The Straw Hats' Monster Tamer

by BlueRaptor629

Kido Chiaki was someone that does not have a dream of his own. But that all changes when he meet his first friend, Jim, and then the encounter of an unfamiliar creature called "Hoopa". Having inherited the dream of finding the Mystic Archipelago from his dying friend, Chiaki set out to the big, blue seas along with Hoopa as well as friends that he meets along the way.

2. Chiaki See, Luffy Do!

Chapter 1: Chiaki See, Luffy Do!

Chiaki was rowing his boat as Hoopa was lying down in a relaxed position. The two recently departed from Orion Island as they were on their way to the legendary Mystic Archipelago, a dream that Chiaki inherited from his friend, Jim, who has sacrificed his life to protect the former.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are we gonna do first?" Hoopa said. "From what I've heard, the Grand Line is dangerous. Especially if we're going there just the two of us."

"True." Chiaki said while rowing the boat. "We should prolly get some supplies for the long journey." He continued before he let go of the oars and pulled out a map that his mother gave to him. "Let's see… Which is the nearest island from here?"

"You know, I could just use my powers to steal–I mean gather the stuff we need." Hoopa said.

"No, Hoopa. You're using that gimmick of yours for emergency use only." Chiaki said, not taking his eyes off the map. "Besides, where's the fun in that?"

"Fair enough." The Mischief Pokemon stated.

To Chiaki's misfortune, a sudden rush of wind blew right behind him and made him drop the map.

"Ah! The map!" The black and auburn haired young man shouted as he tried to reach out to grab the map, only for it to fall into the sea. "NOOOOOOOO!"

"That was quite the shout there." Hoopa said before he realized Chiaki was not holding the map. "Wait. Weren't you holding a map? Please tell me you didn't lose it."

"Well… Whoops." Chiaki said sheepishly.

"Oh my Arceus… You did, didn't you?" The Mischief Pokemon said before he facepalmed. "That was our only map and then you just have to lose it. So careless."

"Shut up! I don't wanna hear it from you! You didn't do a damn thing." He said before sighing. "At least things couldn't get worse."

As he said that, the water started leaking into the boat via a small geyser.

"Oh, shit!" Chiaki exclaimed.

"You just had to jinx it, Chiaki." Hoopa snarked as Chiaki used his hand to cover the leak.

"That should do–" Chiaki did not get to finish as another leak appeared, which he used with his free hand to shut it. Three more leaks then appeared on the boat as it started to sink. "Well, we're screwed."

"Guess it's my turn." Hoopa said as one of his rings flew to the right before stopping, expanding and levitating vertically. "Alléhooparing!" After uttering the magic words, the ring created a portal as something appeared along with a stream of water.

It was a blue, marine reptilian creature which resembled a plesiosaur. It has a blue hide with darker blue spots and a cream-colored underside. It has large brown eyes, a short horn on its forehead, and tightly curled ears. It has a long neck and four flippers. The foremost flippers are larger than the hind. On its back is a heavy, gray shell covered in blunt knobs.

"(Whoa! Where am I?)" The creature asked as it found itself in a new place.

"Hoopa, what did you summon?" Chiaki said as he kept himself from sinking with the boat.

"This is Lapras. A Pokémon that people used to travel to water back in the old day." Hoopa explained as he went in front of Lapras. "Excuse me."

"(Hmm? Never seen you before. How can I help you?)" Lapras asked.

"Sorry for summoning you all of a sudden, but can we give us a lift? Our boat is sinking as you can see." Hoopa then motioned to the boat. "I'll send you back to your herd once we reach our destination."

"(Hmm….)" The Transport Pokémon took the time to ponder before it nodded. "(Okay, sure. I know you had your reasons to summon me here, so hop in!)"

"Alright, Chiaki. You can get on her back. She just said yes."

"Okay." Chiaki said as he grabbed his bag and other stuff before he got on Lapras's back just as the boat fully submerged. "Thanks. I owe you one."

"(No problem. I can tell you're all good people.)" Lapras said. "(Where we headed?)"

"Although it was just a split second, I remember the nearest island from where we are… I think." The black and auburn haired young man said.

"You don't sound too sure about that." Hoopa remarked.

"Shut it! It'll work out!" Chiaki said before turning forward. "I'll lead the way, so do your best to get us there, Lapras!"

"(Okay! Hang on tight!)" Lapras said as it swam onward to wherever Chiaki was leading them to.

---

(Somewhere…)

"We're here!" A young man said as he stepped out of his sailboat and into the docks of a town. This town just so happened to be the one a certain duo was headed to. "The Marine Base City!"

The young man had raven black hair, large eyes, and a scar under his right eye. He wore a red vest, blue shorts, and sandals. The young man proudly wore a straw hat.

"Actually it's called 'Shells Town', Luffy." The young man's friend corrected as he got out from the same boat as the straw hat boy. He was shorter and had pink hair. Aside from wearing a pair of round glasses over his eyes, he also wore a white and blue shirt, black pants, and red & white sneakers.

"You're really good at this stuff, Coby! Thanks!" The young man named Luffy said, ignoring his friend's statement.

"It was nothing. This is the basics for sailors." The boy named Coby said as he and Luffy walked into the town. "But, Luffy! You're not serious about recruiting him, are you?"

"I hadn't made up my mind yet, so I want to see if he's a good guy or not." The straw hat boy answered.

"He's in prison because he's obviously not!" The bespectacled boy retorted.

Luffy proceeded to grab a pear and took a bite of it. Once he swallowed what he just ate, he flipped a bronze coin into the seller's hand. "Hey, is that guy Zoro around here somewhere?"

Like a flip of a switch, the townspeople, including the fruit seller, immediately became frightened by the mention of the name.

"Maybe we shouldn't mention the name 'Zoro' here, okay?" Coby whispered to his friend as the two kept walking through the town.

"Let's head to the base and check it out!" Luffy suggested while still walking. "You wanna be a Marine, right?"

"Well, of course I do, Luffy. But I don't I'm ready just yet." Coby answered. "From what I've heard, the man in charge of this base is named Captain Morgan."

For some reason, the townspeople were also frightened by the mere mention of that name.

"Hahahaha! This town is such a weird place!" Luffy laughed, oblivious to the context of why the people were scared at those names.

"That's weird. I understand that they're afraid of Zoro, but why did they flip when I mention the Marine Captain's name?" Coby wondered aloud. "I got a bad feeling about this place."

"Maybe they were all jumping around for the fun of it?"

"And how would that make any sense!?"

After several minutes of walking, the two arrived in front of a massive gate with the Marine insignia on it.

"Looks like this is the place." Luffy stated the obvious.

"I made it…" Coby muttered with tears of joy as he was now one step closer to becoming a Marine. "This is where you and I part ways, Luffy. We didn't have long together, but…" He continued before he saw Luffy trying to climb over the wall.

"Where's the foothold?" Luffy asked.

"Get down from there! What're you doing!? They'll see you!" Coby exclaimed.

"Now, where's this demon?" The straw hat boy muttered as he began to look for his potential recruit.

"They wouldn't keep him out in the open." The bespectacled boy replied. "Probably tucked in a prison cell below ground."

"There he is!" Luffy said as he jumped off from the wall landed into the ground. "I'm gonna get closer!"

Right in front of the Marine Base's building was a lone man who had his arms and waist tied to a cross.

"Coby, look!" Luffy said after climbing to another wall.

Coby then soon climbed up next to Luffy. "I'm telling you he's not–" He widened his eyes before realizing that his friend was telling the truth. 'That hood and that haramaki… It's Roronoa Zoro!'

The man known as Roronoa Zoro truly wore a black bandana on his head and his hair, due to being rendered mostly obscure by the bandana, was seemingly light green. He wore a white shirt that was tucked to a green haramaki around his midsection, dark green pants, and black boots.

"If we untie those ropes, he can just walk away." Luffy suggested.

"Oh, don't be such an idiot, Luffy!" Coby yelled with shark teeth. "There's no telling what a bandit like him will do if we let him go! He might just kill us both!"

"Don't worry, I'm strong." Luffy boasted. "I can protect us!"

'He's out of his mind…!?' His friend thought with tears in his eyes.

"Hey, you two…" Zoro called Luffy and Coby out, with the latter two screaming in panic. "You're an eyesore." He brought his head up and opened his eyes. "Get lost!"

"Luffy, trust me! There's no chance you'll survive with someone like him on your crew!" Coby tried to make Luffy see reason.

Though Luffy more focused on seeing a ladder being propped up to the wall and someone using it to climb.

That someone was a little girl with brown hair that she tied into pigtails and black eyes. She wore a long, bluish purple shirt with turquoise stripes and white hood, and brown shoes.

The little girl then "shushed" the two boys before looking around to see if there were anyone else. Once she felt that the coast was clear, she dropped a rope down before using it to enter the yard. As she ran towards Zoro, she was revealed to be carrying something in her arms.

"Gaah! Luffy, we gotta stop her, she'll be killed! By the Marines or the Demon himself!" Coby stated.

"What do you want?" Zoro asked her.

"I thought you may be getting hungry now…" The little girl answered. "So, I made you a couple of rice balls." She then unwrapped her said rice balls.

"You got a death wish, kid? Just scram!" Zoro asked before shooing the girl away.

"But you haven't eaten anything the whole time you've been tied up." The little girl reminded him before she presented him with the snacks. "Here, I never really made them before, but I did my best so I think they're fine."

While the restrained man was touched by the little girl's kindness and generosity, he knew about the danger she's getting herself into if she did not leave him. "Listen, kid! I'm not hungry! Stop irritating me and get out of here!"

"But–"

"Do not make me kick your ass, little girl!"

"Now, now. No one likes a bully." A new voice said as someone entered the yard.

Accompanied by two Marines was an arrogant-looking young man with blonde hair that was styled to look like a mushroom and an interesting looking chin. He wore a purple suit, pink undershirt, and white shoes.

"Roronoa Zoro, you seem to be handling this well. Don't you agree?" The arrogant young man said.

"Hey, look. Now there's another weird guy." Luffy pointed it out.

"That's great. He must be with the Marines. Now, we know that the girl is safe." Coby added in a hopeful, unaware that he was about to be proven wrong.

"Looky, some tasty rice balls." He said before snatching one from the little girl and eating it.

"That's not for you!" The little girl said before the mushroom haired young man gagged at the taste.

"Too sweet! They're packed with sugar! You're supposed to use salt, you idiot! Salt!" The young man yelled.

"But, I… I thought they'd taste better sweet." The little girl replied sadly.

"Gimme that!" The young man slapped the rice balls away from the little girl before stomping them until they became mixed with mud and dirt.

"No, stop!" The little girl pleaded but the young man did not listen.

"That's awful…" Coby muttered, appalled with the action by the young man in purple.

The little girl was left crying about how her rice balls were destroyed. "But I… Worked so hard to make those…" She bawled.

"Too bad." The young man said harshly. "You must have not read the notice that was posted." He then pulled out a piece of paper from his pockets. "Those who assist criminals in any way will be executed. Signed, Marine Captain Morgan." He then laughed at the little girl's face. "It seems even little brats fear my daddy."

"His daddy?" Luffy repeated.

"So, that guy's father is Captain Morgan?" Coby wondered aloud.

"You…" The young man then pointed at a Marine. "Toss this kid out right now!" When he noticed that the Marine was hesitating, he proceeded to yank him by the collar. "I said to throw this little girl over the wall, soldier! Now, if you don't follow my orders, I'm telling my father!"

"Yes sir! I'll do it!" The Marine nodded his head out of fear before reluctantly approaching the little girl.

"Noo!" The little girl cried.

"Sorry about this…" The Marine said before he knelt down and grabbed the little girl. "Try curling into a ball."

From the Marine's toss, the little girl was sent flying over the wall screaming. Luffy proceeded to, somehow, stretched his hands forward to grab the girl in his hands before landing the ground on his side. He got up and so did the little girl.

"Thanks, Mister!" The girl thanked him.

"Luffy! Are you two okay?" Coby rushed towards their side once he hopped off from the wall. "What about you, little girl? Are you alright?"

As Coby went to check on the little girl, Luffy simply stared at what lies beyond the wall of the Marine Base.

"Hahahaha! You're just dead set on staying alive, aren't you?" The young man laughed.

"That's right. I'm going through the month without any problems!" Zoro declared.

"Is that right? Good luck with that!" The young man mocked before he continued his guffawing as he made his way out of the yard.

"Only 10 days left." Zoro said.

"That's assuming you'll be able to make it by then!" The blonde young man continued as he left the area with his subordinates.

"How can he be so cruel…" Coby muttered before he turned around and realized that his friend ran off. "Luffy?"

Zoro then looked up to his front and noticed that Luffy was standing in front of him.

"So, I hear you're a bad guy." The latter stated.

"You're still here?" The bandana man asked.

"You're stuck out here for all the world to see and nothing." Luffy continued. "Are you really all that strong?"

"Mind your own business!" Zoro remarked before Luffy walked towards him.

"If I were you, I'd be starved to death in three days!" The straw hat boy said.

"I've got more spirit than you could ever have." The restrained man said before he let out a grin. "Which is how I'm gonna survive this ordeal. This, I swear."

While Luffy was not so big on brainpower, he could easily tell that Zoro was very determined to overcome the ordeal no matter what. "Ha! What a weirdo." He said as he turned around to leave. But…

"Hey… Could you pick that up for me?" Zoro spoke up as his eyes were looking at what used to be the rice ball that the little girl made for him.

"You're gonna eat this?" Luffy wondered as he picked the ruined snack. "'Cause it's mostly a ball of mud."

"Shut up and give it to me! Now!" He insisted as Luffy threw the food into his mouth. Despite the dirt and mud mixed with the rice ball, Zoro was able to chew and swallow it. Though he had to cough and gag a few times.

"Should've listened to me." The straw hat said.

"It was good…" Zoro said. "Thanks for the food."

Luffy could only smile at him.

---

(Meanwhile…)

"We're finally here: Shells Town!" Chiaki declared as he and Hoopa arrived at their first stop thanks to Lapras. Once the Transport Pokemon stopped by the docks, Chiaki proceeded to grab his belongings before getting off. "Again, thanks for the lift."

"(I'm just happy to help, that's all.)" Lapras nodded. "(If it's okay with you, you can call on me if you need another ride. I really enjoyed.)"

"Hoopa, what did she say this time?" Seth asked Hoopa.

Being a Pokemon himself, Hoopa can understand what other Pokemon were saying and then interpret it for those who couldn't like Chiaki.

"She says we can call out to her anytime." Hoopa interpreted.

"Nice! See you later!" Chiaki waved goodbye as Hoopa opened a portal behind Lapras.

"(I hope to see you again soon!)" Lapras stated before she turned around and went through the portal.

"Now, that's done…" The Mischief Pokemon said as the portal vanished and the ring went back to one of his horns. "What's next?"

"I'd say we should get some supplies but…" Chiaki said before his stomach could be heard grumbling. "I'm hungry."

"You know, I almost feel sorry that you can still feel hungry." Hoopa remarked.

"Oh? And you don't?"

"When you have been sleeping for a really, really, long time, eating becomes much like reading a book. Enjoyable but optional." The Mischief Pokémon explained.

"Well, excuse me for being as immortal as you." Chiaki remarked.

"It has its benefits, but being alive for a long time… It makes me a little lonely." Hoopa commented sadly.

"Oh… Sorry about that…" Chiaki looked down as he realized he brought up a sensitive topic.

"Enough about that. It's all in the ancient past now." Hoopa stated. "We should prolly find a place to eat. Weren't you hungry?"

"Oh! Right." Chiaki said, getting his priority back on track as he and Hoopa looked for a place to sit down and eat.

Sure enough, it did not take them long to find a local restaurant.

"Ah, welcome." A woman greeted them.

"Table for two." Chiaki said as the woman immediately was confused at seeing Hoopa. "Oh. Don't mind him, he's with me."

"O-Okay… " The woman said as Chiaki and Hoopa found an empty table before sitting down.

As the two were sitting and started ordering their meal, their arrival went unnoticed by a young woman.

The young woman looked to be a year older than Chiaki. She had short orange hair and brown eyes. Her outfit consisted of a white and blue striped shirt, a yellow skirt with two white circles on either side of her hips, and brown boots.

'He looks like someone new.' The young woman thought as her eyes fixated on Hoopa, who was happily talking with Chiaki. 'And what even is that?'

A few minutes later, their meals arrived at their table.

"Enjoy." The waiter said as he placed the food onto the table before leaving them.

"Okay. Thanks for the food." Chiaki said as he and Hoopa began eating.

As the two were eating, they then overheard an incoming conversation going on between a certain duo and a little girl that just arrived at the restaurant.

"Really!?" The same little girl said as she sat at a table with Luffy and Coby.

"That's right. He ate every last grain of rice there was." Luffy said, passing off what he just witnessed and told to the little girl.

"That's great!"

"I wonder if Zoro is really as evil as everyone thinks that he is?" Coby pondered aloud.

"Zoro? Who's that?" Hoopa asked Chiaki before putting a piece of food into his mouth.

"I think he's some sort of a bounty hunter. People called him the 'Pirate Hunter' or the 'Demon'." Chiaki answered.

"He's not!" The little girl denied Coby's claim, surprising the two pairs. "He's good. Because he got himself punished. For us."

"You're making no sense." Luffy stated.

"Sorry." The little girl apologized. "It's that dumb Helmeppo. He's the son of Captain Morgan." She then began to tell everything what went down…

(Flashback)

"Step aside! Step aside!" The young man named Helmeppo shouted at the townspeople. "Make way for my beautiful pet doggy!" As he walked through the town with his Marines escort, he also was accompanied by a ferocious looking gray wolf.

The wolf was growling and barking in front of Helmeppo, causing the townspeople to scream in terror.

"Anyone who doesn't move, I'll have them executed! Hahahahaha!"

The wolf then burst through the restaurant doors. The little girl was picking up the empty plates before she let out a small shriek at the sight of a ferocious animal. The wolf instantly went to eat off the steak from a customer's plate.

The little girl then picked up a broom and started swinging at it. "Stop it! You mean old thing!"

"You. Little girl. Is there some kind of problem with how my beloved dog is behaving?" Helmeppo questioned her.

"Rika, put it down!" Rika's mother warned her. "You don't want to get us in trouble!"

Helmeppo simply laughed and snorted as he let his pet wolf turn its attention towards Rika and proceeded to lunge towards her.

Fortunately, a bar stool hit the wolf from under its chin, causing it to fall on the floor. Helmeppo screamed in alarm from his wolf getting knocked down to the ground by a third-party.

"Who the hell are you!?" It did not take long for Helmeppo to realize who was the third-party. "Wait? You're him! You're the "Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zoro! What is a Pirate hunter doing defying the Marines, huh!?"

"Can it and let me finish my meal in peace." Zoro told him as he went back eating his meal.

However, Helmeppo could not stand the mockery as he swung his sword at Zoro. The supposed "Pirate Hunter" dodged the attack, causing the sword to hit the counter. He then kicked said sword away from Helmeppo as it lodged into the ceiling. Zoro then followed it up with a punch across Helmeppo's face, knocking him into the bar's counter. Zoro then unsheathed one of his katanas and then pointed near Helmeppo's face, causing the guy to scream in fear.

"You're getting on my nerves, pal." Zoro declared. "You and that precious mutt of yours."

Helmeppo was now afraid for his life. And now, he decided to desperately look for a way out as a small grin etched in his face. "You do realize… If my dad finds out about this, he'll surely execute the girl and her mother."

Zoro simply glared at him as the blonde young man got up.

"So, what do you say about a little deal between men?" Helmeppo began. "In place of the kid and her mom; we string you up instead. For… say one month. If you survive that one month, I'll be so nice as to let you live too." He suggested. "What'd you say? Sounds fair?"

It did not take long for Zoro to make up his mind. "Then one month it is." He stated before dropping his sword, allowing the tip of the blade lodged to the floor.

(End of flashback)

"It's been three weeks since that day." The girl named Rika said, finishing her story.

'Three weeks, huh? And it's all for a little girl and her mother too…' Chiaki thought before he ate a piece of vegetable into his mouth and chewed it. 'Guess that Zoro is an okay guy in my book.'

'Another human who puts others before his own…' Hoopa thought. 'Just like Jim…'

"Helmeppo keeps punching him and kicking him while he's tied up." The little girl continued. "He's being so unfair! I don't know how to help him!" She said before she put her face into her hands and cried.

'And that prick…!' Chiaki clenched his fists in anger. 'Him and his dad too… How dare they call themselves Marines!? If Mom was here, she'd definitely ignore this and beat them senselessly!'

"I see why you're so upset." Coby muttered, saddened to hear someone affiliated to the Marines would do something like that.

It was then Helmeppo showed up with a pair of Marines as escort and immediately made himself comfortable at one of the tables, putting his foot on top of it.

"I'm hungry!" Helmeppo announced. "Bring whatever you got and keep the check for yourself!" He continued before letting out a small chuckle. "And bring me your finest moonshine or whatever crap you serve! And put some speed to it, lady! I don't have all day!" The woman, who was Rika's mother, had no choice but to comply with his demand and poured him a glass of wine. "That's more like it!"

'So that's the guy, huh? He has a very punchable face.' Chiaki thought as he stood up from his seat.

"Um, Chiaki?" Hoopa called out to his friend but was ignored as he made his way towards Helmeppo, with the arrogant young man unaware of someone approaching towards him.

"I'm trying to think of something interesting to do, seeing as how I'm bored out of my skull here." Helmeppo added. "I suppose I could execute Zoro! Hahahaha!"

'That asshole! So, he had no intention of keeping his promise after all!' Chiaki thought angrily, but he wasn't the only one.

Luffy took the time to process what that means. But just as he was about to run and punch Helmeppo, Chiaki beat him to it using Silent Step and proceeded to do the deed himself. The force of the punch was so great that he was sent flying to the wall.

"Y-You just hit me!" Helmeppo yelled at Chiaki with tears in his eyes.

"Whoa! Who is that!?" Coby exclaimed.

"Huh…" Luffy simply stated. 'He's fast…!'

"Chiaki! What the hell did you just do!?" The Mischief Pokémon came to his friend's side.

"Exactly what it looks like." Chiaki growled. "That bastard deserved it!"

"You actually hit me!" Helmeppo continued to yell at Chiaki. "Don't you know who I am!? I am Captain Morgan's son!"

"So what? Am I supposed to say sorry?" Chiaki challenged him.

"You will when my daddy executes you for this–" Helmeppo did not get to finish as Chiaki stomped on his chest, causing him to cry in pain. The latter proceeded to add more pressure in his stomp.

"The only thing I'm sorry for is how the hell could the Marines allow two pieces of trash like you two to become dictators–No, scratch that! To allow that tyrant you called 'daddy' to become a Marine in the first place!?" Chiaki retorted. "You scums might as well be even worse than Pirates if you're gonna drag the Marine's name through the mud!"

"Worse than Pirates!?" Helmeppo repeated.

'Considering that Miss Tomoe was a Marine and how Chiaki really looked up to her, I don't really blame Chiaki for flipping out like that.' Hoopa nodded before Chiaki picked Helmeppo up by the collar.

"Now, get the hell out of my sight!" Chiaki shouted as he proceeded to throw Helmeppo out of the restaurant, with the latter screaming as he flew out of the door. He ran from where he got off from the ground, followed by the two Marines with him.

'This guy's just as crazy as Luffy!' Coby thought with tears in his eyes.

Chiaki took the time to call himself down before realizing the stares he got from other people. He could not tell that they were either indifferent or they did not approve of his action.

"Excuse me…" Chiaki turned to see Coby, who approached him.

"And you are…?"

"My name is Coby." Coby introduced himself. "But listen! You're in big trouble now because the Marines might be after you now. After punching Helmeppo and stomping him like that, there's no way they're gonna let that slide!"

"So? I say bring it. I ain't losing to those pansies!" Chiaki said as he looked towards Luffy. "Sorry about earlier. I can see that you're about to punch him too, but that guy made it real personal for me. The guy's real scum."

"It's fine. It's great that I'm not the only one who thinks that he's scum." Luffy said before he grinned at him. "That was a good punch, by the way."

"Thanks." Chiaki smiled back before he decided to place the money onto his table. "If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go beat up a Marine Captain."

"Hold on! You're not seriously thinking of fighting Captain Morgan, are you?" Coby asked with worry. "It's suicide!"

"Oh, yeah? That guy made the Marines looked bad! I'm not gonna let him get away with ruining their good name!" Chiaki said, surprising the pink haired boy about how this stranger cared so much about the Marines.

"It looks like your mind's made up." Hoopa chimed in, surprising the Luffy and Coby.

"What the–!? What is that!?" Coby exclaimed.

"Whoa! That's a cool-looking ghost thing!" Luffy exclaimed. "Hey! Can you poop?"

"Are you sure that's the first thing you want to ask of me?" Hoopa deadpanned before turning towards Chiaki. "So, you want to find this Morgan guy?"

"Yep. Let's go." Chiaki replied. But before he could leave…

"Wait." They turned around and saw Luffy. "I'm coming too."

"Luffy!? What are you going to do!?" Coby asked.

"I've made up my mind, Coby…" Luffy began. "Today's the day Zoro joins my crew!"

'Joining his crew… Does that mean this guy's a Pirate?' Chiaki thought as he looked at Luffy. 'He seems to be the adventuring type much like my dad…' He then shook off the thought for the time being and focused on the matter at hand. "If it's okay with you, I'll help you out with that. It looks like saving that Zoro guy is part of my to-do list of wringing corruption out of them."

"Oh, really? Thanks!" Luffy said as he set off with Chiaki and Hoopa to break Zoro out.

---

(Meanwhile, at the Marine Base)

"I am… great!" A man declared as he was sitting in his office.

The man is quite tall and muscular with tanned skin, blonde hair, a well-defined face, and a steel jaw etched with the word Möwe, which was underneath the wide M-shaped pattern. He wore a large, ornate overcoat over a dark blue sleeveless shirt, blue trousers with dark blue stripes, and brown boots. His defining feature other than the steel jaw was the huge ax that replaced his right hand, with the handle of which is not only bolted through the bones of his forearm, but sticks out where his elbow should be.

"Yes sir! You're right, Captain Morgan, sir!" A Marine replied as he was saluting to the man.

"And yet the taxes we collect don't even compare to my sheer degree of greatness." The man named Morgan said.

"Yes, right sir." The Marine said as he sweat dropped. "I guess that the citizen's wallets just aren't very deep these days, sir."

"The issue at hand here is that level of respect for me." Morgan stated, taking his cigar out of his mouth. "Wouldn't you agree?"

The doors to Morgan's captain burst open to reveal Helmeppo, who was holding cheeks as a result of being punched by Chiaki.

"Daddy! There's someone I want you to slaughter!" Helmeppo shouted as his father replied with an annoyed grunt.

---

Zoro was still tied up to the pole as the sun was shining down on him. Memories of his past began flooding his mind. With one of them flashed in his mind.

(Flashback)

Zoro, as a kid, was seen clashing two wooden swords against a dark blue haired girl. The girl effortlessly blocked every strike before parrying despite only having one wooden sword. To say that she was better than Zoro at this department was an understatement.

"You're weak, Zoro. Nothing ever changes."

(End of Flashback)

'I made a promise to her…' Zoro thought. 'And I can't afford to die in a place like this!' He snapped his eyes open as he brought his head up. He then saw the shadows of two people and something unusual.

It was none other than Luffy, Chiaki, and Hoopa.

"You again? Don't you have anything better to do?" He asked Luffy before noticing Chiaki and Hoopa. "And who the hell are you two?

"A pair who wants to get you out of this mess." Chiaki replied before motioning to Luffy. "Though I'm here because of him because he got something to say to you."

"I'll untie you…" Luffy began. "But only if you promise to join my crew."

"Your what?" Zoro was flabbergasted.

"I run a Pirate crew and I'm looking for someone to join up." He explained.

"No way!" Zoro refused the offer. "I'd never stoop to joining up with a criminal. Screw that business."

"And what's wrong about being a Pirate?" The straw hat asked persistently.

"They're despicable. Like I'd ever want to join up with one." He said.

"Well, it's true that Pirates these days are like that…" Chiaki added as his mind flashed to Gravin's crew and then to his father. "But there are some who aren't like that."

"Oh, yeah? And how do you know?"

"My secret." He retorted.

"Well, everyone's already considered you a vicious bounty hunter anyway, so why not be a Pirate?" Hoopa suggested.

"I don't know what you are, but I couldn't care less about what everyone said about me. I've never done a single thing I regret in my life." Zoro then smirked with determination. "I will make it through this challenge. And after that, I'll accomplish what I want."

"Yeah… That's great." Luffy said. "But I've already decided that you're gonna be on my crew."

"What!?" Zoro exclaimed. "You can't do that!"

"Yeah, I don't think you were given a choice here, man." Chiaki added, surprised to see how stubborn Luffy is.

"I heard you're one of the best swordsmen around." Luffy smiled while folding his hands.

"Well, I am! But that idiot captain's son took mine away." The bandana man said.

"Guess I'll just have to get it back for you…" The straw hat boy said.

"What?" The man dared to ask.

"So, if you want your sword, you're just gonna have to join my crew!" He said with a wide grin.

"NOW, YOU'RE REALLY PISSING ME OFF!" Zoro yelled in anger as Luffy laughed as he ran off.

"Oh, wow. He just straight-up blackmailed him into joining his crew. That's just playing dirty." Chiaki was impressed at the tactic Luffy used.

"That said, I think he went the wrong way." Hoopa added.

"Yeah…" Zoro muttered. "Hey, genius! The base is in another direction!"

Luffy turned around before he made his arms stretch forward, to the surprise of Chiaki and Hoopa.

'Did his arms just stretch!?' Chiaki exclaimed.

'So this is definitely another Devil Fruit power. Just like Raizen's.' Hoopa noted.

"Gum Gum Rocket!" Luffy shouted as he propelled himself into the Marine Base.

"W-What the hell is this guy…?" Zoro muttered aloud, shocked as Chiaki and Hoopa.

"Yeah… I was thinking about the same thing." Chiaki agreed. "I think he needs help on that, so I'll get going." He said before turning towards Hoopa. "Watch over him, okay, Hoopa?"

"You got it, Chiaki. Leave it to me." Hoopa promised as he saw his friend run off to catch up with Luffy.

---

High atop the Marine Base, Captain Morgan has his men pull a large statue of himself.

"That's it. Stop right there!" Morgan ordered. "Now, stand it up in one final pull."

"Well, Dad? Are you going to get revenge on this guy or what!?" Helmeppo chimed in impatiently. "I mean, he just outright struck me and threatened me in public! You never hit me before! And why should he be able to!?"

"Do you have a remote idea as to why I've never hit you?" His father asked.

"Uh… Is it because you think I'm great?" Helmeppo guessed.

"No. It's because…" Morgan quickly punched his own son, causing him to crash into the roof's barricade. "You're a stupid fool. Who isn't worthy." He then proceeded to take one step closer to his disgraceful son. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea."

Helmeppo screamed as his father lifted him up with his ax hand. "The only great one around here is the man you call 'your father!'" He then dropped him on the ground. "Which reminds me, I heard a rat snuck into the crucifixion yard."

"Yes! That's right, the little girl! I had her dealt with!" Helmeppo replied.

"I hope that means killed." Morgan said.

"No, I-I didn't kill her." His son corrected. "She's just a kid!"

"You there." Morgan pointed to one of the Marines. "Go into town! Find this girl and kill her!"

"But, sir! You can't be serious! She's just a little girl, sir!" The Marine argued.

"I don't care if she's a child or not! Anyone who disobeys my orders is a traitor!" He declared.

"No, sir… I can't do it!"

This proved to be the last straw as he raised his ax hand high before striking said Marine with it as one of his soldiers fell to the ground dead.

"Lieutenant!" Two Marines shouted as one of their own was killed right in front of them.

"You… You killed him!" Helmeppo yelled in surprise.

"My strength is what I used to rise to the ranks of Captain!" Morgan declared. "Listen: In this world, titles are what matter! That means that being the Captain of this base and highest ranking officer, I am the most superior person as far as the eye can see!" He ranted. "This means everything I do is right! Am I correct, men?"

"Sir! You are correct, sir!" His subordinates said as they saluted out of fear.

"Let's put 'killing that girl' on hold for now." Morgan stated. "Observe! The greatest symbol of my unending authority. It took years to complete it, but here it is!" He continued. "Now, stand it up! Display my greatness at the top of this base for all to see!"

As the soldiers were pulling the statue, down below the building were Chiaki and Luffy.

"That's weird. There's nobody here." Luffy stated.

"You'd think a Marine Base like this should be heavily guarded. If it's empty like this, a thief can break into the place." Chiaki remarked.

"Do you know where to go?" Luffy asked him.

"No, I don't know. I even don't know where they're keeping Zoro's sword." Chiaki asked. "Should we find Captain Moron's stupid son and have him tell us where it is?"

"Oh, yeah! The weird son with the weird hair! That's a great idea!" As Luffy said that, they were alerted by the noise coming from the top of the building as they looked up.

"Pull, men! Harder!" The aforementioned 'Captain Moron' ordered.

While pulling the statue up, one of the Marines, who was pulling the statue's right arm, accidentally bumped it against the building.

"You there." Morgan said as he was right behind that Marine, causing the latter to yelp in fear. "You bumped it!"

"Sounds like something's going on up there…" Luffy said.

"From the sounds of it, yeah. Does that have anything to do with how there were no guards in here?" Chiaki wondered.

Back at the top, Morgan was glaring towards the Marine, who was looking at his superior fearfully.

"I-I'm sorry, sir! I was reckless, I didn't mean it!" The Marine apologized.

"I consider the slightest scratch on this… NOTHING LESS THAN A TRAITOROUS ACTIVITY THAT IS PUNISHABLE BY DEATH!" Morgan declared.

"I guess we'll have to check it!" Luffy said as he wrapped his arm around Chiaki, shocking him.

"Wait a minute. You're not gonna do what I think you're gonna do…?" Chiaki muttered.

"Now Gum Gum…" Luffy then used his other hand to stretch skyward until it reached the top of the building and grabbed it. "Rocket!"

Chiaki then screamed at the top of his lungs as he was sent flying upwards with Luffy.

Just as Morgan was about to kill another Marine for damaging his precious statue, Luffy and Chiaki went past the top of the building as everyone present was just seeing them flying into the air.

"Ah, I flew too far!" Luffy exclaimed.

"OH GEE, I WONDER HOW THAT HAPPENED!?" Chiaki screamed.

Luffy reached out and grabbed one of the ropes that were attached to Morgan's statue. "Got it!" This action caused the statue to fall on the edge of the building as well as splitting said statue. Despite the Marine's best effort to pull it up, the top half of the statue fell as Luffy and Chiaki landed on the building. Morgan's eyes went blank in shock as he watched his statue break apart.

"Sorry about that." Luffy said softly.

"You really shouldn't apologize. That statue was there so Captain Moron over here can show off how big his ego is to everyone. I think I speak for everyone that we don't need something like that." Chiaki said just as the top half of the statue crashed into pieces of rubble once it touched the ground.

"SEIZE THEM AND HOLD THEM SO I CAN KILL THEM MYSELF!" Morgan ordered furiously.

"Yes sir! Right away!" His subordinates saluted.

"It's him!" Helmeppo shouted while pointing towards Chiaki. "That's the guy! He's the one who punched me and called us 'trash', Daddy!"

"HE CALLED ME WHAT!?" Morgan exclaimed, now having more reasons to kill Chiaki.

"Well, look who it is." Chiaki went up to his face, causing the guy to scream in panic. But Chiaki grabbed him by the shoulder before he turned towards Luffy. "Hey! I found the guy!"

"That's great!" Luffy smiled as he went to Chiaki's side. "Hey! We've been looking for you! You have something that we really need to get back."

The two decided to go inside the building while dragging Helmeppo with them as their prisoner.

"DO NOT LET THOSE TRAITORS ESCAPE!" Morgan ordered.

"Captain! There's someone–No, there are two people in the crucifixion yard!" Morgan's attention then shifted to the yard as he saw Hoopa with Coby, with the latter having decided to sneak into the yard.

"I'm surrounded by traitors!"

---

(With Chiaki and Luffy)

Chiaki was dragging the screaming Helmeppo across the floor as he and Luffy ran through the building. However, none of them knew where they were going.

"Hey! Where is Zoro's sword at?" Chiaki asked him, who was still shouting fearfully.

"I'll tell you! I promise! Just please stop dragging me through the carpet!" Helmeppo relented as Chiaki and Luffy stopped running.

"Fine. Which way?" Luffy asked.

"In my room. We've just passed it. Behind you on the left." Helmeppo said.

"Well, that's great. Now, we'll have to go all the way back." Chiaki said as he and Luffy turned around, but…

"Don't move!" One of the Marines that appeared said as they aimed their rifle at them.

"Except letting Helmeppo go!" Another one added.

"You can try to shoot, but…" Chiaki said as he put Helmeppo in front of him, using the latter as a shield. "I hope your aim is as good as you think it is."

"No! Please, don't shoot!" Helmeppo shouted as Chiaki and Luffy used this opportunity to get through the Marines.

---

(In the crucifixion yard)

"You have to get out of here, Zoro." Coby said as he did his best trying into the Zoro's restraints.

"That maniac's gonna kill you for what you're doing right now!" Zoro shouted.

"Here. I'll help." Hoopa said as he approached Zoro and proceeded to help the boy untie the ropes. "Want to tell me why you come here?"

"I can't stand to watch the Marines behave like this anymore." Coby answered. "That Chiaki guy was right, Helmeppo and his father were trash! A true Marine should be honorable!"

"Look, you two! I can't leave!" Zoro argued, "I got 10 days left, and they–"

"Right, about that. They were planning to execute you soon. I thought I should let you know." Hoopa intervened.

"They what!?" Zoro exclaimed.

"It turns out Helmeppo has no intentions on holding his end of the deal." The Mischief Pokemon continued. "He was planning to kill you from the get-go. This got my friend, Chiaki, to lash out at that idiot and punch him. I think that straw hat boy was thinking of doing the same thing."

"He did?" Zoro asked, astonished that the straw hat boy, who annoyed him earlier, was also angry.

"And now the Marines are dead set on capturing him and Luffy." Coby said before he looked at Zoro with a smile. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna ask you to become a Pirate though. But I hope you'll help them. You have a lot of strength to offer."

"End of the line!" The three turned around to see Morgan, who had arrived with his men."For the crime of treason against me, I sentence you three to die where you stand!"

---

"Looks like this is the place." Chiaki said as he and Luffy entered what appeared to be Helmeppo's room. 'The room is something, but it got nothing on Jim's room.'

The two then spotted the sword, or rather, three swords at the corner of the room.

"Bingo!" Luffy said as he and Chiaki went over there. It was then that Luffy got confused. "Huh? Why are there three?"

"Hey, Snotty Boy! Which one of these belonged to Zoro?" Chiaki asked Helmeppo, who was revealed to have passed out.

"Huh. I guess he passed out." The straw hat boy said as Chiaki let go of Helmeppo.

"Let's just grab all of them and ask him about it." Chiaki then grabbed the three katanas before looking at the window. "Oh, shit."

"What's wrong?" Luffy asked him as he also took a look of what was happening outside through the window. "Coby!"

---

Coby was crying at his impending doom as Zoro glared at Morgan.

"You've been pulling some interesting moves there." Morgan remarked. "What is this? Some kind of poorly executed coup?" He then noticed Hoopa. "And there's… whatever this thing is!"

"Hey! I have a name, it's Hoopa!" Hoopa said. "Anyway, you better get ready because my friend is gonna beat you senseless after ruining the Marines!"

"Ruining the Marines? What a runt like you know about it?" Morgan asked. "And speaking of friends, were you three planning with the Straw Hat and that other fool who had the nerve to insult me?"

"While I can't speak for these two, I always fight by myself, like a real man does." Zoro replied. "Not like a coward, who hides behind his wall of expandable cronies!"

"Roronoa Zoro…" The corrupt Marine Captain began. "Don't you dare underestimate me. You may be a strong fighter, but under my authority you're just a rat belonging to the trash! Take aim!" With his command, the Marines immediately aimed their rifle at the three.

'No… I can't afford to die here!' Zoro thought.

Hoopa then spotted Chiaki and Luffy on the other side of the window. 'Looks like Chiaki's with that straw hat boy. Now's my chance!' Hoopa said as one of his rings from his horns began floating out said horns.

---

(In Helmeppo's room)

"If you got something in mind, best do it now!" Chiaki told him as he took a step back. "And don't worry about the swords, I'll take care of them. You do what you gotta do."

"All right, I'm counting on you!" Luffy said as he grabbed the window with both of his hands. "Gum Gum…" He then took a few steps back. "Rocket!" He then launched out of the window.

Now that that's done…" Chiaki said as a familiar, golden ring that was expanded to fit his whole body manifested behind him, creating a blue portal within the ring.

---

(Outside, in the crucifixion yard)

"Fire!" Morgan commanded his men to shoot.

Fortunately, Luffy quickly shielded the three from the bullets with his body.

"What!?" Zoro exclaimed.

"LUFFY, NO!" Coby shouted out of worry.

Fortunately for the straw hat boy, the bullet was stretched through his body. The Marines were dumbfounded as to how it was possible.

"SEE YA!" Luffy grinned before he flexed the bullets towards another direction, with one barely flying past Morgan's head. He then let out a triumphant laughter. "That won't work on me! Told you I was strong!"

Zoro and Coby had their eyes widened at the sight they just witnessed.

"You know, that's what I expected." Chiaki muttered as he just entered the yard via Hoopa's ring as the portal vanished. Though everyone, except Hoopa, was too shocked to notice him or the portal.

"What the–!?" Zoro exclaimed. "Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Monkey D. Luffy!" Luffy introduced. "And I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

"You're gonna be King of the Pirates!?" Zoro asked with disbelief. "Right. You are completely out of your rubbery mind! Do you have any idea what that means?"

"King of the Pirates means King of the Pirates. How can it mean anything other than that?" Luffy said.

"Yeah! When he first told me, it was shocking but he's completely serious!" Coby vouched. "That's how he is, I suppose."

"If I'm getting this right…" Chiaki began, finally getting the attention of Luffy, Zoro, and Coby. "That means you're going after the world's ultimate treasure: The One Piece. Is that right?"

"Yup!" Luffy replied before laughing cheerfully as Chiaki then gave the katanas to Luffy.

"Here's what I promised. We don't know which one is yours, so we took all three. Which is it?" Luffy asked.

"All of them belonged to me." Zoro answered. "I used Santoryu. The Three Swords Style."

"Three Swords Style? How is he gonna hold the third sword?" Hoopa pondered aloud.

"No clue, but I love to see it." Chiaki added.

"Take 'em already!" Luffy said, presenting the swords to Zoro. "Just know that if you fight with me now, you'll be a Government-defying villain. 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?" Zoro asked while smirking. "It doesn't matter, 'cause if I don't choose your side, I'll just end up dead on these sticks. So, let's do it."

"Haha! So, you're finally gonna join my crew!" Luffy exclaimed while raising the swords on his hand. "This is the best thing ever!"

"Would you quit celebrating and get these ropes off me!" Zoro yelled.

While this was going on, the Marines were still processing what they had just witnessed.

"What is he?"

"Bullets just bounce right off him."

"Straw Hat's no ordinary human like the rest of us." Morgan began. "He must've eaten one of those Devil Fruits that we've heard all those rumors about."

"Devil Fruit?"

"'The Hidden Treasure of the Sea…'"

"The Devil Fruits. Those who eat them gain extraordinary, otherworldly abilities." The Marine Captain ordered. "The power to breathe fire, the power to cause tsunami. Rumor persists that there are many types of these fruits, but next to nothing is known about them. It is said that the secrets to them lie somewhere in the Grand Line." He finished explaining. "And there's no question about it, the Straw Hat has just shown us his Devil power!"

As Morgan gave context regarding the Devil Fruits, Luffy was trying untie the ropes but with little success.

"Come on, hurry!" Coby urged Luffy to release the restraints off from Zoro.

"They sure got these things tight." Luffy muttered aloud.

"Maybe because you're making them tighter!" Chiaki yelled.

"C'mon, stop screwing around!" Zoro added.

"It doesn't matter what abilities they have! Anyone who defies me will be executed!" Morgan said. "If the guns won't work, we CHOOOOOOOOOOP!"

The shout at the last word caused the Marines to charge towards Luffy and the others.

"You might want to untie him faster because here they come!" Hoopa warned him.

"That's funny. The knots are getting tighter instead of looser." Luffy remarked

"Wow. Who could've seen that coming?" Chiaki retorted sarcastically.

"JUST GIVE ME MY DAMN SWORDS NOW!" Zoro yelled with shark teeth.

"Okay!" Luffy proceeded to throw all of Zoro's katanas at him.

As the Marines were closing in on them, Zoro was able to intercept their attacks immediately after cutting his restraints, with two katana in each hand and the third one with the white handle was in his mouth.

"Roronoa Zoro…" Morgan muttered as Luffy, Coby, Chiaki, and Hoopa were impressed by this display of skill.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Luffy said with excitement.

"Huh. So, that's how." Hoopa muttered.

"I have to admit, that's an unusual way of fighting." Chiaki added as he remembered that he underwent all sorts of training to get stronger.

"Make one move and you die." Zoro warned.

"So scary!" One of the Marines said in tears.

"Today, I officially became a criminal, having fought the Marines. So, I'll become a Pirate, that I can promise." The swordsman continued. "But I want you to know one thing. While I'm with you, the only thing I dedicate myself to is fulfilling my ambition."

"Which is?" Luffy asked.

"To be nothing less than the World's Greatest Swordsman! " Zoro answered. "If somewhere along the way I have to give that up, then I want you to take responsibility. After which, you get to apologize to me."

"The World's Greatest Swordsman…" Luffy repeated with a smile. "Sounds pretty good. The King of the Pirates wouldn't have any less than the best on his crew!"

"Big talker." Zoro smiled. "From this point on, it doesn't matter if I'm a criminal or not, I will spread the name Zoro throughout the world!"

'To become the King of the Pirates and become the World's Greatest Swordsman…' Chiaki repeated in his head. 'What are the odds of me meeting two people with big dreams?'

"What are you all standing there frozen for!?" Morgan demanded. "I want you to kill all five of them now!"

"It looks like it's time to let loose." Chiaki said as he pulled out a red and white ball that has a button in the middle that separates the top and bottom. This is the Poké Ball.

"What're you bringing that for?" Luffy asked dumbfounded.

"You'll see." Chiaki grinned before throwing said ball into the air. "Come out and play, Totodile!"

As he said that, the ball opened up releasing a blue energy that touched the ground. Coming out from the energy was none other than Chiaki's first Pokémon, Totodile.

"(Okie-dokie! I'm gonna try my best!)" Totodile declared.

Everyone who was not familiar with Pokemon were shocked to see the sudden appearance of one.

"What is that thing!?"

"It came out from that small ball!"

"How can it fit that!?"

"That is some creature…" Morgan muttered, admitting that he never saw something like Totodile.

Luffy, Zoro, and Coby were just as surprised as the Marines.

"Whoa! What is that little crocodile thing? It looks cool!" Luffy said with stars in his eyes.

"That's… impossible! Crocodiles aren't supposed to be in that color! Let alone standing on two legs!" Coby said.

"This is getting weirder…" Zoro muttered.

"Ha! Am I supposed to be scared of that ankle biter?" Morgan challenged. "Men! Kill him and that freakish pet of his!"

Some of the Marines that weren't locking the swords with Zoro charged towards Chiaki and Totodile.

"Watch out!" Coby warned him before he turned towards Hoopa. "Hey, aren't you going to do something? Your friend will be killed!"

"I wouldn't worry about those two. They'll be fine." Hoopa retorted.

"Huh?" Coby was confused by those words.

As the Marines were approaching them, Chiaki simply smirked.

"All right, Totodile! Use Water Gun! And then Bite after dodging!" He ordered.

"(Okay! Here I go!)" Totodile then spewed a stream of water towards a pair of Marines, knocking them down. He followed up by dodging a sword strike from one of the Marines before biting down one of the Marines in the leg.

"Ahh! It bit me!" Said Marine shouted in pain as the small Pokémon proceeded to lift the Marine up before throwing it to three other Marines, knocking them all out.

"Whoa! That blue crocodile just spat out water!" Coby pointed. "But how!?"

"Hey, that thing sure is strong!" Luffy said as he looked at Chiaki. "And he is also pretty good at telling the little guy what to do! I like him!" He then noticed that some of the Marines were not knocked out. "Hey! You and Zoro might wanna dodge!" He warned before reeling one of his legs back and stretched. "Gum Gum Whip!" Both Zoro and Chiaki ducked under Luffy's stretched leg and said leg knocked away all of the Marines.

Morgan was forced to watch in shock as his men were sent flying backwards and landed on the ground.

"Yes! You knocked them all down!" Coby cheered.

"You wanna tell me what you are?" Zoro asked.

"I'm just a guy who ate the Gum Gum Fruit." Luffy answered.

"What's the 'Gum Gum Fruit?'"

"It's a Devil Fruit." Chiaki answered for Luffy. "And in your case, your body is now rubber, right?"

"That's right!" Luffy said. "But, how did you know?"

"Well… My dad is a Devil Fruit user and it allows him to turn into a dinosaur." Chiaki said.

"A dinosaur!?" Coby exclaimed.

"Now, it's your turn." Zoro turned towards Chiaki. "Who are you?"

"Oh, that's right. I haven't introduced myself. The name's Chiaki. Kido Chiaki." Chiaki introduced himself before moving to Totodile. "This is Totodile. My first Pokémon."

"Pokémon?" Luffy, Coby, and Zoro repeated, having never heard that term.

"(Nice to meet all of you!)" Totodile happily greeted them.

"And I'm Hoopa." Hoopa re-introduced. "I'm a Pokémon too, but I'm a special case."

"Special how?" Luffy asked.

Before Hoopa could clarify, they then heard several whinings from the Marine.

"Captain, we don't stand a chance against them!"

"Yeah, just look at them! They're insane!"

"We couldn't even take on Zoro by himself!"

"Despite how it looked, that blue crocodile is strong!"

Morgan was seething in rage as he could not believe what he had just heard. "This is a direct order! Every Marine that just spouted weakness, pull your gun out and shoot yourself! I can't do anything with weak soldiers!"

"What babies." Zoro said as he readied his swords. "This'll be easy!"

Just as Luffy was about to run towards Morgan, Chiaki put his hand out in front of him. "Luffy, was it? Mind if I take care of this one? I happened to know someone who was in the Marines and I can't bear to see some idiot desecrate everything that the Marines stand for."

As much as Luffy wanted to fight Morgan for seemingly ruining Coby's dream, he could tell that Chiaki was dead serious on bringing Morgan down. Chiaki's desire was even greater than his, and it left quite the impression.

"Go for it, Chiaki!" Luffy said.

"Thanks." Chiaki said as he charged towards Morgan with Totodile.

"Are you sure leaving Morgan to him was the best idea, Luffy?" Coby asked.

"I'm sure." Luffy said before grinning. "He can definitely beat him!"

Chiaki pulled out two of his cutlasses as he ran towards Morgan. As he swung his swords at Morgan, the latter blocked it with the flat of his ax.

"(Here I go! Water Gun!)" Totodile jumped on Chiaki's shoulder before unleashing another Water Gun towards Morgan's face, causing him to be stunned due to a stream of water suddenly splashing into his face. This allowed Chiaki to overpower Morgan and slash across his body with one of the swords.

"Grah!" Morgan grunted in pain as he took a step backward.

"Did you see that? That guy actually managed to hurt Captain Morgan!" One of the Marines pointed out.

"You… Rankless, lowlife bums!" Morgan shouted as he glared at Chiaki and Totodile. "You have no right to defy my authority! I am Marine Captain 'Ax-Hand' Morgan!"

"No, you're Marine Captain 'Ax-Hand' Moron!" Chiaki retorted, angering the tyrannical Marine even further. "Who let his rank get over his head. From the way I see it, you don't deserve that rank. In fact, you're not even a real Marine! Just a thug who is wearing the uniform of one!"

Morgan had just about had enough of hearing that as he took off the coat, showing everyone that he meant business this time. Never had he encountered someone that was willing to show such disrespect to him. The very thought of it infuriated him.

"How dare you lecture me, you scum!" Morgan shouted at him. "Nothing I've ever done is wrong! I am the superior one around here!" He said as he raised his ax high. "And I'll demonstrate how right I was BY KILLING YOU FIRST!"

Chiaki managed to dodge the ax before slicing across the leg and then the left side of his shoulder with one of his swords before dodging another ax swing.

"You slippery bastard! STAND STILL AND DIE ALREADY!" Morgan screamed as he raised his ax once more above Chiaki's head, but the latter managed to dodge the attack. Though a huge crevice was made.

"Use Leer and then Bite!" Chiaki quickly ordered Totodile as he marched towards the Marine Captain before glaring with an intimidating look.

"You… dare look at me like that!?" Morgan exclaimed, unaware that he was briefly enveloped in a falling, blue aura.

"What's that?" Luffy wondered, having noticed the aura.

"(Time to soften you up!)" Totodile said before he dodged another attack from Morgan before biting his left hand.

"Grah! Get off!" Morgan said as he tried to shake the small Pokemon off of him.

What Morgan did not know was that Chiaki used this opportunity to jump into the air before punching him across his face, knocking him down.

"Whoa… Captain Morgan was really being beaten out there!"

Chiaki had then grabbed Morgan by the shirt. "Now, you get it? There's no way I'd lose to a dirty Marine like you, who was only thinking about himself." He then went for another punch.

"Stop right there! Look what I've got!"

Chiaki turned to see Helmeppo, who was holding Hoopa at gunpoint.

"If you value this little freakshow of a friend, you won't move a muscle!" The purple suit young man threatened. "I'm serious! One move and I'll shoot!"

Just as Chiaki was about to lash out, he thought of something fun.

"Okay, okay! I give!" Chiaki said as he raised his hands up, surprising the others.

"Huh?"

"Oh? How quick of you to surrender." Helmeppo grinned. "Now, all you have to do is stand there and let Daddy finish you off."

"'Daddy', huh? Are you that serious about killing me?"

"Of course, I'm serious! You punched me and called me and my father 'trash!'" Helmeppo said while still aiming his gun towards Hoopa's head. "You're the trash one here, not us!"

"Oh no. Please. Can anyone save me?" Hoopa said with a sarcastic tone.

"No, Chiaki was right!" Helmeppo turned around to see Coby charging at him. "You both are trash!"

"Huh–Gaah!" The purple suit young man was then punched across his face by Coby, causing him to fall down.

"Whoa! Coby!" Luffy exclaimed, impressed by how Coby became bolder.

"It hurts… but it felt good though." Coby muttered, feeling proud of what he did. He then turned towards Coby. "Go, Chiaki! Beat that crooked Marine Captain now!"

"Why you…!" Helmeppo growled as he stood up and tackled the pink haired boy. When the latter got up, the former grabbed him and pointed his gun towards him.

"Coby!" Luffy and Chiaki shouted.

Coby seemed scared for the moment before deciding to put on a brave face. "Luffy! Chiaki! Don't let anything happen to me stop you, no matter what! Even if I die!"

"Of course, you got it!" Luffy complied.

While Chiaki was slightly unnerved with how this situation brought up a 'certain memory' from the past, he was impressed that the timid-looking boy had become a lot braver. "You hear that, you moron? Coby isn't afraid of dying."

"Listen, you! I won't be treated like a joke any–" Helmeppo said as he was surrounded in a purple outline before finding himself suspended in the air, which allowed Coby to be free of his grasp. "What is this!? I can't move?"

"You know, I don't mind if you're aiming that peashooter at me because I know it won't hit me…" The arrogant young man turned to see Hoopa, who had glowing purple eyes, and shrieked. "But the second you point that thing at someone else, you will pay!"

"Amazing…" Coby mouthed.

"Whoa! Hoopa just made that idiot son float without touching him! So cool!" Luffy exclaimed.

"No way… Is this for real?" Zoro muttered.

Coby then saw a certain someone sneaking up behind Chiaki. "Chiaki, look out!"

Chiaki turned around and saw Morgan had recovered and was about to bring down the ax at him. "Oh shit."

"Time's up! FOR I AM THE FEARLESS MARINE CAPTAIN 'AX-HAND' MORGAN!" Morgan declared.

Zoro then put the third katana in his mouth once more.

"Daddy! Hurry up and kill him already!" Helmeppo shouted, while still suspended in the air thanks to Hoopa.

"Hey, Straw Hat! Wanna punch this guy out? I also know you've been meaning to do that ever since Chiaki beat you to it in that restaurant." Hoopa offered.

"Really? Okay! Gum Gum…" Luffy stretched his right arm further to the back.

"Pistol!" The right arm that launched forward as Luffy punched Helmeppo as he was restrained by Hoopa's Psychic, knocking them out.

The ax stopped halfway from hitting Chiaki's head. He saw that the Marine Captain paused for a moment before his eyes went blank and he fell on his back. It was then that he saw Zoro, who was the one that saved him.

"That was pretty good. Thanks." Luffy said as his arm reeled back to him before looking at Zoro, who was the one that landed the finishing blow.

"Just doing my job, Captain." Zoro said with a smirk.

Coby sighed in relief as he was saved once again by Luffy.

"That was a close one…" Chiaki muttered how close he was to dying as Totodile came to him and cheered him up.

"First rule of a fight: Never turn your back on your opponent unless you know it's over…" The black and auburn haired young turned to see Hoopa, who had floated to his side. "That's something your parents told you, right?"

"Yeah…" He said. "Also, I see how you saved Coby there."

"It's no trouble." The Mischief Pokémon stated.

"True."

The Marines were in disbelief at the sight they are seeing right now.

"Captain Morgan's been beaten!"

"Unbeliavable…"

"If there's anyone else who wants to step forward and fight us, then do it now." Zoro said after sheathing his swords.

The Marines looked at each other for a few seconds before throwing their swords, rifles, and even their hats in the air as they celebrated this momentous occasion.

"That's weird." Luffy said. "Looks like they're all happy that their Captain was beaten."

"They must've been afraid of him for so long until we showed up!" Coby exclaimed.

Zoro groaned before he fell to the ground on his back.

"Zoro! Are you okay? What's wrong?" Coby shouted out of worry.

"I'm just… hungry."

---

While this was happening, the same woman that was in the restaurant managed to infiltrate the base, looking for something.

"Sorry, you two. Guess you'll have to suck it up for a while." The orange haired woman said to a pair of Marines, who were bound and gagged as she entered Morgan's office.

Once there, she wasted no time pulling out things all over the room, searching for something… out of place. As she searched the desk, the woman saw a safe hidden by two barrels. The woman then pushed the barrels aside before she reached out to the safe's rotary lock and handle. As she pulled it, she realized that the safe, for some reason, was already unlocked. Her confusion was brief as she saw a piece of rolled-up parchment inside the safe.

"That's it! A maritime chart of the Grand Line. I knew they were hiding it!" The orange haired woman said as she took the map. As she unfurled it, she was met with a notice and a jolly roger with four slits in four different directions in each of the skull's eyes as well as a red, round nose. The notice said:

I'VE FLASHILY STOLE THE MAP!

- BUGGY

"This isn't the map. What is this?" The woman wondered as she slowly realized about one thing. "So, it's Buggy. Also known on the seas as 'Buggy the Immortal'..." She crushed the map in her hand as she looked at herself through the reflection on the window.

---

(Somewhere…)

"Ah… I'm stuffed!" Zoro cheered with a grin. "Having not eaten for three weeks, I was ready to gnaw my bootstraps!"

After dealing with Morgan, Chiaki, Hoopa, Luffy, Zoro, and Coby immediately went to the restaurant that Rika's mother owned. The townspeople were gathering in front of the restaurant as they came to see the heroes that have saved their town.

"Heh. I can't believe you're finished. " Luffy said while having food in his mouth. "Lightweight."

"How the hell can you have a bigger appetite than a guy who hasn't eaten in weeks?" The light green haired man asked.

"Is your stomach much bigger than it looks?" Chiaki asked.

"You might be able to out-eat a Snorlax and a Swalot from the looks of it. And those were known to have a big appetite." Hoopa muttered.

"Food just tastes too good, I guess." The straw hat boy replied. "Right, Coby?"

"Y-Yeah. It's great. Thanks for fixing it for us." Coby said.

"My pleasure." Rika's mother said. "After all, you guys did save the town!"

"You're the most amazing man I've ever met!" Rika complimented Luffy before she turned to Chiaki. "I heard you're the one who fought against Captain Morgan! That means you're also amazing!"

"It was nothing." Chiaki said, accepting the compliments as he continued eating his meal.

"Yeah, I know." Luffy replied. "I'll be even more amazing when I become King of the Pirates and have the One Piece." He then turned towards Zoro. "Oh, and the best crew on the seas."

"So, how many others in your crew have you gathered besides me?" Zoro asked. "You told me you were in the middle of gathering together the crew for your ship. And if you're gonna be King of the Pirates, I've got to assume you already have someone waiting on the wings."

"Nope. Just you." Luffy said bluntly, surprising Zoro.

"Just…?" The swordsman pointed to himself before pointing to Luffy.

"Yep. Just us." Luffy clarified. "Oh! I also decided that Chiaki and Hoopa will be joining the crew too."

Hearing this made the two spat out whatever drink they were drinking at a random direction.

"Sorry. I didn't hear that right. What did you just say?" Chiaki asked.

"I said you and Hoopa will be joining my crew."

"And when was that decided?" He asked.

"Right after that fight with that Ax-Hand guy." Luffy said. "You're both strong and seem like a bunch of good guys. Oh, and I like the way you make that baby crocodile fight."

"That's true, but…" Chiaki admitted. "Sorry, I can't join your crew."

"Why not?"

"For one, I just met you today. You hardly know anything about me. You and I are literally strangers."

"Well, I don't know much about Zoro either, but he's willing to join my crew." Luffy stated the facts surprisingly.

"That's because you kept pestering him and then blackmailed him…" Chiaki muttered. "Look, I just can't, alright?"

"I don't know if this sounds a little personal, but you're not from this town, are you?" Zoro asked him.

"You can tell, huh? You're right, I'm not a native here." Chiaki said. "Just got here after sailing from my home island." He continued. "Just recently began setting out to sea to chase my ambition."

"And what ambition is that?" The Three Swords Style swordsman asked.

"The only thing you need to know is that I'm doing it as a promise to someone." He told him.

"I know how that feels…" Zoro muttered, having known what it was like to carry out a promise for someone close to him.

"A promise, huh?" Luffy repeated. "What kind of a promise is it?"

"Do I look like I want to tell you about it?" Chiaki replied.

"If it's that important to you, you should join my crew."

"What are you? A broken record?" The black and auburn haired young man said, began to feel annoyed by the straw hat's stubbornness. "Read my lips, okay? I'm. Not. Gonna. Join. Your crew. End of discussion."

"Aww…" Luffy pouted before he immediately bounced back. "But if you feel like joining, let me know."

"I can't with this guy…" Chiaki muttered as he facepalmed.

"Anyway, that means you and I are what amounts to an entire Pirate crew?" Zoro asked, which Luffy nodded. "At least tell me that you have a ship."

"Sure do. It's right there." Luffy said before he pointed something outside of the window.

What he was really pointing was to the docks, where a single sailboat can be seen. A small dog was also seen taking a leak right at it.

"You're kidding." Zoro sweatdropped.

'I'm glad I can have Hoopa call on Lapras.' Chiaki thought.

"But we'll have an enormous one before long, just you wait and see!" Luffy said.

"Ahahahaha! And how's that?" Zoro asked .

"With a great big Pirate flag on top." Luffy then imagined himself standing on his own huge ship with his Jolly Roger on the flag at the crow's nest and the sails.

"I think Luffy was born without that part of the brain that allows the rest of us to plan out what we have to do." Coby remarked.

"I can't believe I let myself get suckered into having him as my captain…" Zoro muttered.

"Hey, we'll have a ton more crewmembers in no time." Their captain assured his first recruit before turning towards Chiaki. "Including Chiaki and Hoopa."

"You're not gonna drop it anytime soon, are you?" Chiaki asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Luffy? Where are you and your crew planning on traveling when you leave here?" Rika asked.

"You mean it's not obvious? We're headed straight to the Grand Line."

Luffy's reply made Coby spat out his juice from his mouth and nose.

"No! Have you completely lost your mind!?" Coby exclaimed. "You have four crewmembers. There's no way you're equipped to handle the Grand Line!"

"I've heard about it. But I never knew it was such an awful place."

"It's worse than you think." Coby began. "You know that this world has two oceans, I'm sure. There's an enormous landmass that cuts across both of them. This is called the 'Red Line.' Legend tells of a town that sits dead center in the Red Line. The Grand Line is set to cut through this town at the right angle and stretch all the way around the rest of the world. The story goes on to say that Gold Roger, the King of the Pirates had once obtained everything this world had to offer. Before he died, he said that he left the great One Piece treasure at this location. Ever since, Pirates have set sail to the Grand Line. Today, the place is nothing but a battlefield and some even called it the 'Pirate Graveyard!'"

"I've heard stories about it from people passing through…" Rika's mother chimed in. "The customers say that no one who has entered the Grand Line comes out of that place."

"Which is really too bad, 'cause that's where the One Piece is said to be and that's exactly where we're going." Luffy replied.

"I guess we'll just have to live with it." Zoro said.

"My ambitions also involve me going to the Grand Line too." Chiaki stated. "Looks like we're heading to the same thing."

"So, does that mean–"

"No, don't get ahead of yourself, Luffy." The black and auburn haired young interrupted him. "Just because you're also going to the Grand Line doesn't mean I want to join your crew."

"No! You can't agree!" Coby refuted as he got from his chair.

"Why so defensive? It's not like you're coming with us or something." Zoro asked.

"N-No, but… I still worry." Coby answered. "Is it so wrong to care about the four of you? Luffy and I haven't known each other for years or anything, but I still consider him a friend." He then turned towards Luffy. "Wouldn't you say?"

"Of course!" Luffy replied happily with a grin. "We may have to part ways, but we'll always be friends!"

This made Coby smile.

"When I was just a little kid, I never had any friends." The bespectacled began. "Much less anyone who would bother fighting on my behalf. So, I always tried my hardest never to fight for anything." He then looked at the four with a determined look. "But the four of you taught me a lesson that I could have never learned on my own: How to live for what I believe in. So, I decided to make my one childhood dream a reality and I'm going to join the Marines."

"Oh? You're planning to enlist in the Marines?" Chiaki chimed in as he looked at Coby with a smile. "My only advice for you is to be a good Marine. What happened with that Ax-Hand Moron is a good example of what a Marine should not become."

"I'm surprised you care so much about Marines. Do you want to become a Marine too?" Zoro asked.

"No. It's just… I happened to know someone who was a respectable figure in the Marines." Chiaki said, telling them a half-truth.

"Anyway…" Zoro then moved on to another topic. "I'd worry about myself if I were you."

"Huh?" Coby was confused.

"From what I heard from Luffy, you spend two years on Alvida's Pirate ship as the cabin boy."

"Oh, that's right. The Marines can run a background check on you." Chiaki said, remembering what his mother told him about the Marines. "And that's not good."

"The Marines' information gathering is top-notch." Zoro continued. "They'll find out about your time with Alvida and you'll never join."

"I… never thought about that." Coby muttered.

Just then, the door to the restaurant opened as a Marine entered the place. His comrades were waiting outside.

"Hey, you there." The acting leader of the Marines called out to them. "We heard you fellas are actually Pirates. Is this rumor true?"

"Right. And I just added the first member of my crew." Luffy answered proudly. "So, pretty much the whole thing just became official."

"Well, I'm not, so don't lump me in with this guy." Chiaki added before pointing towards Luffy.

"We appreciate everything you did to save our town from that horrible tyrant who terrorized us all for so long…" The leading Marine began. "However, now that we know that you're Pirates, as Marines, we cannot sit idly by and watch you go about your business. Therefore, you and your crew will need to leave this town immediately. But out of respect for what you've done, we will not report you to headquarters."

"Are you crazy!? How do you find the nerve to talk like that!?" One of the townspeople protested, which led all of them to protest.

"Before these Pirates came along, you guys were scared of Morgan as we were!" Another man remarked.

"Without them, we would still be under his reign! We owe them our lives!" A woman added.

Despite the protests, it was clear that the Marine will not waver on this decision.

"Well, time to go." Luffy said as he got up from his chair and proceeded to swing the sack over his shoulder. Said sack was filled with rations for the journey and was prepared by Rika's mother as another thank you gift for defeating Morgan. "Thanks for the food, lady."

"Wait a second. You're leaving already?" Rika asked.

"Though I'm not a Pirate, I don't plan on staying in one place for too long. Got places to be, after all." Chiaki said as he got up and picked up his bag of rations. "See ya!"

Coby simply stood there with his eyes widened, unsure what to do next as Luffy and Zoro walked past him.

"Aren't you part of the crew as well?" The Marine representative asked the aforementioned boy.

"Well, I uh—" The pink haired boy stuttered, unsure on what she should respond.

Luffy turned around for a bit before continuing walking.

"Hold it." The Marine called out to him, stopping in his tracks. "Is he with you or what?"

Luffy responded by turning around and grinned at the navy officer. "What I can tell you is what he was busy doing up to this point."

Coby was then surprised by this and turned around to face his friend. 'Luffy… You wouldn't…!'

"Yeah! There was this fantastically fat Pirate lady. I think her name was Alvida!' Luffy began.

"Luffy…"

"She carried around this huge iron club and boy she was the nastiest-looking woman I've ever seen." Luffy then walked up to Coby and began poking his head. "And for two years, this wimpy kid was her own private cabin boy…"

It was at this point that Coby realized how bad this could be since his friend just outright confessed to a Marine that he was nothing but a cabin boy for another Pirate crew. The boy could not take it any longer as he punched Luffy in the face, causing a gasp from everyone.

Chiaki was also surprised but he immediately caught on to what Luffy was trying to do.

'Huh. Looks like there is a brain in that rubbery head after all…' Hoopa thought with a smirk.

"Now, that was a dumb move!" Luffy retorted before he retaliated by punching him consecutively.

"Get out of here now!" The Marine demanded. "We can't have you Pirates ripping up this town any more than you already have!"

"Enough!" Zoro grabbed Luffy and pulled him backwards, causing him to stop hurting Coby. "You made your point. Now, let him fall to the ground."

Not long after Zoro said that, Coby fell to the wooden floor on his back.

"It's obvious you're not crewmates! So, stop battering the poor boy and take your leave of our town this instant!" The Marine ordered while pointing his finger at Luffy.

Luffy simply smirked as he picked up his hat and left with Zoro. Chiaki and Hoopa glanced towards Coby for a few seconds before leaving.

'That was on purpose?' Coby wondered. 'Luffy did that just to help me out… He worked me up and got me so mad that I hit him and made it look like I wasn't on his side. Even at the very end of our journey together, I wound up continuing to rely on him. I couldn't do anything for myself! Nothing's changed for me at all… I am such an idiot!'

The downed boy got up and looked at the leading Marine.

"Sir!" Coby called out, earning the Marine's attention. "Please, sir! Please, you have to let me join the Marines! I'll clean and scrub and do any chores that you like me to." He then bowed to the man. "I'll do anything to become a Marine!"

"Lieutenant." One of the leading Marine's subordinates approached him. "I can't say I fully trust this kid. I wouldn't be against this idea if there weren't clear cases of certain Marines actually being Pirate spies. I say we should conduct a background check first."

"No matter what you say, I am a man who will become a Marine!" Coby declared as he and the Marine Lieutenant stared at each other.

"I can't tell you how many of our comrades have been killed by Pirates over the years…" The man began as he walked past Coby. "This is a big step you're taking. Permission to join: Granted."

Coby smiled as he turned around and saluted the Marine Lieutenant. "Sir!"

"That was some thin act you pulled back there." Zoro said as he and Luffy were walking down to the docks. Chiaki and Hoopa also were walking with them. "I'd be surprised if they see right through it."

"Hehe. Coby should be able to handle the rest on his own. I have faith in him." Luffy said.

"Coby's a good kid, I tell you that." Chiaki added.

"I think he's going to go far in that line of work. As long as he keeps up the drive to move forward, I'm sure he will be just fine." Hoopa added.

"It is a fitting way to leave this place. Unable to turn back because everyone here hates us now" Zoro commented. "Very Pirate-like."

"Yeah. It sure is!" Luffy replied as he knelt down and began untying the ropes.

"Maybe for you two, but for me and Hoopa." Chiaki said as he turned towards Hoopa. "Hoopa, do it."

"I heard you loud and clear." Hoopa said as one of his rings levitated out of his horns before expanding vertically. "Alléhooparing!" He chanted as the ring became a portal once more as Lapras, the very same Lapras from last time, appeared from the portal and landed safely into the waters.

"What the…?" Zoro was flabbergasted.

"Whoa! Something just came out from that ring thing! So cool!" Luffy exclaimed. "It's like magic!"

"(Oh my. It looks like I'm here again.)" Lapras said before noticing Chiaki and Hoopa. "(Ah. It's you two again. It's nice to see you again. I take it you wish for me to take you somewhere?)"

"Yup. We're done in this town." Chiaki said as he got on Lapras's back as Hoopa flew onto it as well. But just as he was about to have Lapras to move…

"Luffy!"

Everyone turned around to see Coby staring at them. With him were Rika and her mother.

"I can never thank you enough!" Coby said as he saluted them. "You've done more for me than anyone ever has!"

"I've never heard of a Marine thanking a Pirate before." Zoro remarked. "That's one for the history book."

"Well, Marines tend to forget that Pirates are people too." Chiaki added as his mind thought back to his parents.

Luffy chuckled as he and Zoro got on the sailboat before sailing away from the island alongside Chiaki and Hoopa via Lapras.

"We'll meet again, Coby!" Luffy vowed as he waved goodbye. "Someday!"

"Bye, Luffy." Coby muttered.

"Hope to see you again someday!" Rika also bid them farewell.

"All hands, salute!" The Marine Lieutenant commanded as they somehow appeared behind Coby and saluted Luffy and the others.

"See ya!" Luffy said.

"Remember, Coby: Be a good Marine!" Chiaki added.

"That's a couple of good friends you have there." The Lieutenant said to Coby, as the latter formed tears of joy.

"Yeah!" Coby nodded.

"Men! Seeing as our current is a violation of Marine law, we will all go without food for three days! Do we all understand this?" The man stated.

"Yes sir!" Coby and the other Marines replied, agreeing on taking the punishment.

'I know that we'll meet again someday!' Coby thought. 'Deep inside as much as I ever felt anything! Even if we are divided as Pirates and Marines, I still look forward to that day!'

And so, Chiaki made a couple of new friends after setting out to fulfill his promise. Despite being offered a place in Luffy's Pirate crew, Chiaki refused. What adventures would they find themselves in? For one thing, they are about to find out soon enough as the adventure continues…

---

(Next…)

C: Are you planning to follow me or something?

L: Until you decided to join my crew.

?: Stop the boat now. We're members of Buggy the Clown's Pirate crew.

?: There's nothing more in this world that I hate than Pirates!

B: Now, listen up! It's time to prepare the "Buggy Ball"!

C/H/L: Next time on The Straw Hats' Monster Tamer, Chapter 2: Buggy the Clown Pirate!

C: I'm gonna find–

L: I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!

C: Damn it, Luffy! You stole my thing!

---

So... You might be thinking that Chiaki would join the crew in this chapter. Well... Unfortunately, that was not the case. But make no mistake, Chiaki will join the crew along with Hoopa. Just... a bit later but before the Arlong Park Arc.

Special thanks to Coral the Leviathan for the suggestions on some of the scenes and storyline.

As usual, leave a review and I'll see you again soon!