As the Straw Hat Pirates sailed off to Lougetown, we turn our attention to two certain individuals who were affected by them.
CAPTAINS
The first is Buggy the Clown who, after his defeat at Luffy's hands, was sent flying to a distant deserted island. Despite being reduced to a head, hands, and feet, Buggy was nothing if not resourceful.
"Finally! Now my raft is finished! I can finally leave this island! I'll get back one way or another and go back to raiding the Grand Line! And no straw hat brat and his crew of fools will stop me!"
Buggy set out, though he did run into some obstacles courtesy of some hungry fish. Luckily, he was able to make it to a new island, which just so happened to be the Island of Rare Animals.
"Now what's up with this place?"
"LEAVE, TRESPASSER!"
Buggy yelped in surprise as he looked around frantically for the source of the voice.
"Who said that?!"
"I AM THE GOD WHO PROTECTS THIS ISLAND! LEAVE NOW IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE!"
"Even if I wanted to, I can't!" Buggy argued. "My ship got pretty chewed up so I'm stranded!"
"Wait, really?" The voice asked. "Wow, never had that happen before. Usually, pirates come here willingly, but you're the first to come here by accident."
Buggy blinked. "What kind of god can't doesn't have the omnipotence to realize that immediately?!"
"Suppose I might as well let the cat out of the bag."
It was then Buggy noticed Gaimon as well as all the bizarre hybrid animals.
"What the heck?! A guy with a treasure chest for a body and all these weird creatures?!" He gawked. "I thought phenomenon like this only existed in the Grand Line."
"Hey, I'll have you know that my body isn't any weirder than yours!" Gaimon pointed out. "I'm guessing you're a Devil Fruit user, I take it?"
Gaimon was kind enough to give Buggy hospice and even listen to his story about his encounter with the Straw Hats and how he wound up here.
"Kid's definitely got flash, I can tell you that. I respect him for that much." Buggy said as he finished his tale. "So how long have you been living on this island?"
"It's been twenty years now, stuck in this chest the whole time. Originally I stayed here to guard the treasure that used to lie here. But when Luffy and his friends arrived, they actually helped me get it." Gaimon explained. "But when I saw it, I realized it wasn't the treasure I truly desired. Rather, it was the animals living here who became my friends all these years. So I let Straw Hats take it for themselves."
"So they're calling themselves the Straw Hat Pirates, eh?" Buggy noted. "Bit direct, but then again my crew is called the Buggy Pirates so I have no room to judge."
-OP-
The very next day, Gaimon was able to help Buggy build a new, much better-functioning raft with the aid of his animal companions.
"This should help you get to a civilized island. From there you can start looking for your crew."
"Thanks for your help, Gaimon."
"Hey, my pleasure. And if you run into that kid Monkey D. Luffy again, let him know I'm still kicking out here."
Buggy was stunned. He had never heard Luffy's full name up until that point. However, he didn't have time to ponder on this for right now as he pushed the raft into the water and set off, waving goodbye to Gaimon one last time.
Some time out at sea, a giant crab emerged to attack but thankfully, it was blasted to kingdom come by a cannon. Buggy found himself and his raft fished out by a rather attractive-looking woman who seemed oddly familiar.
"Thanks for the save," Buggy said as he dried his clothes out. "For a while there I thought I was a goner."
"I was just passing by and thought I'd lend a hand," The woman said. "You're Buggy the Clown, right? A little shorter than I heard."
Buggy grumbled. "Yeah, well I'm missing most of my body parts right now. What I want to know if how you know my name."
The woman smirked. "Come on, you don't recognize Iron Mace Alvida?"
"Wait, YOU'RE Alvida?!" Buggy gawked. "You're a lot slimmer than your wanted posters depict you."
Alvida giggled. "After I managed to escape from the Marines I took out this longboat and wound up on a nearby island. By chance, I found a bizarre fruit next to a lake. I'd been pretty pissed off over being beaten by a little group of upstart rookies and ate it..."
"And realized it tasted disgusting," Buggy noted. "Yeah, been there, done that. Well, I wound up swallowing mine whole but I could feel the awful taste just from the skin."
"Yup. Imagine my shock when I ended up dropping several pounds in weight. I even lost my freckles!" Alvida laughed. "Turns out I ate the Slip-Slip Fruit, which makes my body so slippery everything just slips right off it."
"Well, since we've met up, perhaps you can help me find my old crew. I'm sure they must be thinking I'm dead now, so they'll be relieved to see me once more." Buggy noted.
Alvida nodded. "You're in luck. Despite slimming down, I still have my old strength, so that's a plus."
-OP-
After a bit of sailing, Buggy was able to recognize the Big Top in the distance and directed Alvida's vessel to it.
"Talk about a flashy stroke of luck! Looks like the boys found an island to lay low on!"
He and Alvida got to the island, where Buggy found what was supposed to be his grave.
"Just as I might have suspected. Something tells me that they had to have buried my parts somewhere."
"Did they use your wanted poster for the funeral picture?" Alvida asked as she checked the grave out.
Buggy nodded. "One of my old ones, just when I first went independent."
"That voice! It can't be!"
Buggy and Alvida turned around to see Mohji and Cabaji running over, looks of relief on their faces.
"Captain Buggy! You're alive!"
"Gyahahahahaha! Naturally!" Buggy laughed as he allowed his two Senior Officers to embrace him. "So where's everybody else?"
"They got captured by the natives of this island. Only the two of us plus Ritchie escaped." Mohji explained.
"Ritchie?" Alvida asked, only to get her answer when she looked up to see the giant lion in question looking down at her. "Oh...THAT'S Ritchie."
Thankfully, Ritchie didn't seem to view Alvida as a snack and simply laid down like a domestic house cat. With a sigh of relief, she then noticed the spears.
"Uh-Oh...I think I know this island, it's inhabited by the Bear Claw Tribe. We'd better hurry if we hope to save the other crew members, that tribe is notorious for cannibalism."
Buggy freaked out. "Don't just sit there, you two! Dig up the rest of my body!"
"We never buried it!" Cabaji pointed out. "We just made the grave marker!"
Buggy grinned. "All the better. Likely those natives haven't yet decided whether or not to throw my parts in the cooking pot. Now then... It's time for the flashy return of Buggy the Clown!"
He laughed as his remaining body parts flew up and over to him, letting him regain his full body once more as he landed in the middle of the confused natives.
"Captain Buggy!" The crew cried from a nearby pot.
"Nobody makes a meal out of MY crew!"
The Bear Claw Tribe could barely react as Buggy showed just how skilled he really was with his Chop-Chop Fruit. He then made sure to liberate his crew from the cooking pot as Mohji and Cabaji came over, bringing in the crew's cannon.
"Buggy Ball prepped, Captain!" Cabaji declared.
"Good work, Cabaji!" Buggy said. "Let's show these would-be gourmets what happens when you mess with pirates!"
The cannon fired, and the Buggy Ball leveled several of the huts in the settlement. Mohji then charged in riding Ritchie, slamming some of the tribesmen against the ground. A few noticed Alvida and fired their bows. She smirked as even direct shots easily slid away from her body. Spinning her mace, she slammed it into the ground as the shockwave sent the tribesmen flying. Cabaji raced through on his unicycle, slashing apart the tribesmen's spears with his sword.
The chief tried to strike with his own spear, but the bladed tip was useless against Buggy's powers.
"Sorry, pal, but you're dealing with the wrong people. And you really ticked me off trying to cook my crew!" Buggy grinned wickedly. "CHOP-CHOP KICK!"
He separated his legs and let them strike the chief right in the gut, sending him flying. The pirates all cheered as Buggy went to town smacking around the cannibal tribe like they were two-bit bandits.
"Sorry that I've been gone so long, boys. But I'm back now." Buggy smiled at his men.
"By the way, Captain, who's that gorgeous lady with you?" Cabaji asked as he noticed Alvida, who smirked.
"You probably wouldn't recognize me but you're looking at the even more beautiful and powerful Iron Mace Alvida!"
The pirates all did a double-take at Alvida's stunning new looks.
"SERIOUSLY?!"
"I know our loss to that boy Luffy and his crew is a heavy one, but we're back together now. And we can still make our mark on the Grand Line." Buggy said. "However, there is one thing I need to do first. You see, I learned something about Luffy recently."
"Yes, Captain?" Mohji questioned.
"I heard from a friend I made while stranded that Luffy bears the initial D in his name. It is said those with that initial in their name are said to be capable of changing the world to suit them. But like any part of one's name, it's something that can be added or removed. Only certain people truly bear the mark this initial carries. So before we leave for the Grand Line, we need to find Straw Hat Luffy and see if he truly has the legacy that comes with this letter."
"That's a fine thing to say, but where would we start?" Mohji asked.
"If I had to guess, we'll likely find him in Loguetown. It's the last major settlement before the only viable entrance to the Grand Line." Buggy guessed. "So we'll head there ourselves. We need to pick up a few things there anyway."
"Any room for one more on your crew then?" Alvida smirked.
Buggy chuckled. "All the better! We'd be more than happy to have you with us, Iron Mace!"
-OP-
Now that we've seen how Buggy is doing, it's time we turn our attention to a young boy with big dreams of his own who the Straw Hats helped inspire.
After being enlisted into the Marines at Shells Town, Koby had been going through a recurring dream about becoming a sub-lieutenant in the Marines, being confronted with a watery version of Morgan, and then rescued by a giant Luffy, Sonson, Draco, and Ben. Then he promptly fell out of his hammock and right onto Helmeppo.
"Ouch! Again, Koby?!"
Koby just chuckled sheepishly. For the time being he was still a chore boy, but it was still leagues more satisfying than when he was on Alvida's crew.
"Keep it up, Helmeppo!"
After Morgan's defeat, the Marines forcefully inscribed Helmeppo into their ranks to whip him into shape. While Koby was diligent, Helmeppo still hadn't gotten out of his lazy attitude. In fact, most of the Marines kept praising Koby for his hard work while berating Helmeppo for slacking.
"This sucks, Neither of us is even qualified for the Marines, yet here we are swabbing the mess hall," Helmeppo complained.
"Hey, it's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it," Koby pointed out. "I'm sure even Luffy and his crew have a cabin boy among them now."
"And then there's you!" Helmeppo continued. "You go out of your way to do even more work than you need to. Just how dedicated are you?"
-OP-
As the days continued, Helmeppo couldn't help but lament his situation.
"I used to have the good life. Being the son of a Marine captain let me goof off whenever I wanted. Not to mention commanding respect and fear from the soldiers. Though to be fair, a lot of that was just my father." He sighed as he then spoke aloud. "Thanks to those damn Straw Hats, my dad got stripped of his position. Because of that, I got stuck being a chore boy in this base."
"Hey now, it's not good to just blame Luffy and his friends for that! Blaming others for your own fate is just a sign of weakness." Koby pointed out. "How long have you spent living your life just using your father's power? It's about time you stand on your own two feet and search for your own dream!"
"Easy for you to say. Besides, how could a wimp like you ever become a Marine officer?"
"I don't know if I don't try. Seeing those four and how they live their lives helped me make up my mind. Just like them, I'm going to put my life on the line for my dream!"
Helmeppo scoffed. "And just what could you learn from those despicable pirates?"
Angered, Koby tackled Helmeppo and the two got into a fight. Though amusingly Koby was turning out to have the clear advantage. That wound up getting Commander Ripper's attention.
"All right, break it up you two!"
-OP-
The next day, Morgan was being escorted to his trial, now dressed in prison garb and with his limbs shackled. His broken axe hand had been replaced with a standard prosthetic. Seeing his father in such a state, Helmeppo was hit hard with reality.
"So this is it, then. Dad's officially getting court-martialed. It is weird to say I still respect him on some level." He sighed. "But... It's true that he was taking things too far."
"All hands-on deck!"
The duo headed up as a ship with a dog figurehead approached. They then saw the man who would be escorting Morgan to his trial, Vice-Admiral Monkey D. Garp "The Fist". With him was his right-hand man, Bogard.
"No way! The hero of the seas! He's traveled all over the Grand Line!" Koby whispered in awe.
Morgan was brought over as Garp boarded the prison ship. The man was wearing a dog kabuki mask, looked half asleep, and was snacking on a rice cracker. Not to mention he was only half Morgan's size.
Feeling like he could take on Garp, Morgan grabbed Helmeppo, much to everyone's shock.
"Nobody moves or I throw this chore boy to the sharks!"
"W-Wait, Dad!" Helmeppo cried out, gtrying to avoid getting his throat slit by his father's axe. "It's me, remember!? Your son Helmeppo!"
What Morgan said next destroyed any hope the blonde had of paternal affection winning out.
"I have no need for a son, just my freedom! Your life means nothing to me!"
Garp looked over to Bogard readying the ship's cannon but motioned for him to cease.
"Do you really think you can keep your freedom... In this situation?!"
Suddenly a massive wave of force seemed to emanate from Garp. Most of the Marines fainted from it as Morgan dropped Helmeppo and fell to his knees, his eyes wide with terror. Bogard, Koby, and surprisingly enough Helmeppo were the only ones who managed to stay standing, though Helmeppo found his knees knocking regardless.
Garp smiled. "Well well, we got a couple of chore boys with some backbone. I could use some strong recruits like you at Marine HQ."
Koby and Helmeppo were both shocked to hear this, the latter even more so.
"Are you two okay with this? You only get one chance to run."
Koby showed no signs of wanting to run, and to his surprise, Helmeppo stepped forward.
"Sir, if I may? I learned something important today. That I really am a weakling. I've just been riding Morgan's coattails this entire time. But I want that to end! I want to become capable of standing on my own two feet! So I won't run! Not now, not ever!"
"It takes real strength to admit to weakness. You've got guts, kid." Garp smirked before looking over at Koby. "As for you, you seem like you came to terms with your weakness long ago."
Koby nodded. "In many ways, I'm still weak. But I know I can get stronger! Just like Luffy, Sonson, Draco, and Ben!"
"Oh, so you know those four? Well, you might just get the chance to see them again. You see..." Garp started, then paused as he took off his mask. "Well, let's just say it's better said in private."
He then picked up Morgan's and slapped him awake.
"Listen Captain." Garp said, picking his nose as he spoke. "Turns out your first promotion was unwarranted: The man you caught was Kuro's idiot look-a-like. A patsy. The real Kuro was killed a few days ago in Fooscha Village."
Morgan's arrogance and confidence vanished in a split second. His actions starting to dawn on him: He'd been a tyrant. Enabled and abused his son. Killed good men and innocent people over trivial things…and that power hadn't even been earned.
The once unfeeling giant of a man began to sob, breaking down as the gulit of his actions finally hit him. Garp released him and sighed: It was sometimes fun to see a corrupt marine brought down, but this?
This was sad and pathetic.
"…Kill me." Morgans whimpered. "…Please. Let me at least die with a scrap of honor."
"…Nah." Garp said. "that's the easy way out. Impel down will be good for you."
And with that he turned and returned to his students and best friend, ignoring the sobs of Morgan the whole time.
-OP-
Koby and Helmeppo felt like they had entered hell. The training for the regular Marines was intense, starting at two thousand push-ups, a hundred round trips of rope crossing, running two hundred laps of a hundred-meter track, and Kenpo matches that kept going until one person fainted.
"Bwahahaha!" Garp laughed when he saw the duo's faces. "Don't worry, you won't be doing anything this intense until you get some actual meat on your bones. You'll be starting off with 100 sit-ups, 100 push-ups, 100 squats, and 10 kilometer run. With proper meals and rest in between, of course."
Helmeppo breathed a sigh of relief. That still sounded tough, but at least it wouldn't kill him.
"But don't worry, you won't be alone!" Garp said before blowing a whistle. "ALRIGHT YOU LOT! TEN HUT!"
And suddenly four more new faces rushed in: Two girls and one boy.
"A pleasure to meet you!" The girl with orange hair in a ponytail said as she shook Koby and Helmeppo's hands. "I'm Seryu Ubiquitous, just call me Seryu!"
"Really cool finally getting to meet some new friends!" The big burly blonde young man smiled. "I'm Raphael Kirsten and this is my pal, Ignatz!"
The smaller boy with light green hair and glasses awkwardly waved from behind Raphael.
"'Sup, name's Kohta Hirano." A slightly portly young man with unkempt black hair and glasses greeted. "Hope we can get along!"
"Mukuro Ikusaba." A slim girl with freckles and short black hair in a bob said in a cool stoic tone.
"You seven are the ones who have shown me the most potential out of all the young recruits we have," Garp said. "Be sure to lean on each other's shoulders, because you're all comrades-in-arms going forward!"
-OP-
Garp had the seven rookies start training in earnest. One day they'd be going through the base training program, spread out over the course of several hours. The next they'd be doing chores around the HQ. And things would cycle like that.
"Hey, Koby, there's something I've been wondering," Helmeppo spoke up.
"What's that?" Koby asked.
"Just what was that thing Garp did back in Shells Town? Like, he just stared down Morgan and almost everyone fainted. I nearly did too, but somehow, I managed to stay on my feet."
"Yeah, I hear ya. I felt it too. I have no idea what Garp did."
Garp walked up to them. "Train hard enough over a year or so, and you may just learn something about what I did back there."
Later that night, the duo and their new companions turned in.
"So, why is Garp a Hero?" Koby wondered.
"I've always wondered that myself," Ignatz said.
"From what I hear he defeated a notorious pirate from before the time of Gol D. Roger," Helmeppo explained.
"Whoa, and now we're training under him?" Kohta said in amazement. "Man, this is gonna be tough!"
Koby sighed. "Well, if I'm going to die for my dream, then at least I'll go doing what I want."
"That's the spirit!" Seryu beamed. "My dream is to make sure all evil-doers face justice for their crimes and I will die for that dream!"
Helmeppo couldn't help but think he was starting to feel the same way.
-OP-
A few days later, Garp had brought Koby and Helmeppo to a small beach outside HQ.
"Boys, you two have been doing well with your training. Now there's something important to address... The fact that you seem to be friends with Luffy, Sonson, Draco, and Ben. Or at least on good terms with them."
"Well, I can't speak for Helmeppo, sir, but I can certainly call them friends." Koby said.
Garp nodded. "I appreciate the honesty. Under normal circumstances being friends with a notorious pirate would bar you from ever getting into the Marines. But as I'm sure you know, there are such things as corrupt Marines and such things as heroic Pirates. The system as it stands is broken, and the only way to fix it is to scrape it, recycle the good parts, and rebuild it from the ground up. And doing that starts with hiring recruits that have the capacity and understanding for Moral Justice. And over the course of these last few weeks, I've come to realize that applies to the both of you."
Koby and Helmeppo were stunned, causing Garp to laugh as he continued.
"You've proven this whole time that you're strong both physically and mentally. You never gave up once, and you've never compromised your beliefs. And you, Helmeppo, have managed to outgrow the stigma instilled in you by your father. Hope you boys are ready to take the training wheels off because from this point on you and your friends will be assigned to my unit as we head out to the Grand Line!"
Koby and Helmeppo were shocked, but happy as they nodded and saluted, as Garp walked away laughing, knowing he had two truly promising recruits for the future.
Knightmare Lord A/N:
We see how Buggy and Koby have been doing and we also get to see Garp in action! Also, we have some crossover characters joining the Marine side of things! What? You thought it would just be Pirates?
Here's the rundown on the characters who have befriended Koby and Helmeppo:
-Seryu Ubiquitous: Akame ga Kill!
-Mukuro Ikusaba: Danganronpa
-Raphael Kirsten and Ignatz Victor: Fire Emblem Three Houses
-Kohta Hirano: Highschool of the Dead
Also, as you may remember last chapter, Luffy was revealed to be a girl in disguise but right now, Buggy and Koby don't know that. But we will tell you this; Garp knows and he had a good reason for wanting Luffy to hide her gender.