopped him.
"Wait!", Koby yelled, standing to his feet. He looked up from the ground and into Luffy's eyes. "Do… Do you think I could chase my dream?", he asked shakily... "And please... It's Koby.", he added, more softly than he meant to.
Luffy turned back around, his hand dropping from the handle of the door, "Why you askin' me?". He looked at the other occupant of the room seriously, "The only person who can make that decision is you.". The seriousness on his face immediately melted away and his smile once again found its way there, "All it takes is a little bit of courage.".
"Then I'll do it!", the pinket yelled. He didn't know where all the confidence was coming from but for some reason, Luffy's words had spurred him on. He was tired of being on this damn ship. He was tired of being everyone's lapdog. And mostly... HE WAS TIRED OF THAT DAMN HAG, ALVIDA!
"I'LL DO IT!", Koby screamed into the air. Hearing the words come out of his mouth, he'd never felt so powerful, continuing his tirade, "I'LL DO IT! I'LL BECOME THE GREATEST MARINE THAT'S EVER LIVED. I'LL BRING JUSTICE TO ALL THE EVIL PIRATES ON THE SEA! STARTING WIT-".
The kitchen door blasted into pieces and interrupted whatever it was the boy was going to say, a large figure slowly walking through the dust. "Starting with who, Koby?", the sound of a deep voice came.
A woman so large Luffy's jaw dropped, stepped through the door and sent a menacing glare in Koby's direction.
The woman was very obese, yet tall, with long wavy black hair, freckles on her round cheeks, and dark red lipstick covering her lips. On her head, she wore a white cowgirl hat with a large red plume, and around her neck was a red neckerchief.
Covering her upper body was a pink plaid shirt with a blue captain's coat over it, her arms in the sleeves unlike many other pirates. Most of her fingers were adorned with large rings and her long sharp fingernails were painted with blood-red nail polish. Her legs were covered by a pair of long greying pants that sat on top of a pair of red shoes with gold buckles. The last thing of note was a purple sash tied around her considerable waist where she kept a flintlock pistol tucked.
Koby scrambled backward in fear as he saw the fat body of Alvida coming through the door, frantically waving his hands in front of him, "O- Oh, No ne- need to worry about it, Lady Alvida.".
"No, I'd like to hear what you were going to say.", the fat lady demanded, her eyes never leaving the pinket's.
Before he even had the chance to respond, Luffy's voice piped up, "Hey, Cory. Who-".
"MY NAME IS KOBY, DAMMIT!", the irate boy screamed before he could stop himself, slapping his hand over his mouth.
The pirate captain grinned in Koby's direction before shooting his hands into the air in mock surrender, "Well then, KOBY."... He knew there was some fire somewhere in there. "I wanted to ask who this fat hag was.", he said, causally pointing in Alvida's direction.
The room went deathly quiet for several moments, the other two occupants of the room staring at the straw-hatted boy with wide eyes and open mouths.
Luffy looked between the two, cluelessly. "Was it something I said?", he innocently asked.
Alvida was boiling. She couldn't even move she was so angry. No one… Absolutely no one… CALLED HER FAT. The woman's breathing began to speed up. She needed the truth and she needed it now before she exploded from the pure unadulterated rage. She needed someone to tell her how beautiful she was…
The woman's eyes locked on Koby's and she knew she'd found her saving grace. Surely he would tell her the truth like he always did. "Koby.", she said, an unhealthy amount of vitrol hiding just on the edge of her voice, "Who is the most beautiful woman on the seas?".
Koby's wide eyes couldn't leave Alvida's while he listened to her question, sitting there frozen in fear. "Yo-", the boy stopped himself in the middle of his reply.
"I already told you already, Cowy.", Luffy grinned, "Nothing is gonna stop me from chasing my dream.". He turned and walked away from the other occupant of the room, "Not even death.".
"What was that, Koby?", Alvida asked, in a surgery-sweet tone that somehow still seemed to drip with poison.
The pink-haired boy's heart was beginning to beat faster. Was this his moment? His chance to really take his first step toward his dream? Koby tore his gaze away from Alvida's momentarily and swung it in Luffy's direction. As their eyes connected and he saw the smile the straw-hatted boy was sending him, he felt like his heart was lit ablaze. A thought passed through his mind and it only made his choice that much easier… If he didn't fight for his dream… Who would?
With his mind and heart in harmony on the matter, Koby looked away from Luffy and carried his eyes back to Alvida's large form. The pinket matched the woman's glare with his own before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he opened them, all the turmoil in them had disappeared and he sent Alvida a small smile, "Alvida. You are…"
The large woman closed her eyes in preparation for her praise as she listened to the pink-haired boy speak. Any moment now… Any moment now he would tell her how beautiful she was. His compliments would burn that little brat's insulting words straight out of her brain. Any second now the words would be coming… Any second now… Any second…
"YOU ARE THE FATTEST, MOST UGLY WHALE I HAVE EVER HAD THE DISPLEASURE OF LOOKING AT! THERE IS NO ONE FATTER OR UGLIER IN THE ENTIRE SEA... YOU HAG!", Koby screamed with all of the courage he had in his little body.
Luffy burst into laughter at the words, holding his stomach in humor-induced pain and trying not to fall over, "Nice one, Koby!".
"Koby…", growled Alvida, her iron mace creaking under her grip.
The pink-haired boy looked up, all of his courage being once again replaced by fear, and closed his eyes so he didn't have to watch the woman take his life. If he died for his dream then so what! It was better than living a life he hated!
"YOU'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT FIRST HAND WHY THEY CALL ME IRON MACE ALVIDA!", the fat woman screamed bringing her mace down with every ounce of anger and strength in her large body.
Luffy's laughter immediately stopped and he calmly stepped in between Alvida and Koby, raising his arm above his head. The iron mace slammed into his palm with a loud smack and he winced slightly feeling spikes dig into his hand. He didn't think they'd broken the skin but it still hurt a little. He watched in amusement as Alvida's eyes went from rage to glee back to rage and then to what he could only assume was fear. He gripped the woman's weapon tightly and easily ripped it from her grasp.
Koby gaped at seeing Luffy now holding Alvida's mace. He had caught it and overpowered her… With one hand… Just exactly how strong was Luffy?
The straw-hatted teen tested the weight of the spiked club before shrugging and launching it directly at ceiling. The metal impacted the wood sending a crack into the air, and it tore straight through without even losing that much speed. Luffy listened for a moment before smiling when he heard a small splash in the distance.
"MY MACE!", Alvida screamed, immediately turning and making her way out of the room as fast as she could. Her baby was drowning! She had to find it! Save it! She was nothing without her mace!
The two teenage boys both watched the fat lady leave, one in amusement and the other in shock.
"That was pretty cool, Koby.", Luffy complimented, breaking the pinket out of his stupor.
Koby looked back and a shy smile rose to his face. It felt good to fight.
"Now, how about we get outta here.", the straw-hatted teen suggested. He eyed the broken door and then the hole above his head. Hmm... "First though…", the red-vested teen laughed, "I gotta do what I came here to do.".
Koby didn't understand the words at first but they began to make more sense when he watched Luffy jump through the hole in the ceiling and immediately heard screaming coming from above.
As soon as his feet hit solid ground again, the straw-hatted teen was on the attack, a big battle-fueled smile glued to his face.
Passing his first opponent, Luffy's fist snaked out into the man's temple, his body slamming into the deck and straight through it to whatever was below. Another of the teen's fists struck out and he felt the snap of a nose as a man was sent flying into the mast, severely cracking it. He dodged a vertical sword swipe and spun into the air, the outside of his right foot slamming into the pirate's head. The man folded and smashed straight through the deck, the straw-hatted teen already on the move again.
Luffy jumped through the air, shattering the wood beneath him, and pointed his toe in the direction of two approaching men.
Bone and skin parted as his sandal met the chest of the first man, the leg pushing out of the pirate's back with enough momentum to go through the second man's chest just as easily. While still moving through the air, the teen used his other leg to push off the bodies in the opposite direction and his blood-soaked appendage came free, a wet squelch sounding into the air. More enemies continued to rush at him after he landed, his right leg now painted red, and his smile seemed to keep getting larger. He absolutely loved fighting.
Black eyes shifted back to the two dead men for a moment, a multitude of footsteps rumbling against the wooden deck in the background. He hadn't really meant to kill them but then again, he hadn't really been trying not to either... He shrugged to himself and turned back to the approaching pirates, the grin never leaving his face. Luffy's form flashed forward and he began to blur around the deck of the pirate ship, both dead and unconscious bodies flying everywhere.
"Sun Palm:", Luffy screamed, his curled right hand slamming into to the chest of a pirate aiming a pistol at his head, "Impact!". The sound of bones shattering hit the air at the same time as the man's gargling screams, blood falling from his mouth like a waterfall. His body flew in the opposite direction and was skewered on another man's swords, both smashing into the ground with a crash.
The straw-hatted teen tore his eyes away and stopped moving as he was surrounded on all sides. Before any of the men could slash at him with their swords, he launched into the air, snapping the wood beneath him. His body rotated and he couldn't help but laugh a little at all the easy targets on the boat. "GATLING!", Luffy roared punching the air as hard and fast as he could.
The still-conscious pirates on the boat could only stare in horror at what was coming… There were so many air bullets raining down from the sky that, even though they were almost invisible, it looked like a wall of white descending upon them.
Loud cracks of shattering wood and screams of pain sounded into the air as Luffy continued in his onslaught before halting the rapid movement of his fists and beginning to fall back to the now-destroyed deck of the ship. No need to overdo it. His sandals found broken planks and he looked around in amazement. Had he really done all this?... Looked like he overdid it...
The main deck was practically gone, putting multiple unconscious men in some very precarious positions. The straw-hatted teen shrugged his shoulders uncaringly, his eyes drifting to the large masts of the vessel looking like they were about to fall over. As if on cue, multiple small cracking sounds rose into the air and all three masts of the ship began to tilt in directions that they certainly weren't supposed to. Luffy watched in amazement as the large wooden poles continued to tilt until they could tilt no more, three loud snaps sounding into the air.
The teen didn't even watch as the large pieces of wood smacked into the water, being distracted by a loud thump from close to the barely still intact railing. His eyes gazed in the direction of the sound and they widened when they found what'd made it.
The whale's mace…
A wet hand slapped onto the railing closest to the weapon and slowly but surely a figure began to pull itself back onto the boat.
Luffy looked on in shock as Alvida picked up the heavy metal weapon and began taking slow measured steps in his direction. Dark mascara dripped from the wet woman's eyes while she dragged her mace on the destroyed deck, the friction sending a terrible screeching sound into the air. "You die…", the fat woman whispered, her face dropping toward the ground in anger. She made no move to stop or speed up, she simply kept slowly approaching.
As if suddenly possessed, Alvida's head snapped up and a scream of rage pierced through the air, her mace somehow already above her and ready to turn her enemy into a bloody paste.
Luffy's posture stayed relaxed while the spiked club move downward, his eyes watching and waiting for the right moment. Just before the mace would have connected with his head, the straw-hatted boy shifted just enough for the iron weapon to miss him by millimeters, cracking the deck where he'd previously stood. By the time Alvida registered the fact that she'd missed her target, it was already too late, Luffy was inside her guard with his fist barred.
The whale-like woman's eyes widened when they were suddenly met with her opponent's blinding white smile. The smile of the first man to ever strike her...
The boy's fist shot forward, cracking through the air and it smashed into the center of the large woman's stomach, sinking into the fat as the skin rippled like waves around the point of impact. The two stayed still for a moment, seemingly at a stalemate, before a large boom sounded and the fat woman literally blasted off before Luffy's very eyes. He watched her form fly through the air in amazement and it somehow seemed to just keep going higher, eventually disappearing from his sight altogether.
Shrugging to himself, Luffy turned away and began to walk back to the kitchen with a sigh. That had been fun. However, it was unnecessary as the person he was going to retrieve was already present on the deck, looking at him with eyes as wide as saucers. "You want a ride?", he asked the shell-shocked boy. It was just a punch! He didn't need to get all worked up about it.
Koby shook himself out of his shock at the boy's words. He still couldn't really believe he'd just seen that. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd really appreciate it.", the pink-haired boy answered with a bow.
The pirate captain laughed at the gesture, as it was completely unnecessary, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he casually approached Koby and grabbed the back of his shirt, the boy shooting him a curious look. He picked him up with one hand and began to look around the area, testing his weight. If he remembered correctly, the ship was… He turned and walked to the opposite railing, looking toward the back end of the mostly destroyed craft he stood on. In the distance, he could see Merry and that was all he needed.
"Uh, Luffy?", Koby nervously asked, still being held in the air by the back of his shirt, "What're you doing?".
The straw-hatted teen didn't answer the question. Instead, he cocked his arm back and launched it forward with as much strength as he could muster. The pinket's screams echoed down to him as the boy flew through the air toward his lovely lamb-headed vessel but he wasn't even watching. He stepped up on the rail and dove into the water, beginning to swim in the same direction.
Somehow, Luffy managed to catch up to Koby before the younger boy could make it to the Merry and… He left him in the dust… What?! He wasn't waiting on slowpokes! As he neared his ship, though, he noticed something odd. A small boat was anchored to it… The same small boat he saw anchored to the big white ship earlier…
The black-haired teen quickly made his way up the side of the Merry but tried to stay quiet as he stepped back onto the deck. His eyes scanned the entirety of his surroundings but he didn't see anything.
Luffy slowly walked the main deck and just when he passed the mast, he could have sworn he heard something from beneath his feet. He slowly made his way over to the hatch right next to the large wooden pole, the entrance to the men's quarters, and lightly got down to his knees, softly placing his ear on top it.
"Where the hell would they have put it?!".
His body almost recoiled when the voice traveled into his ear, quickly standing to his feet and wrenching the hatch open, a sharp gasp coming from inside.
The red-vested boy practically jumped down the hole, his sandals slamming into the floor of the men's quarters. It didn't take long for him to find the intruder as she was frozen in place and staring right at him. He almost wasn't able to find his voice... He hadn't seen her since she left… Just what the hell was she doing back on the Merry? He wasn't all that upset about it but he was very confused.
Luffy shot the girl a look that said he still couldn't believe she was standing there, his voice filled with disbelief, "Nami?!".