WhIP

by footfungus

nederlands verhalen over mijn otp

232. Chapter 232

Koby's Awful No-Good Very Confusing Day

okiedokeTM (madelinescribbles)

Summary:

This is so much bigger than him, Koby realizes, like a bucket of ice water pouring over him. Five minutes ago he saw Luffy get unceremoniously executed by Blackbeard. He didn't even get a chance to help. And now he's years back in time, with a laundry list of very vague instructions about whatnotto do if he wants to prevent that, given to him by a ninja version of himself thatkissed him on the mouth.

Notes:

No clue where this came from, but this fic absolutely possessed me. I did nothing but write this for two days.

(See the end of the work formore notesandother works inspired by this one.)

Chapter 1

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter fornotes.)

Chapter Text

Monkey D. Luffy, Captain of the Strawhat Pirates, heir apparent to the title of Pirate King, is unceremoniously killed about two yards from Koby's terrified face.

Blackbeard flicks the arm gripping Luffy's skull. Luffy's head snaps to the side with a sickeningCRACKand it stays there. Which, that's not right. That's not correct at all. Luffy goesboingandfwipandsnapbut neverCRACK. His head should be bouncing back into place now, too. None of this unnatural holding nonsense. The bend in his neck is so… sharp. That's not Luffy at all. Luffy is squiggles and stretches and curves.

Most importantly, Luffy is full of life and passion and determination. He never stops fighting, even when he's down and out. Even when he should be long past unconscious. When he hurts and bleeds. He keeps going. A creature of kinetic energy until the fight is won.

But the thing in front of Teach - in front of Koby, too, he's right here - is very dead. So it's definitely not Luffy, even if it looks so much like him. Even if itwasLuffy just a few milliseconds earlier. His soul's voice was clear as crystal, and shining bright like one too. But now there's no voice at all, void where it should be. So this… thing in front of him. It can't be Luffy.

Because Luffy doesn't die. He'd never die before Koby got to fight him. And he'dcertainlynever die before becoming Pirate King, killed in the middle of a fight that's barely begun.

The broken Luffy-look-alike sways and falls chest-down into the earth. It would have been face-down if the neck wasn't turned like that. Someone should really fix that, it's unseemly.

What an odd thought to have about a broken neck...

Ah. Koby's in shock.

Right, that makes sense. There's a lot going on right now. A lot of shocking things. It's a battlefield.

Well, when his men experience shock in the field, Koby takes them to a medic, to make sure they aren't harmed while they're out of it. If Koby's in shock, he should see a medic.

Numbly, he turns away from the body and the cackling emperor standing over it. There are a few medics here. The ones from the marines are a lot further back, away from the epicenter of the battle where he currently is. But the pirates have a few.

The Surgeon of Death is close by, but he seems busy, his sword clashing with one in the hands of someone thrice his size. Best not to bother him.

His first mate, a polar bear mink, is the next closest medic, but he appears to be taking a nap. Ah, no, at a second glance he's laying in a pool of blood, oozing from fresh pink chest wounds. And his eyes are open, unblinking. So he's dead. Probably won't be able to help.

Even further still, he spots a furry humanoid goring the last of a Blackbeard platoon with its massive horns. This is Luffy's doctor. Chopper, Koby remembers. Luffy presented him very proudly. He's a good doctor. Probably a good medic too.

He walks himself over just as the last of Chopper's combatants fall.

"Excuse me," Koby calls up to him.

Chopper turns to him, confused.

"Koby? What? You should be up with Luffy!"

"Oh, sorry. Luffy died. And I'm in shock. So I came to see a medic."

Chopper stares at him, frozen.

"Wh- what?" Chopper's voice trembles. He looks past Koby, eyes wide with horror. After a moment, morphs into a more deer-like form and takes off running the way Koby just came.

Ah, he's busy too, then.

He's about to just sit down here and wait for Chopper to return, when a gentle hand wraps around his arm. Koby stares at it dumbly, before tracing it up to its owner.

It belongs to a pale man he's never seen before. Head shaven to the skin, a black cloth mask pulled across the entire bottom half of his face. His whole outfit is black, actually.

"Woah. A ninja," Koby whispers, because ninjas are cool.

For a moment the man's eyebrows shoot upwards in surprise, but they're quickly schooled.

"Uh, no. Come with me, please," he says, quiet but firm.

"Okay." Koby lets the man pull him along. He can't really feel his own body properly anyway.

As they walk through the battle, Koby senses a half dozen death rattles per second through his haki. He quickly shuts it off. It's too much right now.

He's guided behind a bombed-out wall that's barely tall enough to reach his shoulders.

The ninja sighs. "I guess this is the best we'll get in the middle of a warzone." He turns to Koby. "This is going to be confusing."

Koby opens his mouth, but he's cut off.

"You're unlucky number 13, sorry. You probably won't succeed. But we need more intel. Here's the advice I've gotten so far, plus my own." He pulls out a tiny origami frog. "Hold it in your mouth. Don't swallow."

What? Why an origami frog?

"It's what they folded for me," the man shrugs, reading his mind.

"I- I'm not sure I understand-"

"You will when you get there, trust me. Just put the frog on your tongue."

"A-Are you a revolutionary?" Koby asks, hesitantly placing the folded paper in his mouth. It tastes like paper and ink, sturdy enough that it's not dissolving.

The man snorts. "No. They're compromised too early. Dead end."

Koby isverylost.

Nearby, there's a huge BOOM and a roar of wind. He turns his head towards the source. Roronoa Zoro, his three blades gleaming black with haki, launches a flurry of devastating attacks against a dodging Blackbeard. A very small number of them connect.

Zoro isn't supposed to be near Blackbeard, let alone fight him. That's Luffy's jo-

Oh. Oh god. Luffy. Luffy's dead. Zoro abandoned his orders because Blackbeard killed his captain. Luffy isdead.

Koby's going to hurl.

"Hey. Focus up." The mysterious ninja man grabs Koby by the chin and wrenches his gaze towards him.

"I need you to concentrate." The man is very close. Koby can feel his breath through the mask. "Think about the first time you met Luffy. The storage room on the passenger ship, the two years of misery in Alvida's service, the heart attack when he leapt from that barrel, the joy when he punched her in the face. Focus on those moments. Focus on Luffy. The first time you saw his face. Picture that moment. How you felt. Exactly what it looked like. That first moment with Luffy."

Koby is rapt. The words make it so easy to picture, like a guided meditation. There are hot streaks of tears rolling down his face, but he ignores them, because he can see that moment so clearly in his mind's eye. Luffy.

"Keep thinking of that moment. And… I apologize, you're going to discover alotabout yourself in very quick succession. Try not to worry about it too much. Focus on Luffy."

Koby nods distantly at the words. He focuses on Luffy.

The ninja pulls down his cloth mask. Koby is staring into his own face. Completely shaved head, no glasses, an extra scar on his chin, but undoubtedly what he sees whenever he looks in a mirror. He's talking tohimself.

"Luffy," the other Koby says urgently. "Remember Luffy."

And then he grabs Koby by the back of the head and kisses him. With tongue.

That- It's-

What-?

Koby's brain short circuits.

It's not totally unpleasant.

Koby has definitely never been kissed like this. Sometimes, when he saves people from pirates or criminals, a blushing young woman will run up and give him a peck on the lips, as a thank you. It's rare, but it's happened at least twice. Helmeppo teases him about it.

This is absolutely not that atall.It's rough and a little slimy and pretty aggressive. The other Koby's tongue is on a fucking mission to get in further between his teeth, and the grip on the back of his skull is firm and demanding, yet strangely comforting.

Oh shit. Koby might be gay.

The other Koby growls some sort of command distorted by the lip lock, and Koby wracks his brain through this truly bizarre experience to figure out what he could possibly want.

Oh right, Luffy, he said. Focus on Luffy.

So he does. And as he imagines that moment in the cargo hold, with Luffy's radiant smile and proud declaration of becoming Pirate King, the other Koby's tongue forces through the gap in his teeth and nudges the origami frog, causing Koby to choke.

The other Koby lets out a triumphant noise, and then the entire world goes white.

"-be King of the Pirates!"

Koby is sitting on a crate, in the storage hold of a ship. He is staring at a very young, very alive, Monkey D. Luffy. A vivid, perfect rendition of the moment he was remembering.

He coughs. A neatly-folded, slightly damp origami frog flies out of his mouth and lands between his feet.

He and Luffy both stare at it dumbly.

"That's weird," Luffy says. "You eat paper?"

Koby is still staring at it, mouth hanging open.

"Not usually," he says weakly.

"Hm," Luffy hums. "Paper's not that good. Tastes bad."

"I'm inclined to agree."

Koby's eyes are still fixated on the frog.

"You should eat something better." Luffy shrugs, then turns away to steadily shove a dozen apples into his mouth.

"Good… good idea."

Wait.

"LUFFY!" Koby screams, launching at him.

Luffy, though bewildered, lets it happen. Koby fists his hands through his vest. Real. Grabs his cheek. Real. Pulls the skin until it stretches unnaturally. Still rubber, and plenty real.

"This is real," Koby breathes. "You're alive."

"Yeagh?" Luffy says through his distorted mouth. He brings another apple to his teeth and pops it in like anyone else would a grape. "You'r' weirgh."

Watching the mechanics of Luffy chewing is truly horrifying, and it invokes memories of the last thing Koby was doing with his own mouth, so he quickly releases Luffy like he's been burned and scrambles off his chest.

"Okay," Koby says to himself, pacing. "Okay, just breathe. What's happening?"

"I'm having a snack," Luffy offers. "And you were whining."

Right. Luffy is here. All things considered, that'sfantasticnews. Seeing him not dead is veryverycomforting. It's also making it a lot harder to think. He's definitely having a panic attack right now.

"Hey, Luffy? You can have the rest of the apples if you look away and pretend you can't hear me for the next two minutes."

"Sure," Luffy agrees, "I was going to do that anyway."

And he proceeds to turn around and stuff his face.

Cool. Okay. Great. That's problem number one, solved.

Problem number two. Koby is small. His body feels weird. Weaker. Lighter. No back pain, which is actually really awesome. He started getting chronic pain at eighteen thanks to Garp's training. But the lack of it also means he doesn't have Garp's training. Which is terrifying, because it means Koby really is fifteen again.

Koby was - pardon the language - a real pussy at fifteen. Granted, a lot of that was an attitude problem as much as it was a skill issue. He can… he can work on that. But it's not something he can immediately change. So he's gonna have to get over it for now. Putting a pin in problem number two.

Problem number three. Koby was on a battlefield just now, and now he's in the past, in the hold of a passenger ship.

This one is more of an abstract problem, isn't it? Because how the hell do you fix something like that? The only possibility he can think of is that maybe this is a shock-induced hallucination. It would explain the weirdness of kissing himself as a ninja. And the frog.

Oh! The frog! Ninja Koby said something about it being… advice? Intel?

He plucks it off the ground and inspects it. It looks exactly the same as when he popped it in, just a little droopy from spit. When he fiddles with it, he can see that beneath the folds, protected by the architecture of the frog, is several rows of small handwriting.

Alright. Reading that can be a separate problem. He'll circle back. One thing at a time. He can put a pin in problem three as well.

Problem number four. Koby is maybe gay.

The "maybe" is a keystone word for a few reasons. First, he's still holding out hope that this is some elaborate fever dream, and that everything happening is irrelevant.

Second, he could be bisexual. Or even straight! He certainly hasn't made out with a girl like that. For all he knows, it could be better. It's never really crossed his mind to try. Koby finds girls… pretty scary. It's an emotional artifact from the years as Alvida's punching bag. He has no clue how to talk to women outside of a professional capacity, so in social situations he usually just smiles and listens silently unless hereallyneeds to say something.

Oh, yikes. That's… not really a point in favor of heterosexuality. He should also maybe get better at speaking to women.

But, third reason for the "maybe" here, is that he's never kissed aboylike that either. And this one experience doesn't really count, because it was technically sort of himself? Kissing yourself isn't… it's not the same as kissing a boy, right? Like, that'syou.Right?

He lets out a keening noise of despair. Problem number four isn't going to be solved by thinking. He'll have to put a pin in this one too. Maybe try kissing someone later to test? No, that idea is terrifying.

What was it that Ninja Koby said? Focus on Luffy. Right. Luffy first, gay thoughts later.

That leaves him with problem number five. The note.

Very carefully, he peels back the folds, unveiling a tiny square paper, and a note written with his own cramped handwriting.

Save Luffy. Here's what we've learned.

Don't tell Luffy.

Don't tell Helmeppo.

Don't tellanyone.

The Loop-Loop Fruit is on Eternal Orchard Grove in the New World.

DO NOTeat any other devil fruit.

Don't save Ace.

Don't save Whitebeard.

Don't save Thatch.

Don't get promoted past Vice-Admiral.

Don't tip offanyrevolutionaries.

Don't try to kill Teach at Marineford.

Don't try to kill Teach at Impel Down.

Don't try to work for Blackbeard.

Don't try to kill Teach alone.

Okay. That's a lot of rules. And Koby has no idea who Thatch is.

"Don't tell Luffy" sort of kills his immediate plan of action. And "don't tell Helmeppo" kills his second. As does the "anyone." He was really hopingsomeonecould help him figure out what the hell is happening.

Then there's the rule against becoming an Admiral. Koby is aCaptain, why on earth would he have to worry about that? Scratch that, right now Koby isn't even amarine, because if this isn't a fever dream, then he's apparently still a whipping boy for Iron Club Alvida, and has never even thrown a punch.

Also, Loop-Loop fruit? That's important to him? It sounds like he ate a devil fruit. Or…will

This is so much bigger than him, Koby realizes, like a bucket of ice water pouring over him. Five minutes ago he saw Luffy get unceremoniously executed by Blackbeard. He didn't even get a chance to help. And now he's years back in time, with a laundry list of very vague instructions about whatnotto do if he wants to prevent that, given to him by a ninja version of himself thatkissed him on the mouth.

This- this is insane. His breath is coming short and shallow. It's not enough to fill his lungs. He's dying. Just like Luffy on that battlefield, his neck at that wrong angle, Koby is dying. He can't breathe. The air is so thin. His shirt is choking him. He yanks at the collar, to clear his airways, but it doesn't help. He needs to rip it off before he-

A hand slaps him hard across the cheek.

Koby blinks. Luffy, the young, alive Luffy, is standing over him.

"Isaidtwo minutes is over," Luffy says sternly.

"R-right," Koby stammers. "Sorry, thanks. I'll, um." He awkwardly folds the paper (into quarters, not back into a frog) and tucks it away in his breast pocket. His cheek stings where Luffy slapped him. It's grounding.

Luffy nods, satisfied. And steps away, already wandering off into another room.

"Oh! Wait!" Koby remembers this part. "Alvida-"

He cuts himself off at the sound of crashing when Alvida falls through the ceiling.

"Nevermind," Koby squeaks.

He'll have to come up with a game plan later. For now, his mission is to help Luffy take down Alvida and seize his freedom. As long as he doesn't break any of the rules, it's probably fine. Everything is fine.

Koby is fine.

Except… he nevertrulygot over his fear of Alvida. She beat the shit out of him for two years, it's hard to forget. And logically, he's long since outclassed her in terms of strength, especially at the level she's at now. She's nothing more than a bully.

But in this moment, Koby is in that same tiny body that took all those beatings, the one he's in when he has the rare nightmare about them, and it's hard not to close his eyes and just brace for a blow.

"L-Luffy?" Koby stammers.

"Who's the big chunky lady?" Luffy asks, way too loudly. Koby might cry.

Alvida screams with rage and slams her club, Luffy bounces and stretches, grabs Koby with a "Let's go!", and jumps up onto the deck.

All the other men from Alvida's crew that treated him like dirt are there, ready with swords, and Luffy side-steps them all, dancing around and throwing a few punches that seem like they're more for his amusement than necessary to win the fight.

As they go down he strikes a victorious pose, sporting a massive grin and flexing a little noodle arm as if there's a bicep there. Red rushes to Koby's cheeks as he recalls that, in about 3 years, there absolutely will be, with a set of 1.5-billion-belli abs to match.

There's a man flying out of the crow's nest with a cutlass, and Koby's instincts kick in. He tackles Luffy, throwing him to the side, as the sword sinks into the deck where he was. With a quick kick to the head - though much less powerful than he's used to - the man falls over, unconscious.

"Shishishi! I thought you were a crybaby!" Luffy laughs.

"T-trying not to be!" Koby replies.

He spots a hoard of men approaching from the other end of the ship. At least two dozen.

"I'm not strong enough to take them all. Can- can you please help me?" Koby asks.

Luffy's face splits into a massive grin.

"Of course!" He pumps his fist and then takes off running, stretching his arm on the mast to prepare a gum-gum rocket.

Koby's heart explodes. Logically, he knows that Luffy does what he wants. Last time, he fought everyone while Koby cowered in the corner. So he's not even doing this because Koby asked. But that smile… it felt so much like it was just for him. Like even if Luffy is going to enjoy this fight, he's entered it for Koby's sake. It's making him irrationally happy.

This is a crush, he realizes. Koby has a crush.

…Guess that solves problem number four.

Luffy flies past, bowling over twenty men in a pile. Koby isn't going to sit idly by this time, he's going to help his friend.

He takes care of the stragglers, putting in a lot more effort than usual thanks to his lack of muscle. It doesn't help that a good chunk of Koby's fighting style is fisticuffs, thanks to Garp's training. As he fights back-to-back with Luffy, he's amused to notice some of those same fundamentals in the way Luffy fights too. Just a lot more… primal. And stretchy.

Working together, the men go down quickly. But before Koby has half a second to be relieved, Alvida climbs out of the hole in the deck.

"KOBY!" She roars, hefting her club.

Everything he's learned in the past three years is completely smothered by the terror that yell generates. Koby is suddenly shaking like a leaf. His fists are up, but it's the equivalent of using a postage stamp as a shield.

"IHATEYOU!" Koby screams, screwing his eyes shut, "Y-you horrible monster! You r-ruined my life, and I can't w-wait to see Luffy beat your face in!"

"KOBY, YOU LITTLE-"

"GOMU GOMU NO-"

Koby wraps both arms around himself and forces one eye open through the fear.

"-BRAT!"

"-PISTOL!"

Luffy's fist connects with Alvida's face, and she goes flying, sailing over the railing of the ship and splashing into the sea.

It's over.

Koby runs across the deck to confirm, yes, she's too far away to swim back, and finally lets the tension bleed out of his shoulders.

"Oh look, the marines are here," Luffy says. And the tension winds back up instantly.

"Boat! We need a boat! We gotta move!" Koby says quickly. He'll invite himself into Luffy's dinghy again. He hasnotlearned enough about whatever the hell is happening to feel safe leaving Luffy alone. And if he's not in line of sight, Koby is going to keep picturing that corpse.

"Sure. HEY GUYS! GIVE US A BOAT!" Luffy calls across to the tattered remains of Alvida's men. Terrified, they comply.

As the navy ship approaches, Luffy and Koby are in a tiny lifeboat, sailing vaguely in the direction of Shells, because even if Luffy hasn't asked, Koby is going to make sure he gets Zoro.

Is… is it bad that he didn't ask this time? Koby's memory isn't sharp enough to figure out beat-for-best what went differently, beyond him helping with the fight. Hopefully, as long as Koby takes Luffy to the same place, it won't be super different.

Or, wait.Shouldit be different? If he's going to protect Luffy, is he supposed to just sit around for a few years until opportunity arises to nudge the odds in his favor? Ninja Koby had said something that churns a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

'It won't be you.' He'd said it so casually, like he was certain. That stings, honestly, that he's no more than a pawn in his own game. The 13th pawn, apparently. That this life he's living right now, on this tiny boat with Luffy, having experienced the best day of his life for the second time over, is just a chance to gather intel, nothing more. That he will inevitably watch Luffy die like that again, hand off whatever he's learned, and then… what? Keep fighting? Die? Retire? Try again? Ninja Koby didn't tell himanything.That's stupid.

…hold on.

That'sstupid.

Koby isn't going to waste what could easily be the rest of his entire life failing to stop Blackbeard just to get information. This ishislife. Even if he's been launched here by some version of himself from another timeline or the future or whatever, he doesn't owe him his life.

Koby loves Luffy, his oldest friend and rival (and, apparently, crush but he can sort that out later). He'll do everything in his power to prevent his untimely death, he'll even follow the stupid rules he was given, but he's going tolivewhile he does.

"Luffy?" Koby asks.

Luffy hums inquisitively.

"If you're headed to the Grand Line, you're gonna need a crew, right?"

"Yup!"

Koby nods. "Could… could I join?"

Luffy tilts his head.

"Why?"

Koby pauses for a moment. Being a great marine is- was- sort of still is- his dream. He wouldn't trade that time in the navy for anything. Time spent with Helmeppo, his best friend and unwavering support, commiserating over intense training and bad military food. Time spent with Garp, learning how to fight, to use the navy's power to help, to undermine the dubious orders. Time spent saving people and fighting evil pirates and just helping wherever he went. Time spent making the world safer for the people who can't do it themselves.

He wouldn't trade it for anything. But the thing is, he's already lived it. He already knows that Helmeppo's favorite color is secretly purple, even though he says it's green. He already found all 18 of Garp's emergency rice cracker stashes. He already saved dozens of towns, and hundreds of people, and rose through the ranks, and learned to tell the good orders from the bad. Granted, he thought he'd be doing it for another few decades, but…

Doing it all again, going through the motions, seeing his friends do and say everything for a second time like a broken transponder is not a life. And when it comes down to it, his dream to be a great marine isn't about the institution itself. It's about taking down bad guys - like Alvida - who use their power to hurt others. If there's one thing Luffy taught him in the last few years, it's that anyone can do that if they choose. The Strawhat Pirates took down way more bullies than Koby, despite their two year hiatus.

"I want to do good recklessly," Koby says. "I'm sick of blindly following rules and orders that hurt others or make me miserable because it benefits some higher goal I don't understand. I-I'm allowed to choose too!"

He whirls around to face Luffy, who is lounging on the other side of the dinghy, watching him critically.

"I want to join your crew because I want to joinyou. Because it's whatIwant." He heaves a breath. "Would you have me?"

Luffy's intense gaze rakes him over. Koby had just been saying what was on his mind, but he suddenly feels horrifyingly vulnerable. He's cupped his dreams in his hands and held it out here to Luffy, begging him to take it, to care for it. To be kind. And with a single word he has the power to crush it between his fingers. Under his boot. To tell him no, and leave Koby completely lost in this world, in this bizarre and unsettling circumstance.

"I will be King of the Pirates," Luffy says, phrased like a reminder.

"I don't doubt it."

"I'd be your captain. I could give you orders. Even orders to hurt people. I'm a pirate, not a hero."

"I know," Koby says firmly. "But as long as you're the person I know you to be, I'll gladly trust those orders."

Luffy eyes him again. Koby is still holding those dreams in his hands, offering.

Then Luffy breaks into that wonderful, sunny smile, and it's the most beautiful thing Koby has ever seen.

"Koby! Join my crew!"

"Aye, Captain!"

Notes:

The amazingCoyoteFang1987(aka orange-artiston tumblr) has made theCOOLEST ARTfor this chapter! If you haven't seen their fantastic kobylu art in general, you are missing out. It was what inspired me to start this fic in the first place!

Chapter 2

Summary:

Previously: Koby witnesses Luffy's death, and is sent back in time to save him with little context. He decides to join Luffy's crew and live his life to his own desires.

This chapter: Koby takes Luffy to Shells Town, and things are similar but inarguably changed.

Notes:

Guess who turned this into a longfic! Everyone who asked for more of this AU, say thank you to my girlfriend who has persistently begged and encouraged me to continue this AU. My current draft is already nearly 20k, so you have more to look forward to ;)

Also, if you read the first chapter while this was still a one-shot, I've since made a small tweak to the "rules" on the origami frog to suit the plot going forward. The rule about not touching seastone and not swimming no longer exists! If you don't know what I'm talking about, this doesn't apply to you lol.

Anyway, please enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

"Where are we going?" Luffy asks, his head dangling over the lip of the dinghy. Waves lap at his hair.

Koby's heart-rate spikes and he drags Luffy back into the boat by his ankles, out of drowning range.

"We're going to Shells Town to get supplies and, uh…"

Shoot. How is he supposed to tell Luffy that they need to save his future first mate and best friend who is currently slated for execution?

Luffy is still staring at Koby expectantly.

"And I heard there was a… guy. Who is there."

Koby, you moron.

"Eh? What kind of guy?" Luffy asks, clearly interested.

There's no way that worked.

"A very strong guy!" Koby says hurriedly, not wanting to lose his momentum, "They call him the Demon of East Blue, the terrifying swordsman and bounty hunter, Roronoa Zoro."

"Woah! A swordsman!" Luffy sits up, clamping his hat on and bouncing excitedly. "He's strong? If he's a good guy I'll ask him to join our crew!"

"Good idea!" Koby agrees. That was surprisingly easy. Though, in fairness, Luffy was determined to recruit Zoro despite Koby's protests all those years ago. Of course he doesn't need a ton of convincing.

Alright, then. This part is easy. Koby already lived it! He just has to do all the same stuff again, mostly, with a little less pathetic whining and a little more helping. The real unknown territory comes after Zoro's rescue. What exactly is supposed to happen if Koby joins the fledgling Strawhat pirates instead of the Marines? Oh, geez, will Helmeppo still re-enlist without Koby there to-

"Neeeeeee," Luffy groans, "I'm bored, Koby."

"O-okay?" Koby stammers, too bewildered to say anything intelligent. Luffy's hand is stretching across the deck and winding around his face like a constrictor snake. It tastes sour with sweat and rubber, and the realization that he's tastingLuffymakes his cheeks turn red.

"What's your favorite food?" Luffy asks.

"Uh, I don't know," Koby says distractedly, trying to politely pry his new captain off him. Thisdefinitelydid not happen last time.

"You don't know? Everyone knows!" Luffy insists. He is making absolutely no move to help Koby free himself. "Unless you just can't choose. I also can't choose! But mine is meat."

Koby stops struggling for a moment, intrigued. "Like, all meat?"

"Yeah! Especially meat with a big bone in it!" Luffy starts drooling a little. "Mmm, meat."

"I thought you said you can't choose?" Koby asks.

"Yeah, sometimes! But it's definitely meat."

…Right.

"Does Koby like meat too?" Luffy asks.

This is such a bizarre conversation. He should have been prepared - Luffy is a bizarre person - but in comparison to everything he's been through so far, he feels stupidly out of his depth. Fight Alvida and collect Zoro; he's done that before. But he's never had such an inane conversation with Luffy before. Or many people, for that matter. Helmeppo is the only real friend Koby has, and it originally took months for them to even speak to each other outside of ordered duties.

Not "is." Was. Helmeppowashis only real friend.

The tube arm around his face constricts.

"Kobyyyy," Luffy whines. Ah, he's been awkwardly silent.

"Er, yeah, I guess I like meat?" Koby says, a little distorted by the face-hugging. "I'm not a vegetarian or anything."

"Shishishi," Luffy laughs, "Koby doesn't like vegetables either."

Koby blinks.

"Wait, what? I didn't say that!"

"It's ok! Sometimes vegetables are gross. I'll eat yours for you."

"But Ilikevegetables!" Koby feels like he's lost the thread here.

"No, you don't," Luffy says, matter-of-factly. "You said so."

"Vegetables are fine! When you spend two years scavenging on a pirate ship, canned spinach quickly becomes your favorite food," Koby grumbles.

Luffy wrinkles his nose. "Your favorite food is canned spinach?"

Ah, that was an awkward and embarrassing thing to say. Helmeppo always called his slip-ups like that "bummers," in the same vein of talking about his own father. They usually avoid the topics.

"I-I just meant my favorite food is the best thing I can get my hands on, I guess?" Koby tries. That's pretty lame. He's never exactly had a ton of options. Between Alvida and the navy, all his food is dried, canned, or fished directly from the ocean with his own two hands. Once in a while, the sergeants handed out chocolate as a treat for the younger recruits, but Koby usually forfeited his to Vice Admiral Garp, who always asked for "a bite" and then accidentally ate it all. Chocolate tastes too rich for Koby to consider it a favorite, anyway.

Luffy apparently agrees that this is lame. He frowns and drags Koby closer with his tangled headlock.

"That's sad. I'm gonna find Koby's real favorite food," His captain declares, nodding to himself. Koby's brain has stopped working; Luffy's pulled him so close he's fully in his lap. This is no longer a headlock, this is a hug. A messed up, snake-like hug, but definitely a hug.

"Okay," Koby says hoarsely, a beat too late to be normal. He's not sure he's ever been hugged before.

"OOO! LAND!" Luffy shouts, blowing out his eardrum. The arm retracts with a suddenTHWAP, and he clambers over Koby to climb the mast, the whole boat rocking precariously.

"L-Luffy!" Koby yelps, grabbing the sides of the dinghy. "Captain, please, get down!"

Unfortunately, Koby is well-practiced in begging his superior officer to not capsize their own ship. Maybe it's genetic.

"There's an island!" Luffy declares, ignoring his pleas. "Is that Bell Town? Is Roronoa Zoro there?"

"Probably?" Koby says, doing his best to counter-balance Luffy's perch on the starboard yardarm by dragging their single barrel of water to the portside of the boat.

"Yosh!"

As Koby drags the barrel into place, Luffy jumps. The boat dips violently to the left, takes on water, and immediately capsizes, dumping them both into the water with asplash.

Righting an overturned sloop while treading water with a boneless Luffy on his back is really hard in this tiny body. Koby never properly appreciated how much muscle and height he gained in the past four years until it was gone.

At least Luffy sits still long enough for them to make it to Shells Town. Sopping wet and tired like drowned cats, but they make it.

Koby ties them to the pier and wrings out his clothes, only to realize Luffy is gone.

Oh no. Ohhhhh, no. Koby already lost him.

"Luffy!" Koby shouts, whipping his head around frantically.

There is no sign of a straw hat anywhere on the docks.

"Luffy!" Koby shouts again, more a curse than a real call.

After about five minutes of panicking like a mother over her lost toddler, Koby finds Luffy in the center of a bazaar, when literally everyone in the promenade suddenly falls silent and takes three steps away from his captain like he's uttered a magic spell.

"Don't speak to him," an old lady murmurs to Koby's left, "don't get involved."

Koby can't help but think that's the best advice anyone has ever given him. Unfortunately, it's a few years too late.

"Luffy!" He calls one more time, rushing to his side.

"Oi, Koby!" Luffy's face lights up in a smile when he notices him, and Koby tries not to melt over it. "I asked about the Zoro guy but everyone got all weird."

"Uh, yeah." Koby forgot that this whole town is terrified of anything involving the marines, including the man who defied them. It's honestly a bit upsetting, as someone who dedicates their life - er, previous life - to making the marines a beacon of protection that anyone can come to for safety. It'd be a miracle if anyone in this town finds the courage to ask the navy for help ever again, even long after Captain Morgan is ousted.

"I think I have an idea. Let's go to that bar?" Koby points to the tavern seared into his memory as the place where he finally joined the marines.

"Food! Good idea!"

Not what he meant, but he'll take it.

Inside, Rika herself is waiting tables, the little girl who Zoro apparently protected from Helmeppo's horrible rabid dog.

("Father gave him to me, okay? I was training him!"

"On people! That's wrong!"

"...Right. Well, I won't do itagain.")

Luffy orders "a bunch of meat!" which Rika dutifully writes down on a notepad in little girl handwriting and skips away to the kitchen to retrieve. Koby belatedly realizes that neither of them have any money and feels distinctly guilty for unleashing Luffy onto this establishment.

"Alright, so people in this town are scared of the marines," Koby starts. "And Roronoa Zoro is currently tied up for fighting one of them."

"Eh? The marines?" Luffy tilts his head, "Is he a weakling?"

Wow, Koby forgot that Luffy considered being captured by an entire town of marines as weakling behavior. He feels oddly defensive of Zoro, even though he is probably the last man on earth who needsKoby'sendorsement of his swordsmanship.

"No, he's very strong," Koby says carefully. "There must be a reason he let them tie him up."

"Are you talking about Aniki Zoro?" A small voice cuts in.

The two of them turn to Rika, who has returned with a small plate of roasted fish. Luffy, incapable of reading the room, slowly pulls the plate from her grasp.

"He saved me," Rika says quietly. "That mean Captain's son was going to make me hang in the yard for a month, so Aniki Zoro said he'd go instead. He's been there for a few weeks without dying yet, and the Captain's son doesn't like that."

Koby winces. Helmeppo was a real ass before Vice Admiral Garp knocked some sense into him. Koby's going to give him a head start, this time around.

Luffy's face darkens, and he pauses in the act of shoveling down a second fish, bones and all.

"I want to talk to him, Koby."

"Aye, Captain."

"And beat up that son guy."

"Agreed, Captain."

Luffy stands, tossing the entire fish into the air and catching it in his gullet, swallowing it whole. Despite the insane display, he's all business.

"Wait," Rika says, stepping in front of him. "I can take you. I was gonna bring him some rice balls that I made. As a thank you."

Koby is about to argue that no, she should stay here so that Helmeppo doesn't do something abhorrent again like destroy her food and threaten to kill her, but Luffy already nods in agreement.

"Okay," says his captain, and Koby already knows he can't argue.

Roronoa Zoro is so… young. It's an absurd thought, considering Koby's body is fifteen years old, and the person on the post before him is currently nineteen, which is as old as Koby was during the fight with Blackbeard.

But there's still a little trace of baby fat around this Zoro's face. He's got both eyes, and he's only half as wide. He doesn't radiate constant intense bloodlust like the older Zoro that Koby remembers. There's no way that Koby could ever call him a child, but he's not fully a man, quite yet. Some final shift still needs to happen for his maturity to settle.

That doesn't stop him from being intimidating as hell, though. Even half-starved and baking in the sun on a crucifix, he seemsbored.

"Oi, you just gonna stand there and gawk?" Zoro calls out. Koby flinches, but Luffy smiles.

"Can I come up?" Rika calls up from the ground below. Koby convinced her to wait while they made sure the coast was clear, but apparently that's all he's going to get in terms of her safety. Luffy stretches an arm down and deposits her onto the wall.

"Thanks!" Rika chirps, hopping down into the yard and running up to Zoro. "Aniki!" She calls, holding out her rice balls.

Zoro scowls. "Don't call me that. And go away!"

"But I made you some food," Rika says, unwrapping one. "You must be hungry."

"I'm not. Get lost," Zoro grunts.

"Shishishi," Luffy giggles, "I want him."

Even knowing what he means, Koby still finds that a tad creepy.

"But… I made them for you…" Rika trails off, fiddling with the wrapper.

"And what do we have here?" Says a new, nasally voice. Koby cringes so hard he screws his eyes shut. Helmeppo.

Pretty much everyone is glaring at him in restrained fury as he approaches the post, except for poor Rika, who's terrified.

"A little rat invading the yard?" Helmeppo drawls, looming over her, "That's punishable by death, you know."

Beside him, Luffy's body tenses, ready to move. But Koby's instincts tell him it's not right, yet. He didn't jump in, the first time.

"Wait," Koby holds a hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Zoro can handle it."

Luffy shoots him a curious sideways glance, but he waits.

Helmeppo proceeds to spout some nonsense about Captain Morgan and the marines running this town that makes Koby's bloodboil. The marines are meant to be the power for thepeople, providing protection from pirates and violent criminals. The only reason the marines exist is to serve their citizens. Instead, Morgan and Helmeppo treat this town like serfs in their awful kingdom. It's disgusting. His fists clench so hard in anger that his nails draw blood from his palms.

Helmeppo spits and stomps on this sweet little girl's food, and Koby suddenly remembers what happens next.

He has Rika tossed over the wall.

Koby grabs Luffy and pulls him out of sight.

"He's going to toss her out," Koby says, "We have to catch her."

Luffy nods.

Inside, the marines give a token protest, but they follow orders nonetheless, and Rika's scream fills Koby with unbridled rage.

Luffy grabs her from the air with surprising grace and deposits her on the ground. She's sobbing quietly, and Koby is awash with grief for the Helmeppo he left behind, who would never let something like this happen under his watch. This guy is still just a pale shadow of his father, not the man who becomes Koby's friend.

Eventually, after some taunting, Helmeppo leaves. He makes a vague threat about Zoro not lasting much longer, and heads off, leaving the yard deserted.

"I'm talking to him now," Luffy says, and darts off without waiting for a response. Not that Koby was planning to argue.

Gently, Koby wipes the tears from Rika's eyes and places comforting hands on her shoulders. If he remembers right, Helmeppo is on his way to her mom's tavern, to brag about how he's going to just execute Zoro tomorrow instead.

"Rika, I need you to do a very important job for me," Koby tells her. He's learned a lot about kids during his time with the navy. They like to help; sitting around and out of the way makes anyone feel impotent, kids included.

She nods, wiping the snot from her face with the hem of her dress.

"I have to do something alone, so I need you to wait here for Luffy, okay? Tell him that I'm running an errand, so he knows."

Rika nods again, face determined. "You can count on me."

"Thank you," Koby smiles, giving her shoulder a pat. "I'll be back soon."

Koby is going to kick Helmeppo's ass before he even steps foot inside that tavern.

It's maybe a little insane to ambush a squad of armed marines on their home turf, especially considering that from their perspective, it's entirely unprovoked. But Rika's mother has been through enough without Helmeppo and his goons wrecking her establishment. Koby isn't going to let even a single additional citizen fall victim to the navy if he can help it.

He stalks Helmeppo and his retinue out of sight for a few blocks, sticking to the side streets and following purely with his observation haki. Compared to armament haki, it's stupidly easy to call upon. His current body would probably pass out just trying to coat his fist, but his soul senses are sharp as ever. Helmeppo's signature is… weird. Not completely foreign, but not immediately recognizable as Koby's friend. It's uncanny.

The marines with him, strangely, have significantly quieter voices. Koby always assumed that his Helmeppo's strong voice was due to their haki training, but apparently he'd always been a little more willful than the rest. Maybe that's why Vice Admiral Garp decided to give him a second chance. Koby wishes that he could ask. But in this world, his mentor is nothing but a stranger to him. An enemy, even, now that he's a pirate.

That's enough to make Koby queasy. He forcibly shoves that realization away for now to focus on the pending fight in front of him.

A few blocks from the tavern, an alleyway connects Koby's route to the main street. As the marines pass by, Koby shoves two fingers into his mouth and whistles, sharp and loud.

"Oi, Helmeppo!" Koby shouts, "I hear you like picking on children!" His voice cracks a little, and it couldn't be more perfect timing. "I'm a child! Come and fight me!"

Was that enough?

"Unless you're too scared!" He adds, "Coward!"

Well, it works. Helmeppo barks "Seize him!" and four marines pour through the alley, dragging him into the promenade before the grand jerk himself. Nearby townspeople murmur worriedly to each other, trying not to watch.

"You're achild," Helmeppo says, like an insult.

"Y-yeah! That's what I said!" Koby fires back, though a bit less confident now - he wasn't anticipating a drawn-out spectacle in front of the townspeople. Helmeppo is hiding behind his soldiers. His own Helmeppo throws down a glove at any challenge, but of course he wouldn't be that honorable yet. Koby's a bit embarrassed he didn't think of that.

Helmeppo waves a dismissive hand. "Men, teach him a lesson."

Now, Koby recognizes a few of these marines from his first few weeks as a recruit on this base. There's Ensign Tobat, who taught him basic drills, and Cadet Benito, who showed him around the barracks. Even Lieutenant Cabongo, who helped him fill out the paperwork to transfer into Vice Admiral Garp's command. He knows that they're generally good people. But despite the pained look in their eyes, it's abundantly clear that they're about to beat up - from their perspective - a random unruly child, on Helmeppo's order.

Any guilt Koby was feeling over this evaporates like morning dew. These are the people in charge of this town, who willtakecharge of this town, once Morgan is defeated. Helmeppo isn't the only one who needs a wake-up call, apparently.

Ensign Tobat swings, and Koby sees it a split second before it happens, with his observation haki fully tuned for battle. His untrained body is slow, but still nimble enough to dodge, sending the Ensign tumbling head-over heels through the empty space. Another marine tries to tackle him, but Koby jumps. The man goes sprawling, and Koby lands on his back. Another attacker lunges, and with a small redirecting shove, they're careening into Cadet Benito. The Lieutenant tries to grab him from behind, but Koby has the entire battlefield in range of his haki, and jabs an elbow into his neck without looking, downing him. A few more marines come at him, but it's pointless. Koby lays out Helmeppo's entire squad in seconds.

"Wh-What the fuck?" Helmeppo asks, voice nearing an octave only dogs can hear.

"Marines are meant to serve the people," Koby says sternly, stepping off the unconscious man beneath him and approaching the defenseless Helmeppo, "To protect citizens that can't protect themselves. Likechildren."

He steps closer. Helmeppo steps back, but he runs into a wall.

"You hurt that little girl," Koby continues, closing in. "A little girl you're supposed toprotect."

"Sh-she was trespassing!" Helmeppo stammers.

"No," Koby says, icily, "A base's yard is considered public land. And she was feeding a prisoner, who you were starving illegally under Custody Sanction Seven."

Helmeppo is sweating buckets. "Wh-what are you talking about?"

"But it doesn't matter if you didn't read the laws you broke, Helmeppo," Koby says, "Because what you did wascruel."

He jumps and swings, his fist connecting with Helmeppo's jaw with a satisfyingcrack. One of his teeth goes flying, and Koby hopes the gap stays and reminds him of this moment forever.

"Become a real marine who actually helps people," Koby says, "Because I know that deep down what you really want is to be a great marine. And I think you have it in you."

Helmeppo curls in on himself with a whimper, cradling his jaw.

Koby's heart hurts, still instinctively searching for his friend, but only finding that uncanny, unfinished haki signature. It's too much, suddenly. He can't be here anymore.

"Goodbye, Helmeppo," He says, walking away. But he's talking to a ghost, not the guy in front of him.

After three blocks of trudging and brooding, Koby is tackled to the ground.

"Koby!" Luffy says cheerily, straddling his chest. "Found you! I'm going to that marine base to get Zoro's sword and he's gonna join our crew!"

Koby blinks, the sudden sunshine from his captain violently evaporating the storm cloud hovering around him. He feels dazed.

"Zoro has three swords," he says, stupidly.

"Eh?" Luffy tilts his head. "I have to find three swords? Where's the third one go?"

"I think they'd all be together," Koby says, still distracted, "Also, he's slated for execution tomorrow."

"EH?" Luffy asks.

"Wait. Where's Rika?" Koby bolts upright, knocking Luffy off.

"I dunno," Luffy shrugs. "Anyway, let's go before Zoro gets killed!"

"Uh, I'll catch up," Koby says distractedly. "I need to make sure Rika is okay. And let Zoro know he's meant to die tomorrow." Also start to untie him, before Luffy falls from the sky with his swords and tightens the damn bindings.

"Okay!" Luffy chirps, then rockets off towards the massive marine base.

Koby finds Rika a few blocks later, and after a quick checkup, sends her back to the tavern. He tells her to take the back roads, just in case Helmeppo is still somehow menacing main street. The last thing Koby needs is for her to get hurt in retaliation.

By the time he gets back to the yard, there's a massiveBOOMin the direction of the marine base, which means Luffy is working his magic.

Sighing fondly, Koby clambers over the wall and trudges toward Zoro's post.

"Oi, another kid?" Zoro says, "Get out of here! I'm not a damn babysitter!"

Koby huffs. He decides to ignore him out of spite, wordlessly untying the ropes around his wrist.

"What the hell? Stop that!"

"Helmeppo plans to execute you tomorrow," Koby says. "So when Luffy falls out of the sky with your swords, you're going to need to fight, or you're gonna die."

Zoro's brow furrows, like he's not sure if he heard that correctly. Koby supposes that it's a pretty bizarre warning, and it's reasonable for him to assume he's suffering from heatstroke.

"You're with the Straw Hat kid?" Zoro grunts, "I'm not interested in playing pirates with you. Buzz off."

Koby sighs. "We're not playing, Zoro. They're planning to kill you, Luffy is going to be King of the Pirates, and in about fifteen seconds Captain Axe-Hand Morgan is going slam open that gate and announce that your execution has been moved up from tomorrow to 'immediately.'"

Zoro scoffs. "You're delusional." Koby finishes loosening the second knot, so that all it'll take is a decent tug on Zoro's part to come loose.

"RORONOA ZORO!" Booms an intimidating baritone.

Koby turns around. There's Captain Morgan, right on time, with an entire firing squad of marines at his heels.

"Trying to escape?" He muses. "I knew that annoying straw hat brat was working for you. Looks like we'll have to execute you now, instead of tomorrow."

"Well, shit," Zoro says, mildly surprised. A dozen rifles click in unison, pointed at his chest. And Koby's, by extension.

Now would be such a great time for Luffy to appear. Beautiful, bulletproof Luffy.

"I untied your bindings, by the way?" Koby says, because what else can he do?

"Gee, thanks, I can get shot standing now."

"RIFLEMEN READY!" Captain Morgan booms.

Koby stands protectively in front of Zoro.

"Don't stand in front of me! You're like twelve!" A hand grabs and shoves him back before he can react.

"FIRE!"

BOOM.

Koby screws his eyes shut. Even with observation haki, his body is nowhere near fast enough to dodge bullets. Which means he gets to sense his death coming in slow motion.

But the impact doesn't come. A new soul has entered the battlefield; bright, beautiful, and bulletproof.

Luffy's skin stretches horrifically as it's riddled with bullets, each impact point nearly connecting with Koby and Zoro before it recoils and launches the projectiles back at the marines. A few of them go down. Captain Morgan, stunned, barely steps to the side as a bullet whizzes past his ear.

"Oh good! Koby's here," Luffy says casually, like he isn't Koby's personal walking miracle.

"So, Zoro," Luffy turns to the man in question, holding up three katana. "You can die here, or you can fight back with us. But you'll be an enemy of the marines."

Seems like a no-brainer to Koby, but he's pretty biased.

Zoro sighs, cracking his neck. "Fine, I'll be your pirate," He says, holding out a hand for his swords. "But I have a dream of my own. I'm going to be the world's greatest swordsman, and if you ever get in the way of that dream, you have to kill yourself to atone."

Luffy throws his head back and laughs. "The world's greatest swordsman? The king of the pirates needs nothing less on his crew!"

Zoro grins back like a shark. It's terrifying. Koby can't help but smile too, though a lot more nervously. This is about to be a bloodbath.

Luffy and Zoro spring into action, taking down the waves of marines running their way. Koby actually helps this time, watching Zoro's flank because he's definitely running on fumes after weeks of starvation and exposure.

Right as it looks like Captain Morgan is the final obstacle, a haki signature that Koby was ignoring snatches him from behind and holds a gun to his head.

Helmeppo.

After years of fighting alongside him, Koby automatically dismissed him as a friendly presence. Didn't spare the energy to hear the voice properly. The barrelclicksin his ear as he dangles, and it feels like someone else is wearing his best friend's skin. The signature is close, but still so wrong.

"Stand down!" Helmeppo yells. His hands are shaking, and his soul's voice is positively terrified, both on the surface with the situation, and deep beneath as he seems to be wrestling with… his morality, probably. "I-I'll shoot him!"

No, he won't.

Luffy and Zoro barely have a moment to glance back at them before Koby bends Helmeppo's wrist backward, knocking the gun away, and swings around his arm, pinning him to the ground in one smooth motion.

"Huh. Nice," Zoro says, then turns back to Captain Morgan.

"Gum gum axe!" Luffy shouts, foot connecting with Morgan's temple to knock him out at the same time Zoro's swords slice cleanly through his stupid axe arm, lopping his titular prosthetic clean off.

"Woo!" Luffy cheers, his leg snapping back with athwap. "That was fun!"

"We did it!" Koby grins.

"I'm fucking hungry," Zoro grunts, which is a bit of a mood-killer. And then he passes out face-forward into the dirt.

Notes:

SO GUESS WHAT?CoyoteFang1987(aka orange-artiston tumblr) is back at it again with theCHAPTER DOODLES! Their art is so phenomenal, and it's been fueling my inspiration like no other. Give them a follow!

Chapter 3

Summary:

Previously: Koby, having joined Luffy's crew, takes him to Shells Town to recruit Zoro. He beats some sense into Helmeppo, mourns the friend he'll never have, and fights alongside his new crewmate to defeat Captain Morgan.

Now: The Captain sets course for the Grand Line! There are some complications. A lot of complications. Koby is fine.

Notes:

Fun fact, I was in the Navy for a few years! It sucked. Like, so bad. Experiencing a total mental break and walking away was the best thing to ever happen to me. It will also be the best thing to happen to Koby! Just with more time travel.

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

Thankfully, Luffy is more than happy to drag Zoro back to the tavern, because Koby's little body isnotused to fighting at all, let alone multiple large brawls in one day.

Rika's mother insists on feeding them, on the house. This is very generous and a horrible business decision, because Zoro is starving and Luffy is Luffy. Zoro is also getting absurdly drunk; it doesn't seem to be affecting him visibly, but he's on his fourth full bottle of sake, so surely he's feeling it.

…Surely.

The family is kind enough to let Zoro use their shower, and when he comes back down the stairs shirtless, wet, and muscles flexing as he dries his hair with a towel, Koby's brain goes momentarily offline.

Huh. He has absolutely no inkling of romantic interest in Zoro, but this is, objectively, super hot. Koby is definitely gay, and it's absurd that he didn't notice sooner.

Zoro raises an eyebrow at him but thankfully doesn't comment on his embarrassing blush as he collapses roughly in the chair next to a still-feasting Luffy.

"So," Zoro says, "Future Pirate King, probably needs a decent-sized crew, right? How many so far?"

"Fhree!" Luffy says with his mouth full.

"I-It's just us," Koby clarifies.

"You're shitting me," Zoro says flatly. "Do you at least have a decent ship?"

"Yeah!" Luffy declares, at the same time Koby says, "No."

Zoro runs a hand down his face. "What the hell did I sign up for?" He mutters. "Whatever, no going back now. Where are we headed next, Captain?"

Luffy beams at the title. "The Grand Line!" He declares, spitting crumbs across the table.

Zoro chokes on his drink. Koby lets out an undignified squeak.

"L-Luffy, we really need to get a decent ship first!" Koby insists, "And a proper navigator."

"Eh? Koby can steer us!" Luffy declares.

Koby blanches. "No, I can't! I barely got us here!"

"I have a decent sense of direction," Zoro shrugs, "Can't be that hard."

This is absolutely insane. There's no way they're serious. Well, Luffy probably is. But the odds of surviving Reverse Mountain in a dinghy without a navigator are well beyond evenLuffy'sinsane good luck threshold.

Of course, at this point originally, Koby separated to join the marines. For all he knows, the two of them really did attempt the crossing on this ill-equipped raft—

No. Luffy's first bounty was in East Blue. He defeated Arlong the Saw, the biggest East Blue bounty at the time. They had to have taken a proper ship from that guy.

"Even so," Koby says, desperately, "The boat would get absolutely decimated by the currents at Reverse Mountain."

"Eh?" Zoro grunts inquisitively.

Ah. Okay, they just didn't know. Once Koby explains, they'll slow down. Probably go searching for a navigator and find Cat Burglar Nami.

"Reverse Mountain is the main entrance to the Grand Line in the East Blue. Currents from multiple oceans converge into a river that carries ships over the Red Line. I-If it doesn't wreck them first. Most of the crews that attempt it die in the process."

"Mystery Mountain," Luffy nods sagely.

"Sounds like you know a lot," Zoro says, throwing back a swig of sake, "don't see why we need a navigator."

"Kn-knowing about something and actually getting there are two very different things!"

"Maybe for you," Zoro shrugs. Koby can feel his life expectancy shortening.

"Shishishi, don't worry Koby!" Luffy says, ruffling his hair.

"So we'll get a navigator first?" Koby pleads.

"I dunno!" Luffy shrugs, "But we're headed to the Grand Line! Prepare the ship!"

There's really no reasoning with him, is there?

He's about to try anyway, then the door to the tavern suddenly slams open.

A very familiar platoon of marines files into the tavern, armed with rifles and several bruises that Koby inflicted personally. Every single one of Helmeppo's escorts is here. And leading them is Lieutenant Cabongo, with a nasty bloom of purple peeking out of his collar where he got throat-jabbed.

"The three of you are pirates, correct?" The Lieutenant says, voice hoarse. Koby winces. He didn't realize this body could hit that hard. Hopefully the damage is temporary…

"Yeah," Luffy says, sitting up. He's not combative, not at all, but he's eyeing them closely. "Why?"

"We are very grateful for what you did here, ousting Morgan. But as marines, we cannot allow pirates to shelter in our town. We came to ask that you leave quietly and immediately."

Last time, this is where they split up. Koby punched Luffy, Luffy punched him back - much harder and more times than necessary, actually. But it gave him plausible deniability to begin his career.

Last time, Koby left this bar as a marine.

"Eh? Yeah, alright, we were leaving anyways," Luffy shrugs. "Let's go, guys!"

This time, Koby has absolutely no deniability. He attacked the marines, in the streets and in the yard. He fought side by side with Zoro and Luffy.

This time, Koby leaves this tavern as a Strawhat Pirate.

"Aye, Captain," Koby says. Zoro grabs his swords.

The wall of marines parts, letting them through. A few of the more… battered men actually flinch when Koby makes eye contact. He winces.

At the docks, he preps the boat, but he's hyper-aware that one of the marines has followed them. They're not visible, but he can sense them in a nearby alleyway with his observation haki.

When everything is just about done except for shoving off, he turns toward the marine's hiding spot.

"Excuse me?" Koby calls. "Why did you follow us?"

A young cadet steps out into the open. She looks pretty young - Koby thinks maybe he should have seen her around base in his previous life, but no name springs to mind.

She also has a nasty bruised lip.

"Sorry," she calls, keeping her distance. But she doesn't look sheepish. "I just want to thank you, I guess. For beating the shit out of our unit. This probably means nothing to you, but I was planning to desert. I didn't sign up to bully civilians and hit kids, y'know? So instead of putting a stop to it, I was going to take the cowardly way out. Abandon my post. My dream."

She clears her throat, and schools her bearing like she's before a superior.

"Even if your message doesn't reach Helmeppo, it sure as hell reached me. Thank you."

Koby's throat tightens. Desertion isn't contemplated lightly - depending on your superior officer, punishment is anywhere from five years in prison to the death penalty. And Morgan is definitely the type to kill anyone he can't control.

He changed someone's life. His words and actions meant something to her. Inspired her to be a better marine. He- he's not even sure that anything he did within the navy itself ever did that for anyone.

"What's your name?" Koby asks.

Her eyebrows raise in surprise.

"Hazal."

Koby smiles.

"Would you do me a favor, Hazal? Keep an eye on Helmeppo for me? He has potential, and I think you can show him what he's missing."

"Uh, okay?" She raises an eyebrow. "…Yeah, why not," she says, like she's convincing herself. "But you owe me one."

"Thanks. You're gonna be a good marine." Koby gives her a massive grin.

Before Hazal can respond to that, an entire platoon of marines appears up the road behind her, headed for the docks.

"See ya on opposite sides!" Hazal calls. She tugs the brim of her cap down over her eyes in an informal salute, leaving only a sharp grin visible, then vanishes back into the alleyway to rejoin her squad.

When he turns around to finish the rigging, both Zoro and Luffy are staring at him from the boat. The former with one eyebrow raised, and the latter with a massive grin like the sun.

"W-what?" He asks, clutching the rope defensively.

"Nothing," Zoro says, giving him a once over. It feels like he's looking at Koby differently, all of the sudden.

Luffy laughs. "I didn't know your errand was beating up that son guy! I wanna come next time!"

Koby's face gets hot. He really hopes it's not visibly red.

"I-," his voice cracks. "I'll invite you if you're not busy."

Koby is maybe being a little creative with his captain's orders.

He's notnotsteering towards Reverse Mountain. He's just… taking the scenic route. A bit more northwest than west. And if they happen to hit another island on the way where they can get a real boat, that would be great!

He still feels a bit guilty about it. And compounded with the anxiety of the last two days and time travel and officially losing his best friend, Koby is a little jumpier than usual. He hasn't slept since they set off from Shells. Or at all, since coming back in time. But he's fine. Koby's doinggreat. It's only been 32 hours awake, that's nothing compared to what he used to do in the navy.

"Oi, Zoro," Luffy breaks the silence, and Koby tries not to jump out of his skin.

They're on a good stretch of nothing but open ocean, and their captain is definitely bored.

"What?" Zoro grunts, not opening his eyes. Koby thought he was asleep.

"Why'd you become a bounty hunter, anyway?"

Zoro shrugs. "Left home one day. Got turned around and needed some cash, so I put my swords to good use. Never really stopped."

That's… weird. How far was he away from home?

"Ahhh," Luffy nods, "Zoro got lost."

Zoro bolts upright.

"I don't get lost!"

Holy cow, he totally got lost.

"I thought you said you have a good sense of direction!" Koby accuses.

"I do! I always get where I'm going eventually!"

"That's not the same as having good direction!" Koby fists his hands into his hair.

"You never made it back home," Luffy points out, and Zoro blushes angrily.

Oh no, theyreallyneed a navigator. Where did Luffy find Cat Burglar Nami? He truly hopes it was before they got to the Grand Line. Koby can't do this without her expertise. He sucks at writing charts, he can barely read a log pose, and he certainly can't read headwinds or currents well enough to be useful on a Grand Line voyage. If Luffy tries to make Koby be the Strawhats' navigator, he's going to get them all killed in a shipwreck before their first bounty.

Koby is on the verge of a fresh sleep-deprived panic attack. The air is starting to get really thin.

"Is that a fucking bird?" Zoro says.

Koby looks up. It's definitely a bird. But it keeps getting bigger. Like, too big to be a bird.

"It's a bird!" Luffy cheers, standing up. "Meat!"

The massive bird dives towards them.

"W-wait, Captain!" Koby cries, trying to pull him low to the deck, but it's too late. The bird snatches Luffy in its beak and takes off.

Koby screams. Zoro is also screaming.

"AHHHHH!" They scream together, watching it take their anchor of a captain over the open ocean.

Zoro snaps out of it first.

"Shit! Follow it!" He shouts, grabbing the oars.

Koby's awful navigation has doomed Luffy to a slow, gruesome, and untimely death by bird. He changed the timeline, and now Luffy won't even make it to Paradise, let alone the One Piece. Koby's selfish changes have doomed the countless lives Luffy changed on his journey.

"Row, moron!" Zoro barks.

The command startles him into action. If there's one thing Koby can do even in the middle of a mental break, it's follow orders. He seizes the second set of oars and paddles like the fate of the world depends on it.

The bird is fast. It's all they can do to keep it in sight, even as it steadily gains distance. Koby's arms and lungs burn, and the world is both blurry and too sharp from exhaustion and adrenaline respectively.

"Help!" Shouts a voice over the waves.

"We're shipwrecked!" Shouts another.

Koby spares a glance over his shoulder to see two men treading water directly in their path.

"I ain't slowing down!" Zoro barks, "If you want a ride, hop on yourselves!"

As much as Koby would love to argue that they should stop and save these poor people, the bird carrying his captain grows smaller by the second, and his body is so over-exerted that there's no way he can manage more than a pathetic wheeze, let alone words.

They row on. Two pairs of hands grab onto the sides of the moving boat, and the stranded men clamber aboard.

"Thank you," one of them heaves out, as they catch their breath.

Zoro manages a grunt, but seems content to leave it at that.

Their passengers, however, do not.

"Drop your oars," one of them declares, as they both pull out knives. "This ship is being flashily commandeered by the Buggy Pirates!"

Tears prick at the back of Koby's eyes. How could he have screwed up the timeline this badly? He just wanted a better ship! And a navigator!

"For fuck's sake," Zoro groans, releasing his oars. "Keep rowing, Koby, I'll take care of them."

"Wha-?" Asks one of the pirates.

He doesn't even get through the word before he's unconscious by the butt of Zoro's sword.

"Shit, uh, sorry?" The other one asks. And then he's crumpled onto the floor of the sloop too.

Zoro mutters some cuss words under his breath as he frisks them and dumps a few hidden weapons overboard.

"Forgot to ask," Zoro says, holding onto one of the blades. "You want any knives? They got a lot."

Koby's 15-year-old noodle arms feel like they are actively self-immolating. His lungs taste like blood. Their captain is going to be eaten or unceremoniously drowned by a massive bird. There is no way Zoro is asking if he wants toloot bodiesright now.

He makes a strangled keening noise.

Zoro shrugs and tosses the final knife over his shoulder.

They lose sight of the bird thanks to the two extra pirates weighing down the dinghy, but at least they pick up the slack and start rowing once Zoro kicks them awake and brandishes a sword. As they take over, Koby melts into the deck and spends a good five minutes trying to breathe without wheezing.

This body is embarrassingly out of shape. He used to spend hours swimming alongside the warship for fun, and now he can't even row a dinghy for fifteen minutes. As soon as they have a moment of down time, he really needs a workout routine to rebuild his stamina.

They hit land by following the flight path. Hopefully, the bird is taking Luffy back to its nest somewhere on this island, and he'll be able to at least fight back long enough for Koby and Zoro to rescue him. Maybe they'll get lucky and find him already roasting its corpse. Or they'll get unlucky and findhiscorpse.

Koby shudders at the memory of Luffy's lifeless body. He can't see that again. He can't.

"Where the hell are we?" Zoro asks the two Buggy pirates, hand resting casually on one of his sword hilts. Their eyes flicker to it nervously.

"O-Orange Town," one of them stammers, "Home base of the Buggy Pirates."

Koby opens his mouth to ask if they know of any giant bird's nests in the area, when he's interrupted by an ear-splittingBOOM!

In the distance, a huge mushroom cloud of smoke billows. From the center of the village.

Civilians.

Koby's feet are flying before he can fully register what's going on. Distantly, Zoro is shouting after him, but Koby's attention is narrowed to a single thought; rescue the survivors.

He finds the first pile of smoldering remains and starts upturning debris, searching.

"Can anyone hear me?" He yells. There's no answer.

"If you can hear my voice, please respond!" He says, using his back as a lever to upturn the collapsed roof of a house. "I'm here to help!"

"Koby!" A familiar voice barks. Zoro. Not a civilian. He needs to keep looking. His hands sting with burns as he lifts a still-smoking beam from a pile.

"If you can hear-"

"Koby!" Two hands grab him roughly by the shoulders. Zoro looks pissed. "Everyone evacuated weeks ago. Which you would know, if you waited two fucking seconds!"

Ah. They- Of course. It wouldn't make sense thatno oneresponded if there were a full population…

Koby rubs the back of his neck, his cheeks burn red with embarrassment.

"R-right, sorry."

Zoro doesn't respond immediately, just gives him an appraising once-over.

"You're a weird fucking pirate," he eventually mutters, turning away. "C'mon. Those idiots say the bird might've dumped Luffy with their captain."

According to Zoro, according to the pirates, the explosion was caused by Buggy the Starclown's Super Buggy Balls (Patent Pending), and it's nowhere near the first attack. Captain Buggy sets them off on random whims, destroying the town for his own amusement.

"Which means he could have set off another one and turned you into paste, moron," Zoro adds.

Koby can't find it in him to care. Captain Buggy - not a warlord, yet, just a bully - is destroying civilian homes and businesses; buildings that took generations of cultivation and savings to maintain. Family photos, heirlooms, and expensive appliances that the average citizen can't afford to replace. And while everyone has officially evacuated, Koby learned in the navy that people often ignore evacuation orders.

Still, he hasn't found anyone yet, even keeping his haki stretched out to search for people in distress. Hopefully that means everyone in the town was able to help each other and not that Buggy has already killed them…

"Oi, Koby," Zoro smacks him upside the head, "Pay attention."

He blinks. They're approaching some sort of government building, with an absurd number of people gathered on the roof. There's a lot of commotion up there, including a familiar scream rising above it all.

"WATER! WATER! PUT IT OUT!"

Koby's terrified eyes meet Zoro's exasperated ones. Luffy.

Without a word, they start scaling the walls of the building. Zoro does a much better job and leaves Koby scrambling in his dust. Stupid weak little body. If only he could still Sky Walk.

Eventually, Koby heaves himself onto the lip of the roof with a pathetic flop, and through the legs of a bunch of pirates dressed like clowns, he sees his captain in a cage, and a massive cannon aimed directly for it.

Smothering the wick with bare hands, strangling a scream and holding back tears, is none other than Cat Burglar Nami.

Koby couldcry. By some miracle, Nami is here, and she's already saving Luffy from certain death. He didn't irreparably destroy the timeline! It has to be fate at work.

He'll have to lavish her with gratitude later, though, because Zoro is currently chatting with Luffy, and Buggy is growing more and more visibly pissed at their nonchalance. The air hums with the tension of a pending fight.

Taking advantage of his shortness for stealth, Koby slinks around the edge of the crowd, and up next to Luffy's cage.

"Psst, Luffy," Koby whispers, hiding behind some nearby barrels of booze.

"Oi, Koby!" Luffy says at full volume, staring directly at him and waving. "Get me out of this cage!"

So much for the element of surprise.

"You brats need to pay more attention to ME!" Buggy shrieks, lunging towards Zoro with a fistful of knives.

Zoro gracefully sidesteps and swings two of his blades in an arc, cleanly bisecting his torso and lopping off his hand.

Weirdly enough, Buggy fully collapses. Koby knows the basics of the ex-warlord's devil fruit thanks to regular naval briefs, and there's no way Zoro's cut did anything to him. He's not bleeding, either, so he definitely has the fruit by now. He's playing possum.

"Huh, his body had no resistance," Zoro mutters, "That's weird."

"Woohoo! Go Zoro!" Luffy is cheering, totally oblivious.

Koby extends his observation haki one second into the future, and sees Buggy's severed hand stab an unwitting Zoro through the back.

He moves on instinct, years of protecting his own men in the field, and tackles Zoro to the ground, out of the knife's path. But Koby is slower than he should be; body young and untrained. Pain lances through his right abdomen, worsening when he hits the ground on top of Zoro.

"The fuck?" Zoro bites, shoving him off roughly. Black spots dance across his vision.

"KOBY!" Luffy screams. Somewhere nearby, Nami is shrieking too. His stomach really hurts.

"Shit!" Zoro says, sitting up, rolling Koby over, inspecting the wound.

"Damn. Missed," Buggy says, his severed upper half hovering over them. "Let's try that again."

Zoro's sword comes up to parry another floating hand of blades.

"Can't be cut," Koby groans.

"You clearly can!" Nami shrieks.

"Not me," Koby grits out, "Buggy."

Zoro is on his feet now, deflecting the various limbs and knives that Buggy throws at him. He lets out a grunt that could either be effort or acknowledgement, but he doesn't attempt to slice anything.

Koby clutches his side and instantly regrets the fresh stab of pain from touching his fresh wound. Why did he do that? He's been stabbed before, he knew that would hurt.

The ground beneath him is wet with blood. His own blood. Right, he was trying to stop the bleeding. It's so hard to think straight. Everything is so… blurry.

"KOBY!" Luffy yells. "Help him!"

Someone needs help? Koby tries to push himself up and pain washes over him. He collapses again.

"Stay down! Are you crazy?" Nami is saying. Ah, she's right on top of him. When did she get here?

She unbuttons his shirt and pulls it off him, then ties it taut around his midsection. He hisses in pain.

"Stops the bleeding for now," Nami mutters to herself.

Did getting stabbed always hurt this bad? He's gotten stabbed a lot on missions, but he never really noticed until after fights. This feels like the entire world has stopped save for the wound.

The noise around him starts to melt together, nothing but a cacophony of voices at the cusp of consciousness

"Let me out! I'll fight you, you—"

"—SUPER BUGGY BALL—"

"—already lit—"

"Zoro!"

"—flipped the cannon—!"

"NO, ST-!"

BOOM!

The entire world jolts. His vision goes white. Theres nothing but ear-splitting silence and excruciating, unbearable pain radiating from the stab wound in his side.

Koby passes out.

He wakes up in Zoro's arms. Carried under one arm, to be precise, like a sack of potatoes. Zoro's other arm is occupied carrying the entire cage containing Luffy.

Koby opens his mouth to speak but blood falls out instead.

Zoro curses under his breath, dropping the cage and then Koby onto the ground.

"You need bandages," Zoro says, looming over him. "And medicine, or something. I'll be back."

Koby lets out a keening whine, but Zoro steps out of view and his footsteps get further and further away.

"Zoro will find bandages," Luffy says, somewhere to his left. "Then Koby will be okay."

"It's not that simple, idiot!" Nami snaps, somewhere to his right. "He needs a doctor!"

"Koby will be okay," Luffy repeats firmly. "Right, Koby?"

Weakly, he gives a thumbs up. Hopefully it's visible.

"Shishishi! See!"

"That doesn't mean anything!"

"What's with this dog?" Luffy asks, apparently already confident that Koby won't be dying today. It's oddly comforting. Luffy has a way of saying things that make them feel unshakably true.

…wait what was that about a dog?

"You people are crazy," Nami huffs, annoyed. "Well, whatever. I got you something."

"The key!" Luffy cheers.

"Snatched it for you! But only because I don't like being in your debt. Consider us even."

Koby lifts his head slightly, just in time to watch the key, mid-toss towards Luffy, get swallowed whole by a small white dog.

The air is silent for a full two seconds.

"YOU STUPID DOG!" Luffy screeches, strangling it, "SPIT IT OUT!"

Exhausted, Koby lets his head fall back into the dirt while Luffy harasses the dog and Nami harasses Luffy. All this commotion is just a bit too much to process on top of the dizziness, headache, and bloody puddle forming beneath him.

"Let go of Chou Chou!" An older man's voice cuts in. Koby doesn't recognize it. "How dare you attack– oh my word, that child is bleeding!"

It takes a moment for Koby to realize they're referring to him. Because even if he's not nineteen anymore, he's still fifteen. It's notthatyoung; it's the age of enlistment. This is the second time someone's called him a child… excluding himself. But that was tactical!

He's scooped up by the older man and carried inside somewhere. This guy is still talking to Nami and Luffy, who aren't shouting at him, so it's probably fine. Koby doesn't have a ton of energy to fight right now anyway.

The man starts dressing his wound and puts a pill in his mouth. Koby swallows on reflex and belatedly hopes it's not poison or something. He's given water to wash it down, and he didn't realize howthirstyhe is. He gulps the entire glass in one go, and whines a bit when it's gone. But the man is kind enough to give him another two cups.

All the real while, the guy tells a story about a dog and a pet store, and maybe a mayor. Koby isn't totally paying attention; his head has been stuffed with cotton since he woke up. Must be significant blood loss.

"As long as he doesn't strain it, he should pull through," the old man says eventually, patting Koby on the head. "Let's leave him to rest. I have to feed Chou Chou anyway."

"Get better soon!" Luffy shouts through the open door. He must still be in his cage.

"Ay, Cap'n," Koby slurs, exhausted. Sleeping off a stab wound sounds pretty good, he thinks, as the door creaks and closes with a definitiveclick.

Yeah. Sleep. His eyelids are so heavy…

"What are youdoing?"

Koby jolts. The wound agitates and he cries out in pain.

Through the tears in his eyes, he sees his own face looming over him.

A battlefield. A corpse. A kiss. A list. It all rushes back to him, and the adrenaline snaps him into perfect lucidity.

"Y-you-" Koby stammers, staring up at his future self - still nineteen and wearing that all-black getup, sans the mask.

"Good to see you haven't forgotten!" Ninja Koby says, throwing his hands in the air. "What are youdoing?What is this?"

Koby blinks dumbly.

"I got stabbed?"

Ninja Koby just stares at him for a moment, then smacks a palm against his forehead.

"No! You're not with the marines! You're supposed to be gathering intel to save Luffy!"

Koby is in a lot of pain right now, but he has enough energy to feel indignant.

"None of the rules said I had to be a marine," he says defensively.

"It's implied! We're always a marine!"

"Well. Not me?" Koby tries, lamely.

Ninja Koby paces and runs both hands over his shaved head. It looks like he's trying to grab at hair that isn't there.

"We need intel! You're me! What is this?!"

Those are all statements that are apparently relevant to each other.

"Okay," Koby says, mildly, "You seem pretty upset. And I was stabbed pretty recently, so this is a lot to process. Maybe explain what exactly is wrong? And if time is going to break because of me? That one has been worrying me for a bit."

Ninja Koby stops pacing and stares at him. His eye twitches.

"We get stabbed all the time."

"That's what I said!" Koby agrees. "Well, thought. But I guess my body doesn't have much of a knife tolerance yet."

Ninja Koby sighs. "Okay. Right. Definitely still me. Just. One moment."

He turns around and buries his face into the crook of his elbow. Then he screams wordlessly for a good ten seconds, muffled by fabric.

When the scream ends, he turns back around. Perfectly composed.

"This is our thirteenth time loop," Ninja Koby says calmly. "Every time, Luffy dies. We eat the Loop Loop fruit, and we try again. So you need to gather as much information on Blackbeard as possible. So that Luffy doesn't die."

"…Okay." Koby nods hesitantly. "That explains the list. But I'm still not sure why you're upset with me. I'm not breaking the rules."

"You- Well,no,but you've gone completely off the rails! I have no idea what's going to happen next! What if you mess up the timeline and he dies earlier? What ifwedie?"

It's really not reassuring that he doesn't know either.

"I- I don't know!" Koby admits, heart pounding, "But it's not like I can join the marines now! I'm a pirate!"

Plus helikeshanging out with Luffy. And Zoro. But he's not about to admit that when he's talking to his edgy future self about the precarious mechanics of a time loop.

Ninja Koby paces a few times, then pauses.

"Okay, no big deal, we can fix this. We'll just end the loop early and try again."

"What?" Koby squawks. "You can do that? No!"

Ninja Koby squares his shoulders.

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

Koby is chilled to the bone. He's talking about ending… his life, essentially. Shunting Koby right back to the battlefield where Luffy is dead, with (presumably) no memory of joining his crew, of fighting alongside him and Zoro, of inspiring Hazal. And then sending him back in time once more, but with stricter instructions so that there's no possibility of it happening again.

"Y-you can't just end it!" Koby insists. "There's still all the chance I can save Luffy this way!"

Ninja Koby scoffs.

"-Or at least get information you can't get in any other loop!" Koby pleads.

This, at least, gets his older self's attention. His eyes narrow.

"…Like what?"

Oh god. Koby has to literally justify his existence or die here.

"Luffy's strength!" He blurts. "I'll be with him the whole way, I can see where he falls short, help him get stronger, faster!"

"Hm…" Ninja Koby hums. But he doesn't seem convinced.

"Times when Luffy met Blackbeard before the battle!" Koby continues, "They definitely met at least once before - maybe he's vulnerable at some point?"

Ninja Koby scowls. "'Blackbeard' and 'vulnerable' don't belong in the same sentence."

Uh oh.

"But it's information we didn't have before! If I've done this twelve times and we're still coming up short, then isn't it time for a radically different approach?" He cajoles. "At least let me try! Give me a chance, and if it's truly as useless as you think it is, then we can end it later, right?"

His older counterpart considers for a moment. He seems skeptical, but no longer downright dismissive.

"A radically different approach…" he muses, rubbing his forehead thoughtfully. Then he sighs. "Alright. Fine. You have a chance."

Relief washes over him. He's safe.

"You won't regret it!" Koby insists.

"If it goes nowhere, or it goes sideways, we end the loop," Ninja Koby warns.

Koby is about to fervently agree, when he feels something… off. It's agitating his observation haki. Something's coming, fa-.

BOOM!

The building explodes.

Light, wind, fire, shrapnel, cracking wood, burning sulphur and smoke. Koby is flung off the bed and his head slams against a collapsing wall.

Everything goes black.

Someone shakes him awake. He barely feels it over his body aching everywhere.

"Oi, Koby, time to go!" Luffy says.

He attempts to move a limb. It doesn't work. He groans.

"Don't think he's got enough blood, Luffy," Zoro's voice says.

"Oh, okay," Luffy says. "You can take a nap then!"

He falls back asleep.

Notes:

Ninja Koby returns! Surprising? Or totally predictable? I have to know what y'all think ;P (especially considering I have a huge flowchart detailing exactly what's truly happening from a meta perspective, I'm curious to hear what y'all are thinking is going on based solely on Koby's delusionally injured perspective)

Chapter 4

Summary:

Previously:

Luffy got eaten by a bird! But he's fine, thanks to Nami's intervention. Koby was stabbed protecting Zoro from Buggy, and while he was alone recovering, he got a visit from the version of himself that sent him back in time. The conversation was cut short when the Koby got Buggy-Blasted into unconsciousness.

Now:

Koby wakes up! The crew makes a stop to resupply, and Koby starts to realize just how crazy Luffy's luck can be. (Featuring some beautiful art by orange-artist!)

Notes:

The reception to this fic so far has been - by far - the best I've ever experienced in my time on AO3. Thank you so so much to all the people who take the time to make such heartfelt comments. It really makes me feel like part of a community to read and respond to them all, and I've met some pretty cool people who reached out on tumblr. So yeah, thanks for all the support 3

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

Koby is on a ship. Before he even opens his eyes, he recognizes the rocking waves. The unsteadiness of the sea has long since been more familiar than solid ground.

He's in a hammock, and sore like day five of one of Vice Admiral Garp's training programs. He can't remember which it was this time - Mountain free-climbing? Cannonball dodgeball? Hide n' seek n' punch?

The way his body feels, probably some combination. He swings his feet off the side of the hammock and everything aches, but he manages to stand without collapsing, so he's well enough for day six.

When Koby lifts his head, he realizes this isn't his quarters on the '03. He's alone in a tiny one-room cabin that he's never seen before.

And then he takes stock of his body, shorter than it should be. A flood of memories rushes back to him; the battle, time travel, Luffy, Zoro, a stab wound, and Koby himself, but older. The explosion. It must have been a Buggy Ball.

His hand wanders reflexively to his side, heavily bandaged. It aches, but only as much as the rest of him. It's been healing for at least a day or two.

As he orients himself, his observation haki spreads out to its usual range and sensitivity. There are three people nearby, two of which he recognizes as Luffy and Zoro. The third one is… it has to be Nami. It's that same kinda-sorta-familiar as everyone else from his life that he's met in the past.

(Except Luffy. Luffy's haki voice is almost exactly the same, just a little younger and a lot less powerful. But even at the lowered volume, it's still that same bright, clear ring like a bell that Koby thinks sounds better than music.)

Right. They must have escaped, then. Koby feels kinda guilty that he didn't even help. All he did was panic over non-existent casualties, then get stabbed and blown up…

The door to the cabin opens to his right, and Koby jolts.

Luffy walks in without noticing him, immediately turning his back to observe the barrels in the other corner of the room. He grabs one and hefts it over his shoulder, arm and back muscles tensing, revealing themselves with the exertion. They are surprisingly well-defined despite his normally noodly arms. Koby's heart flutters.

Then Luffy turns around and drops the barrel, face splitting into a huge grin.

"KOBY'S AWAKE!" Luffy shouts, launching at him.

Koby has just enough time to process that this will probably hurt before a rubber body tackles him to the ground and itreallyhurts.

"Hi, Luffy," he manages to wheeze out of his crushed diaphragm. Luffy is straddling his chest, and he is very torn between wishing the pain would stop and praying his captain never leaves.

"Shishishi! I was so sick of waiting! Let's go, I'm hungry."

"Wh-?"

Before he can ask, Luffy wraps one arm around his torso like a snake, another around the barrel, and bursts out onto the deck.

"Koby's awake!" He announces cheerfully. Koby squints against the sudden blinding sunlight.

Zoro lounges on the floor, grinning up at the two of them. "We heard."

The fondness in his voice is flattering. Zoro is sort of the most badass person he knows, and in the future he'd only ever seen him smile in bloodlust or at Luffy. But he seems genuinely happy to see Koby.

There's another, larger ship attached to their sloop, and Nami peers over the rail of it at them with subtle curiosity.

"Uh, hi," he waves at her, but his arm is still glued to his side by his captain's grapple, so it's really just wiggling his hand. "I'm Koby. Nice to meet you."

Nami blinks owlishly at him.

"Oh, you're actually polite," She says, clearly surprised. "I'm Nami."

"She's our navigator!" Luffy adds.

"Oi, I can be polite!" Zoro argues.

"I'm not your navigator!" Nami shouts, "And you never even told me your name! I had to learn it from Luffy!"

"Uh-" Koby starts.

"So? That's how I found out Koby's name. Get over it."

"Shishishi!"

"Excuse me," Koby pipes up. Everyone turns to him at once and he forces himself not to shrink. "Why aren't you our navigator?"

"She is," Luffy and Zoro say together.

"I'm not!" Nami says, visibly angry. "I hate pirates! In fact, I'm a thief who stealsexclusivelyfrom pirates, and I will never ever be one!"

All the boys stare at her. Zoro unimpressed, Luffy grinning like she told a funny joke, and Koby very confused.

"Um. Okay," He says, because of all the explanations that could've come from her mouth, he wasn't expectingthat. "Then why are you here?"

Koby realizes a beat later that it was rather rude phrasing. He scrambles to fix it.

"Not that I don't want you here! I think you should join us! I just meant, if you hate pirates…"

Luffy smiles that cheeky, heart-melting grin at him. Nami huffs and crosses her arms.

"Working together has been… profitable so far. I'm here on atemporarypartnership. But I'm not a pirate."

Koby nods, slowly. This is a bit strange. All of the Strawhats in the future loved being pirates and wore the title proudly. Nami in particular is known to enjoy looting and collecting treasure; the most traditionally pirate activity anyone on the crew actually does. A hatred of pirates is not at all something he could have predicted.

But it should all work out, right? After all, Luffy convinced her the first time. He must wear her down by the time they head to the Grand Line.

"Now we go to the Grand Line!" Luffy announces.

"No!" Koby and Nami shout at the same time. They share a look of surprised solidarity.

"Koby is the only one of you with common sense," Nami says, crossing her arms. "You can't just go to the Grand Line with only three people and a sloop. You need to prepare!"

"Hm. More people," Luffy muses. At this point, he's let go of Koby and settled himself on the bow of the ship, chomping on whole apples from the barrel. "We need a cook. And a musician."

Zoro throws his head back and laughs uproariously.

Koby can't help his own snicker at Luffy's priorities, but he knows for a fact that Soul King Brook won't join the crew until several months later, sometime after Koby visited Luffy on Water Seven.

Finding Black Leg Sanji to be their cook sounds nice, though. So far they've just been eating raw provisions. And while apples are loads better than scavenging on Alvida's ship or choking down tasteless navy rations, he doesn't really want to eat them for the next four years. Especially not if he has to compete with Luffy to get any.

"A musician?!" Nami shouts, "What about a doctor?! Koby already got stabbed and blown up!"

He flushes with embarassment. "Well, I'm fine now."

"Not the point!"

"Alright," Luffy says, ignoring them, "Let's stop at the next island. To stock up on meat."

"You guys are insane!"

Zoro laughs again, and it doesn't exactly disprove the allegation.

There are four days of travel to the next island, and with each morning, Koby's body feelswaybetter. The journey also gives him time to properly get to know his crewmates.

On the first day, he discovers some deep sea fishing rods in the hold, and Luffy literally vibrates with excitement when he hauls them out onto deck. Koby is unreasonably happy with his reaction. Maybe because deep sea fishing is Koby's favorite hobby (well, only hobby; he never had a ton of free time), but seeing Luffy expertly bait and cast alongside him makes his smile stretch so wide it hurts.

Koby grew up fishing for work. He always enjoyed rowing out to the quiet ocean, far from the town's loud streets. It also provided a way to avoid the orphanage as much as possible, since a few of the older kids there were kind of bullies. It's funny how Koby doesn't even really remember them anymore; his memories of childhood are reduced only to his favorite rod in his hands and the heft of a full net as he carried his catch to the local monger.

Alvida got ahold of him when he stepped into the wrong boat at the docks, and kept him because he knew enough about navigation to be useful, in addition to his role as whipping boy. But once he was high up enough in the navy to have free time on voyages, he started fishing again. It never fails to cheer him up, even if nothing bites.

Luffy seems to prefer when the fish bite, but he's a surprisingly good fishing partner. They spend stretches in silence, looking out over the waves - an easy stillness he hadn't realized Luffy was capable of - occasionally broken up by a comment or question.

It's really, really nice. Luffy lavishes him with praise (and pleas to eat) for every catch, so he goes to bed buzzing with joy.

On the second day, he stumbles in on Nami in one of the cabins, standing over a map as she marks it up with numbers and lines. He automatically winces at the sight.

"What?" Nami asks, hands on her hips.

"Er, nothing, I'm just bad at chart calculations myself."

He can read a chart well enough in theory, but he's always struggled with numbers. They slip out of his mind like a sieve, and math seems to take twice as long for him than anyone else. Doesn't help that Alvida used to hit him for not being fast enough. But she'd hit him harder for being wrong and wrecking the ship, so better safe than sorry.

Nami's eyebrows jump.

"You can read charts?" She looks excited. Koby feels a bit bad that he's not about to share her enthusiasm.

"Y-Yes, but I'm really slow. I barely-" He cuts himself off suddenly. He almost said 'I barely passed my certs,' which would make no sense because in this life Koby has never been in the navy.

"I'm just slow," he finishes lamely.

Nami is eyeing him with interest, and he tries not to squirm. He's still so bad at talking to girls. If only Luffy were here to say something insane and change the subject.

"Well, it's still impressive," Nami says, putting down her pencil. "Plenty of sailors aren't even literate. And interpreting a chart takes a lot of practice and patience, let alone learning the calculations to write one."

"I guess," Koby mumbles, tugging on his sleeve. It's still a source of shame for him. In many ways, navigation charts represent his years under Alvida's club, too cowardly to run or fight back. They represent his frustration with numbers and math that gave him trouble in school, and in his naval exams when he applied to become an officer.

Being Garp's apprentice was meant to be his escape; becoming a good enough fighter that he never had to make a chart again.

"Are you okay?" Nami asks softly. She's stepped around the table and drawn slightly closer. Her arm reaches out halfway, but she keeps enough distance that it's an aborted gesture.

"Uh, yeah," Koby forces a smile and rubs the back of his neck bashfully. "Ha, sorry to worry you. I just have bad experiences with charting."

Nami drops her hand and stares at him.

"With… charting?" She asks, baffled, "How?"

Koby's face flushes crimson. This is officially embarrassing, telling an expert navigator that he has trauma around maps with numbers on them.

"Before Luffy, I was held captive on another pirate's ship," He admits. "I was forced to do a lot of navigation work, since the ship didn't have a real navigator and I already knew some basics."

Nami doesn't say anything. She's stock still, and pale like she's seen a ghost.

"Y-you were forced to write charts for pirates?" She finally asks, voice extremely quiet.

Koby closes his eyes. "Yeah."

"How did you escape?" Nami asks, breathless.

Koby can't help it, he laughs. Shaky, but genuine.

"Luffy." He shrugs. "Punched her right off the side of the ship." Twice, actually.

"And then he took you for himself," Nami says bitterly.

Koby recoils. "Woah, what? No!" His eyes are wide with shock. Where the heck did she get that from? "I mean, I guess technically? But Iaskedto join him. He just punched Alvida because he wanted to."

Sure, maybe this time Koby asked for help, but Luffy didn't do it because of that. He would have done it regardless.

Nami's brow furrows. "You asked?"

"Yes?"

"But he's a pirate!" She says, throwing out her arms like the statement is self-explanatory.

"Yeah?" Koby replies, confused.

"You get freed from captivity under a pirate, and then immediately join a different one?"

Okay, devoid of context, he can see how that looks. But also-

"It's Luffy," Koby says simply, because what other explanation is there? Nothing else compares. "If you don't get it yet, you will. He's just that kind of person."

The smile on his face is embarrassingly fond.

Nami eyes him once again, searching his expression, his body language, forsomething, and apparently not finding it.

"I doubt it," she says bitterly, turning back to the table and hunching over her map.

Koby sighs. Yeah, he's still bad at talking to women. This conversation is a nightmare.

"You will," he repeats under his breath, and climbs the stairs to spend the rest of the day fishing with his captain.

Koby wakes before dawn on the third day, and feels well enough to begin that training regimen he swore he'd start.

He keeps it simple. Push-ups. As many as possible in two minutes, just to gauge where he's at.

He collapses at thirty.

Koby groans when he hits the deck, half in exhaustion and half in frustration. His grown body could do upwards of 120 without breaking a sweat. This is pitiful.

He tries sit-ups next, but the third one makes his stab wound twinge painfully, and he decides to call it there.

Looks like he's sticking to push-ups and squats.

After half an hour, his limbs are jelly, and he's forced to stop. He couldn't make it through his usualwarmup.

Well, if he's currently lacking strength, he'll have to compensate in other ways.

Koby takes a deep breath to center himself, and shifts into a basic combat stance. He draws on the well of haki within himself, and pushes it outward, to coat his fist.

Armament spreads across his knuckles, barely enough to cover them, and then flickers out. Koby is panting like he's run a marathon. The amount of energy that took is wildly disproportionate to what he's used to. Color of Arms is equal parts willpower and physical stamina; will to summon, physical to maintain. His mind remains strong, but his body is - once again - weak.

It just keeps coming back to that.

"Oi."

Koby jolts. Zoro is standing in the doorway to the cabin, watching him. The sun has started to peak over the horizon.

"What are you doing?" Zoro asks curiously.

"Training," Koby sighs. "But I'm pretty weak. It's frustrating."

Zoro raises an eyebrow. "So get stronger, yeah?"

Koby huffs a laugh. He makes it sound so simple, but it sort of is, isn't it? It'll just take time.

"That's the plan," he agrees.

Zoro grins. "You warmed up?"

Koby blinks. "Um, yes. Very."

"Wanna spar?" He's already drawing one of his katana.

"W-with me?!" Koby sputters. "I just said I'm weak!"

"You took out a whole squad of marines, didn't you?" Zoro says. "I wanna see if it was a fluke."

Koby blinks again. He didn'tmeanto take out the whole squad, they just came at him when he tried to fight Helmeppo. But Zoro is making it sound like he personally pummeled all of them instead of mostly dodging to let them take dives between a few strategic hits.

"No, it was definitely a fluke," Koby says.

"Bullshit," Zoro replies, scowling. "And even if it was, that just means you need more practice, right? So spar with me."

Well. He doesn't have an argument for that.

"A-alright," Koby agrees. "I guess it can't hurt."

Zoro grins like a predator, shifting into a stance with the single sword.

"Come at me," he says.

Koby has no chance at beating him with strength, and can't block blades without armament haki, which means he's going to rely on what he does have.

Ridiculously over-tuned observation haki.

He slackens his control, letting it extend and intensify. He listens to the sound of Zoro's soul, much more acutely than eyes could ever see. It hums with interest, anticipation, excitement. The sword he wields is an extension of his voice, singing for a clash, a cut.

Zoro is ready, waiting. He won't move until attacked.

Koby darts forward for a jab to his chest. A sword blocks, but that's an entire second into the future, so Koby changes trajectory to hit his gut instead. It connects, but not forceful enough to interrupt Zoro's movement as he swings his sword downward. Koby has to pull back or have his hand lopped off.

Zoro follows with an upward slice. Koby lets it happen, sidestepping to the left and using the opening from his reach to punch him in the throat.

The blow connects, once again ineffective. Zoro staggers, but flicks his wrist to flip his katana, effectively trapping Koby between his body and the blade.

Still a second ahead, Koby ducks before it can happen. Taking advantage of the low stance, he sweeps his leg to take out Zoro's ankles. Zoro hops over it just in time, blade moving to take his head off in the crouch.

Koby rolls out of the way, and takes advantage of the over-extension, kicking the blade down into the deck and jumping off it, using the height to aim a punch at Zoro's temple. At the last millisecond, Zoro draws a second sword halfway out of its scabbard, and uses the hilt to block the blow. Then shoves him back with it.

Koby leaps back with the push, feet sliding across the deck.

"Good," Zoro rumbles, a vicious smile stretching over his face. His voice issingingwith satisfaction. He's having fun.

"Again." Zoro fully draws the second sword. "Don't hold back."

For the next hour, they fight. Despite the burning in his lungs, his muscles, hiseverything, Koby doesn't stop. Zoro's happiness is infectious. The movement of a true fight starts to bridge the gap between Koby's mind and his body with every round. He still lacks power, but his speed is improving. He's etching the experience into his muscles, little by little.

Eventually, though, adrenaline and enjoyment are not enough to keep his already-exhausted body upright. His limbs wobble, and when Zoro knocks him down for the third time, he doesn't get back up.

"I-" Koby pants laboriously, "I think I need to stop. Sorry."

Zoro sheathes his swords without protest and plops down himself, leaning against the wall of the cabin.

"That was fun," Zoro says, then reaches out and ruffles Koby's hair. Like a dog. "Definitely wasn't a fluke."

He spends the next day and a half resting, fishing with Luffy, and training with Zoro (much less intensely, for the sake of his health). In the afternoons, he and Nami cook the day's fish over a small portable charcoal grill. Though, it's mostly Nami who cooks while Koby physically intercepts Luffy so she can work in peace… but he does all the gutting and deboning for her!

Eventually, in the mid-morning of the fifth day, they make land on a sleepy little island. A place called Syrup. The giant Buggy Jolly Roger on the sail of the bigger ship is quite flashy, so Nami directs them to shore up on a private little inlet, away from the main village.

Saying that she directs "them" is a bit generous. Luffy is very easily distracted before he finishes tasks, while Zoro doesn't seem to know port from starboard. And neither of them know the proper names of the various riggings and sails. But Luffy is adorably eager to help instead of sitting around, and Zoro insists thathisversions of left and right are correct no matter how many times Koby tries to help him. So it's actually Koby following the orders and then also correcting their mistakes.

But they make it to shore intact. Luffy - impatient to explore - is already running around the beach, cheering and picking up cool shells while Nami and Koby secure the sails and weigh anchor. Zoro grins fondly with every little treasure Luffy brings him, and wordlessly slips every single one into his haramaki once he darts off again. Koby can't help but think he looks a little like a babysitter.

Finally, when the work is done, they regroup to head to the village. But they barely make it two steps up the path when a shout stops them.

"Halt, pirates!" A figure calls from the top of a cliff. "Leave this island now, and I will let you keep your lives!"

"Oh hell no," Nami mutters, "Wefinallysecured the sails." Koby silently agrees.

Dozens of flags go up from the bushes, poles waving in unison and cloth buffeting in the breeze.

"I have 50,000 men under my command, all of them skilled fighters!"

Koby squints, and unspools the range of his tightly-wound observation haki. There are exactly four signatures on the cliff. Three of them are very young children. And the fourth is… wait a second.

No way. That- it's too serendipitous that Luffy has literally found a lifelong crew member on every island he's visited. Is fate steering him directly to each person in order to counteract Koby's meddling? Or is Luffy's luck really so good that this happened the first time, too?

"Woah! 50,000 men!" Luffy exclaims.

"He's obviously lying," Zoro says.

"What?!" Luffy cries, like the thought of a stranger lying had never occurred to him. Future King of the Pirates, everyone. (Koby finds it adorably endearing.)

"Uh, no I'm not!" Usopp calls back.

"You definitely are," Nami says.

"Alright, alright, you caught me," Usopp acquiesces, upturning his palms like he's physically giving up the lie. "I only have 5,000 men."

"5,000!" Luffy shouts, eyes bugging.

"He's still lying, idiot!" Nami snaps at him, and then much louder, so Usopp can hear: "In fact, I bet he only has… hm, maybe three people up there with him?"

Koby's eyebrows shoot up involuntarily. That is aneerilyaccurate guess. If he didn't know any better, he'd say she's using observation haki herself.

"And I think they're children," Koby chimes in for the first time. It feels safe enough to say that without being creepy. Based on the… craftsmanship of the pirate flags, it's clear that a number of them were drawn by much younger hands.

The flags stop waving for a moment, like the kids controlling them paused in surprise.

"How could you possibly know that?" Usopp cries.

"You just confirmed it," Nami replies.

"Crap!" Usopp bemoans.

He raises his slingshot, taking aim threateningly.

"I'm still a walking instrument of death and expert sniper who can take you all out with a single shot!" He boasts, but doesn't sound very sure about it. His voice trembles.

Luffy shoots his crew a quick cheeky grin, then bows his head so that the rim of his straw hat shadows his face.

"A weapon isn't a toy to brandish lightly," he says ominously, and totally out of character. "When you drew your slingshot, you put your life on the line. Are you ready to accept the consequences?"

Koby feels like he's in some sort of bizarro universe. He didn't think Luffy even knew the words 'brandish' or 'consequences.'

Zoro bares his teeth in a matching sinister grin and places a hand in his swords.

Nami and Koby stare openly at them.

"ACK! Usopp shouts, recoiling. "Real pirates are super terrifying!"

Luffy and Zoro keep up the intimidating posed for half a second, before they burst out into uproarious laughter.

"I- shishi- I stole that from a pirate I know!" Luffy admits between giggles.

Usopp collapses dramatically. "You guys are jerks!" He wails.

Turns out that the pirate Luffy knows is named Shanks. As in, Red-Haired Shanks. The Emperor. The guy who showed up to the Paramount War just in time to save Koby from certain death-by-Admiral while he was out of his mind with hyper-sensitive observation haki. That Shanks.

Then it turns out that Usopp's dad is Red-Haired Shanks' sniper, the legendary Chaser Yasopp. Who, again, Luffy knows personally.

The two of them find this amusing and decide to chat over lunch. Koby finds it astronomically improbable.

Luffy befriended a future emperor and his crew as a child, then stumbled upon a random island that just so happens to be their sniper's home, and the very first person he meets is, coincidentally, the guy's son.

Serendipity doesn't even begin to cover it. Koby knew Luffy was lucky, but at this point he has to acknowledge that the universe itself must be bending to his will. No, not even his will, because Luffy doesn't seem to notice it's happening. The universe is just sort of doting on him like a mother watching her child play.

Unfortunately, Koby's really not one to talk. He's in a time loop created to save Luffy's life; literally helping the universe here. And Luffy does kinda deserve it. He's a walking ray of sunshine; it makes sense that his karma is stupidly good.

These are all the thoughts stewing in Koby's head while he half-heartedly picks at the fried something-or-other in front of him and watches Usopp regale their crew with fantastical tales of his adventures.

Luffy is absolutely eating it up - both the food and the stories. He hangs off every word from Usopp's mouth with stars in his eyes, cheering and jeering whenever the plot inspires it. It's… pretty adorable. Koby keeps finding himself staring dopily at his captain and has to drag his eyes back to his plate or Usopp.

Zoro has absolutely noticed, giving Koby the world's most shit-eating grin the entire meal. Koby decides that maybe actually the time loop should end right now, because apparently he has the most blatant crush in the entire universe. And Nami's eyes are narrowed, darting between him and Zoro, which means it's only a matter of time beforesheknows too.

Koby buries his head in his hands to hide the blush searing his face.

Luffy takes this as an opportunity to steal his food, and Koby lets him, even though he's only had maybe two bites. Because denying his captain is impossible.

Eventually, the conversation turns to the fact that the Strawhats need a better ship. And Nami mentions the proprietors of the massive estate up the hill could be potential benefactors.

Usopp goes totally rigid.

"N-no, that's a total dead end! Don't bother! In fact, stay away from that mansion, it's haunted and full of venomous snakes!"

Usopp's eyes dart nervously to the window behind him.

"Actually, I have to go now, bye!" He declares, and then jumps out of it.

"…See ya later!" Luffy calls after him, and keeps eating.

The rest of the table is still processing what just happened.

"That was weird, right?" Nami says eventually.

"Yes," Koby and Zoro say at the same time.

"And he definitely went to the mansion on the hill?"

"Yes," Koby and Zoro agree.

"Eh? The one with ghost snakes?" Luffy asks, concerned.

"I think he was probably lying about that, Captain," Koby breaks it to him.

"Oh! Okay." Luffy shrugs and returns to his food.

Nami sighs. "WellI'mcurious. What's he hiding there?"

Zoro grunts in agreement. Koby, hesitantly, nods too. It was such a sudden and strange reaction. He's not normally one to pry, but Usopp is (presumably) meant to join the crew before they depart, and it feels wrong to just let him walk away on that odd note.

Nami looks like she's about to say more, when three small children slink into the restaurant and approach their table.

"Where's our captain?" One of them demands, clearly nervous and trying his hardest to look confident.

Luffy, who is definitely not paying attention, burps and pats his stomach.

"Ah, delicious meat!"

All three kids' eyes widen in terror.

"What did you do to our captain?!"

Zoro breaks into a wolfish grin, leaning down towards them. "Weatehim!" He rumbles.

All three of them scream in terror.

Once Koby manages to calm the kids down to the point of coherency, they confirm that Usopp has absolutely run off to that mansion. Every day around this time, he visits his sick friend, Kaya, there to cheer her up with his stories.

It's maybe the sweetest thing Koby has ever heard. He always got the impression that Usopp was a good guy from their very limited interactions in the future, but this solidifies it.

Luffy, at some point, Decided he is going to ask Kaya for a ship. And when Luffy Decides with a capital-D, there isn't much that can stop him. So the children are leading the way to the mansion.

"There's a big fence around it with guards," One of the boys informs them, "so you probably won't be able to get in. We don't even know how Captain Usopp does it."

This turns out to be a non-issue, because Luffy is already pulling his arms taut on a pair of trees. Koby senses the determination and mischief in his soul's voice a half-second before he realizes what his captain is doing.

"W-wait, Luffy-" he stammers, waving up his hands.

"GUM-GUM SLINGSHOT!" Luffy yells.

Zoro and Nami's eyes widen, but it's too late. Luffy slams into his crew with the force of a sea train, launching all four of them forty feet into the air.

"AHHHHHHH!" Everyone screeches.

Luffy laughs. They hit the peak of their momentum, and Koby feels the familiar and terrifying swoop in his stomach as they plummet, then crash violently into the branches of a tree.

"I hate you!" Nami shouts up from the ground, hair sticking up in three different directions. She landed on top of Zoro, who roughly shoves her off into the dirt, and then wordlessly yanks a tree branch out from where it impaled in his arm with a small spray of blood. A few drops land on Nami, and she smacks him.

Koby himself spits out a mouthful of leaves. He's suspended five feet above the ground thanks to Luffy's grip on his shirt collar.

His captain is, of course, unphased, clinging to the trunk like a monkey and giggling. Usopp, perched on a nearby branch, gawks at them.

"Wha- how-?" He sputters.

"Hi Usopp!" Luffy greets with his usual smile.

"Usopp, do you know these people?" Asks a pale young woman from an open window. This must be Kaya. She looks a tad nervous, but mostly curious.

"Um. Yes!" He says, puffing out his chest. "These are my new underlings! My reputation has spread so wide that they traveled from far, far away to join my crew."

"Eh? No we didn't," Luffy says, unceremoniously dropping Koby out of the tree with a THUNK. "Are you Kaya?"

She seems surprised to be addressed directly. "Oh, yes, hello."

"Hi!" Luffy waves. "You should give us-"

"What onearthis this?" Says a new voice. On the lawn nearby, a man in a suit sneers at them, pushing up glasses with the heel of hand.

Koby barely has time to process that Luffy was going to bluntly ask Kaya for an entire sailing ship within two seconds of meeting her, when he's suddenly hit with a haki signature so bloodthirsty he physically staggers backward.

It- it's coming from thebutler. He's saying something or other that Koby can't hear, because his ears are still ringing from the much louder voice of his soul.

Koby is no stranger to the sound of bloodlust. It isn't even necessarily the mark of a bad person; Zoro's signature always has a tinge of it that gets louder approaching a fight. Koby fought againstandalongside plenty of bloodthirsty fighters during his time in the navy. But to hear it screaming from this random, perfectly composed man is incredibly unnerving. It's as loud as the voices he hears in battle.

Everyone else is talking, completely unaware. There's still tension - Usopp in particular has an obviously mutual distaste for the man - but it's comically tame considering this guy's soul feels like he's itching to lop someone's head off.

"I suggest that you all leave," the butler says coolly.

"Klahadore-" Kaya tries to speak, but he talks right over her.

"Miss Kaya is not well, and your ridiculous lies will only worsen her condition."

Oh, Kobyhatesthis guy. Even without the weird aura, he can't stand the way he callously bulldozes her words to speak on her behalf.

"Fine," Usopp grits out, hopping down from the tree.

"Please, Klahadore, Usopp didn't do anything," Kaya begs.

"Miss Kaya, I forbid you from seeing this boy again. He is very obviously trying to earn your trust to steal your money."

"What? No I'm not!" Usopp cries.

"Klahadore!" Kaya yelps. "That's a baseless accusation!"

"Is it?" He asks, eyes trained on Usopp. "He's a known liar, even has a reputation in the village for being one. Not to mention his father…"

"What about my father?" Usopp asks lowly.

"He's a filthy, greedy pirate. I don't see why his son would be any different. It's the same blood running through your veins."

Koby clenches his fists. This is starting to sound a lot like the rhetoric around the Paramount War.

"Yeah, my father is a pirate!" Usopp yells. "A damn good one! I'm proud of him for chasing his dream, and I'll set out to be a great pirate myself, one day!"

Luffy hops down from the tree to land beside Koby. He's got that same grin on his face as when he first laid eyes on Zoro. Usopp enthralled Luffy with his stories all day, but for the first time, he has the attention of the future Pirate King.

Klahadore scoffs. "See? He can't be trusted, Miss Kaya. Just like his barbaric father."

"Klahadore!" She shouts, horrified.

Usopp stomps forward, shaking with rage. But in an impressive display of restraint, he stops just in front of Klahadore.

"Take it back," he says.

"Not while every word is true," Klahadore simpers. "A thieving, violent, savage pi-"

Usopp punches him in the face.

Koby has to physically restrain himself from cheering. Klahadore's bloodlust rises and crests like a wave, and Koby tenses, ready to intervene. This guy is going to attack.

Except he doesn't. Instead, he sits up, wincing, and cradles his jaw, like an innocent victim.

"I knew it," Klahadore says, as if he's hurt by the revelation and didn't just spend the past minute harassing this reaction out of a teenager.

Koby itches to take a swing too. But it's not his place - it'd only give the butler more fuel for the fire if Usopp's friends ganged up on him. Even after years of restraining himself as a naval officer, it hasn't gotten any easier. Not when the situation is so blatantlyunfair.

"Usopp!" Kaya cries. "Please! Please, just go!"

Usopp disappears after the mansion, but the kids once again know exactly where he'll be - on his "special cliff" overlooking the beach.

Luffy runs off immediately, telling the crew to "wait here," despite the fact that they are at an intersection of empty fields with nothing but fence posts and cows for miles.

"What makes the cliff so special?" Koby asks the kids, hoping a conversation will at least make the waiting interesting.

"His mom is buried under the tree," Pepper says matter-of-factly, not looking up from where he's drawing in the dirt with a stick.

Koby decides maybe the wait doesn't have to be interesting after all.

Instead, they lounge around for a good twenty minutes. Zoro takes a nap against the fence. Nami grabs a stick and idly charts the island in the dirt from memory. It'sremarkablygood, considering how little time they've had to explore. The kids hardly have to give any input. Her skill is uncanny.

Koby has always been bad at sitting idle. Under Alvida and in the military, there was always chores to do. The closest he got to idleness was fishing, which at least requires his attention to detect a bite. Just sitting here makes him restless.

He decides to practice haki. First, observation; stretching his range and sharpening his focus to pick out as many details as widely as possible. Koby hardly ever does this, since his natural observation isextreme, to say the least. Unleashing it fully usually just bombards him with too much information to be useful. Restraining it constantly takes effort, but is ultimately more comfortable than keeping it open. After two years of practiced control, he hardly notices the reigns until he gives them slack, anyway.

Sure enough, he can sense nearly the entire island. Clusters of content souls in the city, dots of people on the countryside, Luffy and Usopp in the woods, even Klahadore's obnoxious bloodlust walking along the beach.

He tightens his senses back to the usual small radius. This confirms his assumptions: Koby's observation abilities haven't degraded at all from going back in time. All his limitations are purely physical.

"So get stronger, yeah?"Zoro's words echo in his mind.

Koby summons a layer of armament to his fist. It flickers and vanishes. He tries again. And again.

After a while, he is coated in sweat and breathing heavily, but he pushes on, training his body to hold out as long as it can. The kids and Zoro don't seem to notice, but Nami keeps glancing up with concern. She doesn't comment, though.

He pushes himself for a good ten minutes, totally focused on armament training, which is his excuse for not noticing an approaching presence.

"There's a weird guy coming," one of the children - Onion - says.

He quickly shakes out his fist and follows the kid's gaze to a grown man in heart-shaped sunglasses moon-walking down the path.

Koby must be hallucinating. Heknowsthis weird guy. That's Petty Officer Jango, One of Rear Admiral Hina's men. He's famous for being an ex-pirate who was only allowed to enlist because Double Ironfist Fullbody demoted himself to absolve his crimes. It was a whole bizarre gossip story back when Koby was just starting out.

Why on earth is hehere?

"Hey, weirdo!" Onion calls down the road, because children have no filter. "What are you doing?"

Jango continues to moonwalk for several seconds, seemingly ignoring him, until he eventually stops right in front of them, holding the pose.

"I am being-" he does a spin, "-inconspicuous."

"Yeah. You're weird," Carrot concludes.

"No I'm not," Jango… wiggles? "I'm normal."

Everyone stares at him. There is a long, awkward silence full of flat disbelief. Jango does not move. It starts to get uncomfortable.

Really uncomfortable.

Everyone is still staring.

"Aren't you Black Cat Jango?" Koby blurts, desperate to fill the silence.

Everyone's stares immediately pivot to him. Then back to Jango.

Jango's head is still tilted down, hat covering his eyes. After several long moments, he says:

"…No."

"You clearly are!" Everyone shouts.

"Is this guy famous or something?" Onion asks.

Before Koby can come up with an explanation, Jango is reaching into his pocket.

"No good," he says, dangling a ring from his finger by a thread. The pendulum swings back and forth rhythmically.

"What the hell are you doing?" Zoro grunts.

"When I say 'One Two Jango' you will forget who I am!" He says dramatically.

Hold on, this guy was supposed to be a hypnotist too. He's going to-

"One, Two-"

Koby screws his eyes shut.

"Jango!"

There's silence.

Cautiously, Koby peeks open one eye.

The pendulum has gone still. Everyone is standing in the same spots, staring at each other.

"Who the hell are you?" Zoro asks Jango gruffly, brow furrowed in confusion.

"I-" Jango poses dramatically and holds it. Then he slowly drops his posture until he's standing normally. "I don't actually know," he says, sounding genuinely confused. "Who am I?"

Oh… Oh god.

"How should we know?!" Nami asks.

"I don't know. I… don't know," Jango repeats.

No. Nooooooo, no no no. He's hypnotized himself. Koby accidentally made this man forget his own identity. A man with a storied past and a bright future. Hooooly shit. This is so bad and so, so unethical.

Koby… Koby should remind him, right? But he clearly didn't want anyone to recognize him, to the point of hypnotism. What if he's just trying to adopt an innocent civilian life, and Koby outed him to everyone? Is- is it better to not say anything? How can he tell him without the others asking questions? Koby doesn't even know much about this guy before he joined the navy. What could he tell him beyond his name and moniker?

"Well, if you're lost, the village is that way." Pepper points down the road.

"Groovy. Thanks," Jango says, and then moonwalks in that direction.

He's leaving! Koby should say something! Anything! Something!

"Oi, you good?" Zoro's hand claps down on his shoulder.

"YEP!" Koby lies, very loudly. "Super good!"

Jango has already disappeared over the hill.

Koby is an awful, awful person.

Notes:

Thanks again to orange-artiston tumblr for doing the stunning art in this chapter! Please give his blog a look, he has the best One Piece content.

Chapter 5

Summary:

Previously: Koby got to know his crew better, and the Strawhats arrived in Syrup Village! Usopp butted heads with the butler, and Koby accidentally made Jango erase his own identity. Oopsie!

Now: Usopp has a very important announcement. Koby becomes a bit of a human tracking device.

Notes:

sorry for the late update yall! had some deadlines this weekend, and then it was tuesday. oops. but i should be able to post this weekend as normal, too. cheers!

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

The kids get bored and ditch the Strawhats alone in the middle of nowhere. Koby has been stewing on the morality of accidentally erasing a man's identity for a good twenty minutes, when Usopp tears past their group towards town, screaming.

"What are you-?" Nami tries to ask. But he's already gone.

The group shares a look, then takes off after him.

By the time they catch up, Usopp is sprinting through the streets, pounding on doors and grabbing any random passerby who doesn't flee fast enough.

"KLAHADORE IS PLOTTING TO KILL YOU ALL! SOUND THE ALARMS! TAKE SHELTER! KLAHADORE IS A PIRATE!"

Koby isn't a lie-detector, but his over-tuned haki gives him a lot of insight into emotions. And based on the terror in Usopp's soul, this isn't one of his stories.

He knew it. Heknewthere was something wrong with that butler.

"Oi!" A shopkeeper knocks Usopp to the ground with a broom. "Klahadore is an upstanding man. Trustworthy, unlikeyou."

"Yeah!" Someone else chimes in. "Don't go spreading harmful lies just because he won't let you see your girlfriend."

"But- But I'm not lying! It's real, this time! He's a pirate, he's going to kill Kaya and then the entire town! I heard him say it!"

The village isn't even listening. They all return to their homes and businesses, one by one, with disgust on their faces.

"…It's not a lie," Usopp says softly, still in the dirt where he was shoved.

Koby reaches out a hand to help him up. It takes Usopp a moment to notice, but he lets Koby pull him to his feet.

Nami and Zoro share a grim look.

"Where's Luffy?" Zoro asks. Because - right - Luffy went to go talk to him privately.

"Gone…" Usopp says distractedly, unfocused gaze fixed to the closed doors of the village.

Koby's heart crawls into his throat.

Zoro grabs Usopp by the front of the overalls and shakes him like a rag doll.

"The fuck you mean 'Gone?'" Zoro growls in his face.

"I-I don't know! Klahadore was acting suspicious so I staked him out, but Luffy said it was boring and left!"

Zoro drops him, scowling.

Koby's already sweeping the island for Luffy's signature. Sifting through the hundreds of voices for the most familiar.

There. He focuses on the bright, clear ringing, and pinpoints it. …And then he checks it again, because that can't be tight.

He turns around. They're in front of the same restaurant from earlier. Through the window, Luffy sits at a booth across from none other than Jango, wolfing down a plate of fish and chips.

Nami follows his gaze.

"That was easier than I thought," she says.

"Hrgk," Koby chokes in agreement. It's as articulate as he can manage at the moment, because if Klahadore is a pirate, that explains whythispirate might be here too.

Zoro strides over and bangs his fist on the window.

"Oi, Luffy."

"Eh? Oh! Zoro! Come meet this weird guy I found!"

"We've met. Get the hell out here."

"Okay! Thanks for the food, Weirdo!" Luffy waves and leaps out the window into Zoro's arms.

"Wait, I don't have money to pay-" Jango starts.

"That's our cue!" Nami says, hauling Usopp and Zoro (plus Luffy, by proxy) down the street by the backs of their shirts. "Keep up, Koby."

Here's the story.

Usopp and Luffy were talking on a cliff, overlooking a cape, when the butler showed up on the shore.

"Klahadore never leaves the manor except to shop in town," Usopp says. "But here he was on the beach in a full suit, standing there. Menacingly."

"Boring-ly," Luffy adds.

Soon after his arrival, Luffy bailed. Presumably getting lost and running intoJangoWeirdo.

But Usopp stuck around. Even after ten minutes. Twenty. Thirty.

"H-he kept checking his watch. Started pacing. And then he just… became a different person. Started monologuing! He cursed the name of someone called Jango-" (Koby coughs.) "-for abandoning him, and- and he said-"

'No matter. I don't need that imbecile or his incompetent crew. I'm the great Kuro of a Thousand Plans. Forming a new one is simple. If I can't get the girl to write her will, I'll just have to forge it. Ah, but there's the issue of her suspicious death... Easily covered if the entire town perishes in a pirate raid tomorrow, leaving no witnesses to the true culprit. Only a single, heavily-wounded butler survives, and manages to call the marines after the attackers have sailed away. Yes. Yes, Kuro, you are a mastermind. Slaughtering every last citizen is tedious, but you are nothing if not methodical. It will be worth it. For a clean slate.'

In blind panic, Usopp ran to the estate to warn Kaya about what he heard.

"She didn't believe me." is all he says on the matter, voice clipped. The uncharacteristic lack of detail is unnerving.

He ran from there to the town, which is when Koby, Zoro, and Nami saw him.

"But it doesn't matter that they don't believe me," Usopp says, "Because I'll make sure it stays a lie. I'm going to stop Klahadore. And the village never has to know the truth. I'll protect them."

Luffy shoots him a thousand-watt grin. Koby can see it in his eyes; he's officially claimed Usopp for his crew.

"What's the plan?" Koby asks. "How can we help?"

Usopp takes a step backwards.

"Y-you'd help me?" He asks, bewildered. "But you hardly know me! And this guy is dangerous!"

"Of course!" Koby replies immediately, and then he realizes he never actually asked anyone else if they were comfortable with this. But he doesn't need to.

"We're friends," Luffy says firmly, putting a hand on Usopp's shoulder.

"I'm not gonna let that creepy pirate slaughter a village," Nami agrees. Then she flips her hair, switching to a more vapid tone. "And if we save the beautiful rich girl with a lot of money she might reward us."

"Dangerous sounds fun." Zoro grins like a shark. His bloodlust crescendos, but unlike Klahadore's, Koby finds it oddly comforting. Zoro is anticipating a fight, not craving senseless violence. And not trying to hide it.

Tears well up in Usopp's eyes. Snot dribbles from his nose. But with a sharp sniff he sucks it all back in, and puts his hands on his hips.

"Right," he says, voice tight with emotion. "Here's the plan..."

In the navy, they say that no plan survives contact with the enemy. It's a common cute-but-kinda-useless wisdom that all the old-timers repeat to sound jaded.

Koby is quickly learning that in this new life, no plan survives contact with Luffy. And that's not a cliché saying, it's a warning.

Usopp finishes laying out a beautiful, elaborate plan to catch Klahadore in his lies and subdue him. It involves expert manipulation, stalking, another second stalking but less creepy, a two-man infiltration team, a recording snail, caltrops, a fake mustache, rope, four bullfrogs, and a closet.

He draws diagrams in the dirt. It's really impressive.

And then Luffy says:

"I'm just gonna beat him up."

Koby's captain ismanywonderful things, but he is not a great listener.

"Luffy, Usopp came up with this whole plan-"

"Yeah but I'll beat him up instead." Then he stands up and leaves.

So they scrap the plan and jog after him. Sorry, Usopp.

As they near the mansion, Koby is hit with a wave of distress and the sound of a dying soul, immediately eclipsed by Kuro's screaming bloodlust.

All reason escapes him. He breaks into a dead sprint, focusing as hard as he can on that fading soul, and running towards it. He passes Luffy, who picks up his own pace and falls in step beside him.

"Somethings wrong," Luffy notes, brow furrowed at him.

"Someone's dying," Koby pants.

Luffy's face hardens. His arms shoot way ahead of them, latching onto two trees.

"Let's go."

The gum-gum slingshot launches them over the hedge fence, the estate yard, and into the same tree as before. Koby is ready this time, grabbing the branches to slow his fall and rolling off the landing.

He hears the dying, painful fear inside the mansion.

"That way," he points blindly.

Luffy doesn't hesitate. His arms stretch ridiculously far back, andsnapforward, blasting a hole in the wall.

They probably could have found a window. But Koby doesn't care right now - not when the voice is getting fainter, and Kuro's is getting louder.

Their feet pound through the halls. Luffy, exponentially faster than Koby in this body, quickly outpaces him and keeps turning the wrong way at intersections. Eventually, he just grabs a wheezing Koby and plops him on his shoulders.

"Point," Luffy orders.

Koby points. Luffy moves.

They quickly barrel into some kind of foyer, high ceilings, tall staircases, and a polished marble floor covered in broken glass and pooling gore.

The dying voice is a man with white curly hair stained pink with blood, crumpled beneath a fallen chandelier, and covered in cuts that are too deep and too intentional to be inflicted by it.

Luffy deposits Koby next to him and lifts the chandelier with one hand, tossing it into the corner where it shatters further.

"Kla-" The man chokes. "Klahadore. Kaya. Usopp was r-" he coughs, wet with blood.

"Where?" Luffy asks, eyes glinting. The bell of his soul rings loud and hard, announcing a reckoning.

Koby zeroes in on Kuro's bloodthirsty aura and points towards it. Up - likely a few floors - back in the direction where they landed.

His stomach drops. Kaya's room. He can faintly feel her aura; wary, and growing more nervous. She's in danger, but not hurt yet.

Perhaps a more reasonable person would look at Koby's pointing finger and take the stairs. But Luffy is not even remotely reasonable. He winds himself up on the staircase and launches directly through the ceiling. The slapping of flip flops quickly recedes, leaving only the sound of trickling drywall dust and the labored breaths of Kuro's victim.

Koby bites the inside of his cheek. He'd only slow Luffy down, in his current condition. And this man can still survive with treatment. As much as he wants to help his Captain fight, he's much more useful here.

"I'm not a medic, but I'm gonna try to help," Koby assures the man. He pulls off the red sash around his waist, and starts to fashion a tourniquet for the right leg, which is particularly shredded.

Technically, this sash is part of Nami's "emergency pirate disguise," which he's borrowing since his own clothes were covered in blood from Buggy's stabbing. She's charging him daily rent to wear the outfit, but he supposes he'll have to buy the sash off her, now. Not that he has any money to pay at the moment.

Once the worst of it is staunched, Koby darts off to the kitchen and grabs a bottle of gin and a huge roll of cheesecloth. Slowly but surely, he disinfects the wounds with alcohol, picks out the glass, then wraps them in the cloth. All the while keeping his haki loose enough to feel the fight.

Kuro is injured but furious. Luffy is injured but determined. Kaya is injured and terrified, but accompanied by Usopp, injured andeven moreterrified. Nami is there too, further back, uninjured, but still - you guessed it - terrified.

Zoro is not there, weirdly. Koby searches for him, and quickly finds him-

SLAM!

The giant double doors from the front lawn kick open, revealing a sweaty and irritated Zoro.

"Koby?" He asks, confused.

"Zoro?" Koby asks, more confused. If he wasn't coming to help, why is he here?

"Where the hell is the fight?" He asks.

Koby stares, still pinching a shard of glass in between his bloody fingers.

"Are. Are youlost?"

"Shut up! This place is huge!" Zoro barks. "Where's the fight?"

Koby points through the Luffy-sized hole in the ceiling. Zoro grunts and takes a running start towards it.

"The stairs are-"

Zoro leaps, grabs the lip of the hole, and easily kips up onto the second floor. Then he runs the opposite direction of Kaya's room.

"Nevermind," Koby sighs.

Luffy wins, of course. He always does.

Kuro fought dirty, going after Kaya despite Luffy declaring a duel. But Usopp intervened and bodily shielded her from a fatal blow - which is how they got injured. Nami was hiding out in the hallway, which proved to be useful when Kuro attempted to flee and she tripped him for Luffy to drag him back into the fight. It was a pummeling from there.

It's unclear whether Zoro made it to the fight at all. This is Koby being generous, because by all accounts he did not make it, except for Zoro's insistence that he got there at the end. So Koby is going to call it "unclear" for his benefit.

Merry - the house attendant that Kuro injured - is going to be fine. Kaya was able to give him proper treatment thanks to her personal interest in medicine combined with the professional equipment left behind by her parents.

She also patches up Luffy and Usopp. While Usopp eats up her attention, Luffy finds it very annoying. She only gets through half of his wound dressing before he straight up leaves and makes Koby take him to the kitchen.

Kaya asks them all to stay the night, evenafterwitnessing what Luffy did to her food pantry. She really is a saint.

The next morning, Kaya and Merry (who probably shouldn't be walking around, but insists) lead them all to a shed at the back of the estate.

"I wanted to give you all a proper thank you," Kaya says, "And Usopp mentioned that your crew was in need of a ship, so…"

She slides open the barn door. Inside, propped up on maintenance rails, is the most charming caravel Koby has ever seen, including the cutest ram figurehead with big round eyes.

"I call her theGoing Merry," says Merry. Oh! Koby grins at the pun. "I built her myself as a bit of a pet project. I'd be honored if you all would take her out to sea, since I don't know if I'll ever get around to it myself."

"Are you sur-HURK!" Koby's cut off by Luffy using his head as a spring pad to leapfrog onto the deck.

"THANK YOU!" Luffy shouts, climbing up to inspect the figurehead. "We'll take good care of her!"

Merry beams up at him.

"Then thankyou," he says, with a twinkle in his eye. "Now, which one of you is the navigator? I can explain how she sails."

While Zoro and Usopp join Luffy on deck to explore. Koby hangs back with Nami to hear Merry's lecture on the ship's mechanisms. Steering, rigging, and all the physical aspects of sailing are actually enjoyable for him, and based on the journey so far, he'll probably be the one executing Nami's orders.

"I'm glad one of you bozos was paying attention," Nami huffs afterwards, as Merry and Kaya leave to get everyone refreshments. "Someone needs to know how to handle this ship when I leave."

Koby feels like a rug has been yanked out from under him.

"Y-you still plan to leave?" He asks.

Nami crosses her arms. "I told you, I'm not a pirate. And I'm certainly not going to the Grand Line with a crew of them."

"…Yeah," Koby says quietly. "I just hoped…" he trails off.

A giggling Luffy dangles from the Going Merry's yardarm. Zoro leans over the edge of the crow's nest, prying his fingers off one by one. Usopp clings to Luffy's ankle in screeching panic, begging Zoro to stop.

Nami smirks, watching them.

"What, you gonna miss having another competent sailor on board?"

"I guess," Koby says, brow furrowing, "but mostly we'd missyou."

Nami's entire body goes rigid.

"You- you can't justsaythings like that," she tells him, clearly spooked.

Koby frowns at her. "But it's true. We're friends."

"I- you-" Nami's mouth opens and closes a few times with no sound.

"Right?" He asks, unsure now. Surely she knows that if Luffy calls Usopp his friend, she's long since been considered one too. Koby understands that she doesn't like pirates in general, but she's reacting like he handed her a ticking bomb.

"…Y-yeah," Nami says eventually, voice stilted. "We're friends."

Koby is starting to get concerned that his inability to talk to girls is somehow tangible and slowly strangling her.

"Are you okay?" He asks, looking her over for injuries. "I'm sorry if I-"

"I'm fine," Nami says curtly, taking a step back. Koby cannot believe he managed to fuck up this badly in a twenty second conversation.

He doesn't normally do this, but he loosens the reins on his haki a bit to get some sort of insight into her emotions. It's invasive to read someone's soul when they're talking to you. But he's starting to worry that he's genuinely distressing her beyond a particularly awkward conversation.

Nami's soul rumbles like a storm cloud. Massive hot and cold fronts of emotion clashing, wrestling for dominance. Fear against joy. Resentment against affection. Desperation against hope-

Koby immediately yanks the leash on his haki back in. There's something much bigger going on with Nami, and he really, really shouldn't have heard that.

"I'm going back to the mansion to freshen up," Nami says shortly, and practically runs out the door.

Koby watches her go, stunned and terribly, terribly guilty.

"Oi, Koby, there's lockers!" Luffy shouts from the ship. "Come write my name on mine!"

"I could do it for you," Usopp offers. "My handwriting is very good!"

Luffy gasps. "You know letters?"

"…Wait, do you not know how to write?"

Koby barely hears them, watching Nami's silhouette finally slip into the mansion.

"I'll be right up, Captain," he calls.

At lunch, Kaya insists on fully stocking the Merry for them; food, bedding, dishware, and anything else they might need. She directs this offer to the Captain, of course, and Luffy says:

"Oh, we came here for meat. Just put a bunch in there."

Nami hits him, and then she and Koby compile a real supply list for Kaya. Despite thecatastrophicearlier conversation, Nami acts totally normal, so Koby is more than happy to follow her lead.

They've made pretty good headway so far. Koby has long since memorized the standard ration weight per sailor, so he (slowly, awkwardly) calculates enough for a five-person crew and then doubles it to account for Luffy. Nami uses his numbers to itemize quantities of different foods that'll cover meal staples, scurvy prevention, perishability, and more, all while minimizing weight and maximizing walking space. She even estimates prices for everything.

She isverygood at math. It's scary. Her hand doesn't even slow to calculate as she writes up the ledger.

"We'll need clothes, too," Nami says. "Usopp and I have a basic wardrobe, but the rest of you boys need to participate in laundry day without going naked or stealing my stuff."

Koby goes bright red. "Sorry again about the sash."

"I've already added the damages fee and replacement cost to your bill," she waves her free hand dismissively. "But this is on Kaya, so take advantage. Zoro and Luffy will wear what I get them and like it, but you're actually helping. You can get anything you want."

Koby blinks. "What?"

"Clothes," Nami repeats, still writing, "Whatever you want."

Koby's mind is so blank it's a freshly-pressed vivre card.

Nami looks up. Raises an eyebrow. "If you don't hurry up, you'll be stuck swimming in whatever I get Zoro."

"That's fine!" Koby says quickly.

Nami turns her full attention to him. "What? Don't be stupid just tell me general cuts or colors or something."

Aside from the outfit Nami lent him, Koby has never in his life worn anything that wasn't a uniform. Ever. In the orphanage, everyone got the same plain tee shirt and shorts. When he started school, they all had to wear the same vaguely-navy-inspired uniform, which he was wearing when Alvida abducted him, and managed to keep intact until Luffy freed him. And then, of course, he became a marine and got all his clothes navy-issued.

The closest he's ever gotten to dressing himself is wearing his uniform shirt open to be more comfortable once he was high enough rank to do so, and incorporating the flower bandana that Helmeppo gifted him.

He can't exactly tell Nami to order him a marine uniform.

"Just shirts and pants?" He says, pathetically.

Nami stares at him for a moment. Then scoffs and returns to writing.

"Men never put any thought into their appearance, I swear," she mutters.

"OH!" Koby exclaims suddenly, causing Nami to flinch.

"GAH! What?" She snaps. This time, Koby flinches. He's embarrassed that women shouting can still do that to him.

"S-sorry. A bandana too, please. A colorful one. W-with- flowers. O-or any pattern at all! If- If you can find one."

"I'm sure I can find you a bandana, yeah," Nami eyes him skeptically.

"C-cool. Thanks."

The next morning, there is a fresh set of clothes in a neat pile outside his door. A striped yellow-and-white t-shirt, sturdy but form-fitting denim pants with a thick brown belt, and heavy tan construction boots. On top of it all is a lavender bandana, patterned with golden yellow sunflowers.

The shirt and jeans are baggy, but he tucks in the shirt, cinches the excess waistband tight with the belt, and rolls up the ankles. He'll grow into it anyway.

Notes:

literally right after i wrote this bit about koby's outfit, i realized i accidentally dressed him inthe same outfit as the Original Iconic Simp️, just yellow stripes instead of red. so uhhhh if anyone wants to a screenshot redraw of that picture with kobylu... please tag me on tumblr (okiedoketm) i would love to make a little collection and link it in the notes of the next chapter hehe.

Chapter 6

Summary:

Previously: The Strawhats stormed the mansion to save Kaya and Butler Merry from Captain Kuro, and were gifted the Going Merry as a reward. Koby and Nami ordered supplies for the ship, including a new outfit for Koby!

Now: Setting sail again, the crew picks up a duo in need and grab a bite to eat.

Notes:

Take a look at the most beautiful art in the world, because some lovely people DREW STUFF FOR THIS FIC!
-Koby's New Lookfrom Kat (tribadistic-constellations)
-KobyLu as That Kiki's Delivery Framefrom Lake (itsthislake)

Both of these are just truly adorable. I seriously can't help but grin ear-to-ear whenever I look at them. Thank you both so so much for making these and letting me share them!

If anyone else out there ever makes art for this fic, please let me know on tumblr (okiedoketm), so that I can include a link to it in the next chapter! Fandom is about connecting with people, and it always brings me joy to talk with folks who like this fic and get to know the people on the other side of the screen. So for all the people I've met on tumblr, discord, and the comments section of this fic, THANK YOU for supporting me and inspiring me to write more!

Rant over! Enjoy this chapter; it's a bit longer than usual, and also my favorite so far ;)

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

Usopp, somehow, missed the very obvious implication that he would be joining their crew. Even after two days of personally helping them prepare the ship and gather supplies, he assumed that they were going to leave him to set out on his own.

It's equal parts amusing and a little sad. On the one hand, watching Usopp's face light up at the correction warmed Koby's heart. On the other hand, how could he possibly believe they didn't want him to come?

But regardless, they all set off together. And Koby is pleasantly surprised by the amount of chores Usopp willingly does. Not that he was expecting Usopp to be lazy! Just, well, Zoro and Luffy don't really… do work. At all. Not beyond lifting heavy crates, anyway. And keeping watch at night. So having someone else around to trade off cooking nights and laundry days between him and Nami is agodsend. He doesn't even have to ask!

Currently, they're swabbing the deck together. Koby hasn't had to do daily swabs since he was a cabin boy, but Merry is big enough and, well, nice enough that she'll need it in the long run.

Koby originally figured he would be doing it by himself. But Usopp wordlessly found a second mop and joined him.

"Did you know," Usopp says when they both return to the bucket at the same time, "why swabbing the deck is so important?"

Koby's eyebrows knit in confusion at the totally random question. "What?"

"Because the salt in the water dries on the deck, protecting it from being passed through by ghosts. Like salt circles, on land. But in this case, swabbing salt water on top, combined with the salty sea beneath, makes a ship impenetrable to spirits!"

…Um. The point of swabbing is to preserve the wood against mold, and swell the planks to prevent leaks into lower decks when it rains.

Usopp is still talking. "It's why you have to re-apply daily. If the salt gets too stale, ghosts can phase right through. Once, I was on a ship that didn't bother swabbing every day, and I woke up in the middle of the night to half my crewmates possessed and floating! But luckily, I'm a very experienced sailor, and I'd seen this before-"

Usopp keeps talking. Koby is kind of impressed that he just has this many words inside of him.

He finishes his tale and puffs out his chest. The look on his face is smug, but he's watching Koby from the corner of his eye as if to gauge his reaction.

"I didn't know that," Koby says, bemused. "But why don't they swab decks on metal warships?"

"Oh, young Koby," Usopp says like a wise old sage bestowing wisdom to a pupil. "It's because the iron in the plates is a natural deterrent to specters. Everyone knows ghosts hate iron."

Huh, that's a pretty clever answer. Usopp haswit.

"Good thing the crew has us to swab," Koby jokes.

"Exactly!" Usopp slaps him on the back proudly. "We're the real heroes. Out here mopping, every day. And they'll never know the horrific fate we're saving them from…"

Well, he's kind of right in the sense that black mold poisoningispretty unpleasant.

It becomes a fun pastime after that. Whenever they do chores together, Usopp opens with the most blatantly incorrect ship fact that Koby has ever heard, and a very vivid anecdote about it.

"Can you slack the starboard halyard?" Koby asks him off-handedly one afternoon, already tightening the portside one. Nami asked him to adjust course at breakfast.

"Gesundheit," Usopp replies, not looking up from where he's tinkering on the deck.

Koby's hands still.

"No, Usopp, I need your help with the halyard."

Usopp looks up, clearly confused.

"The rope opposite of this one," Koby explains, "Can you loosen it?"

He thought Usopp knew this. He always seems so confident when he adjusts the sails. Two days ago, he spun a tale that he once met an expert helmsman who could grab all the rigging with his bare hands and steer a flagship like a sailboard. And then Koby made a joke about needing "a strong pair of yardarms" to pull that off and-

"Oh. Sure, just say that next time," Usopp says, hopping to his feet.

Koby watches closely as he casually but openly notes the position of the rope Koby holds, and then maps it to find the same one on the other side of the rigging.

This is how he realizes that Usopp doesn't actually know anything about ships. Like, it's notmeantto be an in-joke that they both know his explanations and stories are absurd. Usopp is genuinely just lying because he wants to, and doesn't seem to realize Koby actually knows a lot about sailing.

He decides it'd be a lot more awkward to bring it up. The last thing he wants to do is embarrass Usopp into stopping.

Koby spends every morning and evening training. Zoro likes to spar with him in the mornings, which is doing wonders for his reflexes and keeps his attack patterns fresh. If he lasts long enough for the sun to rise, Luffy sometimes joins in at the end to go a few rounds with each of them. Koby isshockedto discover he can last a few good seconds against his captain, thanks to his observation haki.

Perhaps he could go even longer, if Luffy weren't so freakishly fast. And strong. And durable. Koby can see a few moves ahead of Luffy, but it doesn't mean a thing when his body is still too slow to dodge them, and Luffy's body is immune to punches and kicks without haki. He can fight without future-sight to gain a little speed, but then he just gets his ass kicked less predictably.

Still, in the Paramount War, Luffy took him out with a single punch. The fact that he can dodge the first few swings is a huge win.

In the evenings, he follows his own workout routine. This is mostly strength and endurance exercises, to slowly hone his body back into what he knows it can do. The Merry is stocked with a dozen cannonballs, which unlocks about half the exercises in his arsenal. Like a Seaman Recruit under Vice Admiral Garp all over again, he selects a single cannonball from the stack in the hold, polishes it until it shines, and uses it for reps until he has every dent and groove in the metal memorized, well enough to pick her out of a line of 200 identical cannonballs blindfolded, based solely on her heft.

He chooses not to sleep with it under his pillow, this time around. Though he does name her, because the Vice Admiral insisted so vehemently that everyone name their training ball that it feels wrong not to. Her name is Carp, a portmanteau for Cannonball Garp, because Koby isn't very creative. (His original training ball on the '03 was named Luffy— an embarrassing fact that he will take to his grave.)

After a week at sea, training twice per day, Koby already feels so much better. His Color of Arms is still bust, and he can only do a fraction of his usual reps, but his body isn't ready to quit after a thirty minute spar, his punches seem to impact Zoro more than a stiff breeze, and every day he lasts another tenth of a second longer against Luffy.

It's progress.

One afternoon, Koby strolls casually onto the deck, and immediately body-tackles Luffy.

"Ow!" Luffy whines, pinned beneath him. "Whyyyy?"

"You almost killed Carp!" He shouts, and as soon as it leaves his mouth he realizes how insane it sounds.

"Eh? Who?"

Koby's mouth slams shut with an audibleclack.He can't help a desperate glance at the dropped cannonball on the deck. Aside from a scuff or two, she's fine, but if he'd been 10 seconds later, she'd be sleeping with the fishes. Luffy was trying to load the cannon.

He clears his throat and scrambles off his captain, scooping Carp off the ground and polishing her a little with the hem of his shirt. Maybe heshouldbe sleeping with her under his pillow. This could be an omen.

…Oh god, he sounds like a loon.

"You named the shiny cannonball?" Luffy asks, head tilted curiously.

"No!" Koby lies, loudly. Badly.

Luffy stares blankly at him for a moment. Koby is sweating so profusely he won't even need to swab the deck today.

"Okay," Luffy says, a grin tugging at the side of his mouth. "Koby's weird."

Koby sighs in relief. "Yeah, I know, Captain."

Luffy giggles at the title, then points out at the sea.

"I wanna hit that rock," he says.

Sure enough, there's a small rock in the distance, barely peeking out over the waves. They're in the middle of nowhere, and while it's probably a waste of ammo, the last weekhasbeen pretty boring, and Luffy hasn't even complained that much. Plus, Koby wants to make up for tackling him.

"I'll help you hit the rock, Luffy," Koby tells him. "Let me just grab a… different projectile."

Koby makes a pit stop in the men's bunk to stash Carp under his pillow. Not that he's going to actually sleep on top of her! It's just the least likely place someone will disturb her, for now.

He's now strong enough to lug two cannonballs onto the deck at once with a bit of effort, and Luffy bounces around him excitedly as he shuffles them to the cannon.

"All- hah- yours, Captain," Koby pants.

Luffy wastes no time loading one atop the bed of gunpowder he already stuffed inside. (Hold on, he was handling the gunpowder barrel? Who let him near that?)

"Matches!" He shouts, and flies off into the galley. Koby barely processes the word before he flies back out, one hand holding down his hat and the other holding a box. He doesn't even finish screeching to a halt before striking a match along the side of the book and tossing it over his shoulder at Koby, who fumbles it for a moment. Within a second and a half of Luffy's declaration, the wick is lit.

Luffy plugs his ears. Koby quickly follows suit.

"FIRE!" Luffy shouts, as the cannonBOOMS.

SPLOOSH!The shot is about twenty degrees wide, and twenty yards short.

"Aw, boo," Luffy pouts. "I even aimed it."

Koby awkwardly pats his shoulder in sympathy. It's not like he has any tips. Gunning is just about the only sailing skill he never had to learn, since his commanding officer's specialty was throwing cannonballs with his bare hands faster and harder than any artillery.

The galley door slams open.

"What the hell are you idiots doing?!" Nami shrieks.

Koby's spine snaps ramrod straight. Involuntarily, his heart rate picks up.

"Are you guys firing the cannon?" Usopp's head peers out from behind her.

"Yeah!" Luffy says, "Tryna hit that rock. But it's hard."

"Don't encourage them!" Nami snaps. "Where's-? ZORO!"

There's a thump from the crow's nest, then Zoro's head peers over it.

"Fuckin' what, you witch?"

"Were you sleeping? You're supposed to keep watch!"

"Luffy said he'd do it."

"You were supposed to watchhim!" Nami's head snaps back to the three idiots at the cannon. Koby is still shuffling around nervously, but Luffy and Usopp are already loading it for another shot.

"Don't fire it again!" Nami cries, "We only have eleven shots left!"

Ten, actually, because Carp is tucked away in his bunk. But now doesn't seem like a particularly safe time to mention that.

Neither of the other boys are paying attention. Usopp is meticulously lining up his shot. Luffy watches him, rocking back and forth on his sandals eagerly.

"Alright, that'll hit," Usopp nods.

Luffy has already lit the wick. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

"DON'T YOU D-"

Koby covers his ears.

BOOM

The rock explodes.

"DIRECT HIT!" Luffy cheers.

"Of course it was! The Great Captain Usopp is the greatest sharpshooter-"

"YOU SICK BASTARDS!"Someone wails in the distance.

Usopp goes silent. Everyone's heads turn to the exploded remnants of the rock. Where the voice came from.

"THE ROCK CAN TALK?" Luffy shouts.

"I-it's alive," Koby whispers faintly.

"I'VE ANGERED A SENTIENT ROCK MONSTER!" Usopp wails, falling to his knees. "I'm sorry! Please don't kill me! It was my Captain who gave the firing order! Punish him!"

"There's people on the rock," Zoro says from the crow's nest, unimpressed.

"Oh," Luffy, Usopp, and Koby say at the same time. Though Luffy sounds suspiciously disappointed.

In Koby's defense, a sentient rock wouldn't have even made the top ten of craziest things on the Grand Line.

"You morons are unbelievable," Nami sighs. "Hurry up and get the ship closer!"

As the Merry pulls up to the rock, Koby hears two souls, one of which is furious, and the other dying. Slowly.

The sound of it tenses his entire body, and Luffy furrows his brow at him, tilting his head. Koby forces himself to relax.

"Nothing, Captain," Koby assures him.

Luffy nods, and looks back out towards the rock. Not even a second glance.

Huh. Sometimes Koby forgets that Luffy takes people at their word.

"My partner is dying!" A man wails from the rock. He has short black hair and sunglasses, and kneels over the body of a helmeted man in… green plaid shorts. Interesting. "You tried to kill a dying man!"

"Luffy! I can't believe you did that!" Usopp exclaims, utterly appalled.

"Huh? Oh no!" Luffy cries, visibly distraught.

"Um, sorry for shooting at you!" Koby calls out to them. "We have basic medicines. Maybe we can help?"

Belatedly, he steals a look at Luffy to make sure that's okay. Technically, only the captain has the authority to invite people aboard. But Luffy's already nodding in agreement.

"Oh," says the man on the rock. "Yeah, actually, that would be great."

They drop the ladder, and the man carries his partner up over his shoulder. He's not even fully over the lip of the boat when Zoro says:

"Johnny? Is that Yosaku?"

"Zoro-aniki!"

Johnny dumps the dying guy - presumably Yosaku - onto the deck and tries to hug Zoro. Koby dives to catch Yosaku's skull before it hits the wood. Zoro holds out a hand to keep Johnny at an arm's length.

"What the hell are you doing out here?" Zoro asks. He sounds genuinely curious, and not offended at the attempted hug. (Though he certainly won't be accepting it any time soon.)

"We were hunting bounties, and Yosaku got sick! I moored on that rock so he could recover on stable ground, but he's getting worse." He tears up.

Koby gently drags Yosaku fully onto the deck, and assesses him. He pulls down a lip to inspect his gums, and he doesn't need to see anymore.

"He has scurvy," Koby reports. "Like,significantscurvy."

Johnny abandons his attempted hug to collapse over Yosaku's body.

"I heard scurvy is serious! He's gonna die!" He sobs. "My partner! I can't live without him!"

"Oh, shit," Zoro squats behind Johnny, a concerned hand on his shoulder.

Luffy and Usopp both look teary-eyed.

"N-no?" Koby says, glancing at Nami to confirm that yes, she looks as bewildered as he feels. "He just needs vitamin C…"

Nami huffs. "Boys, bring up the barrel of limes and start squeezing the juice into his mouth, before he croaks."

"His condition was so severe," Koby says once Yosaku is conscious again. "How long were you out at sea?"

Johnny looks grave. "A whole week."

"You- only aweek?" Koby asks, incredulous, "That was the late stages of scurvy! He has to have been vitamin C deficient formonths!Why weren't you eating fruit?"

Johnny stares like Koby is the unreasonable one.

"Dried meat and hard tac are cheaper."

"And keep longer," Yosaku croaks.

Horrified, Koby grabs a half-spent rind and shoves it into Johnny's mouth.

"Suck that dry," he orders.

Behind him, Zoro and Usopp snicker. He whips around to scold them about making fun of disease prevention, but Nami is already on it, punching both of them in the head.

"Get your minds out of the gutter!" She scolds. "This is what I've been saying for weeks, nutrition at sea is important! Or else you die to highly preventable diseases. Yosaku is lucky Koby and I stocked citrus instead of filling the entire hold with meat."

The boys are sufficiently cowed. Even Luffy looks thoughtful.

"So he was sick because he didn't eat right?" Luffy confirms.

Koby softens, unfolding his arms. "Yes, Captain, that's about it."

"Hm," Luffy nods, "Okay, then we gotta find a ship cook. So we don't get Lime Disease."

The fact that some part of Luffy's brain formed the correlation between this incident and hiring a cook is enough of a win that Koby isn't going to correct him.

"Well, if it's a cook you're after, there's a floating restaurant not too far from here," Johnny says. "Their food is supposed to be amazing! It's called the Baratie."

In the two days of travel it takes to cross paths with the Baratie, Koby learns a lot about Johnny and Yosaku. Arguably, he learns even more about Zoro.

The two of them were bounty hunters for a while before Zoro entered the scene. His swordsmanship was so good that they followed him around just to learn by proximity. For some reason, he let them.

Frankly, Zoro seems kinda fond of them. Constantly irritated, sure, but Koby knows he wouldn't tolerate anyone he truly couldn't stomach. He even invites them to morning training, which Johnny and Yosaku arethrilledto accept.

Koby goes his customary ten rounds of sparring with Zoro (even split today; five wins, five losses) before he turns to Johnny.

"Would you be willing to spar with me?" Koby asks. He's a little tired, but he really should take the opportunity to fight with a new combatant. Zoro's fighting style is already starting to get overly-familiar, to the point where he can predict certain attacks without future sight. And vice versa, Zoro can read him pretty well too.

It forces them to fight faster to gain any advantage, but it means the death of the unpredictability that truly makes an opponent tough.

"Sure, we can try a round," Johnny agrees, eyeing him warily. What's that about?

Koby steals a glance at Zoro for a hint, but he just grins like a shark, which is not helpful.

"Ready," Yosaku raises his hand like a flag, and then lets it drop. "Fight!"

Johnny lunges, and Koby feels the arc of his sword a moment ahead. He ducks under it, then springs with a front kick to his chin.

As Johnny stumbles back, Koby converts the surprisingly high leftover momentum from the kick into a back handspring, and darts in close with a right cross to his abdomen.

Johnny's sword clatters away as he falls flat on his back. And doesn't get up.

Koby's mouth falls open. "Wh-what happened?" He asks.

"What do you mean?" Zoro grunts. "You won."

"B-b-but I only hit him twice!" Koby stammers.

"Yeah?" Zoro raises an eyebrow.

"Good-" Johnny hacks a cough, "Good match, Koby-aniki."

Spars with Zoro usually last at least three minutes. Less, if Koby is tired, because Zoro's style offers quicker victory. Koby is an endurance fighter, who usually wears Zoro down to win, since his weaker hits need to accumulate to do any real damage.

So what just happened?

"S-sorry?" Koby says, offering Johnny a hand up. "That must have been- um, sorry, do you want to go again?"

Johnny chokes.

"No way! You can beat Zoro-aniki! I barely had the guts to try once!"

"Wha-?" Koby is at a loss.

"Oi, don't make it sound like he's kicking my ass every morning," Zoro butts in. He puts on an offended front, but the side of his mouth is curved in a subtle grin. "Just cuz he can sometimes win against two-sword style."

It's true. While he can last a while against Zoro's santoryu, he has yet to beat him. So how exactly did he take down this seasoned bounty hunter in two moves?

"Relax, Taiko," Zoro huffs, ruffling Koby's hair hard enough to make him stumble. "Told you it wasn't a fluke."

The first word that comes to mind when he lays eyes on the Baratie is "delightful."

It's a massive, multi-tiered restaurant boat in the shape of a fish, decorated with fairy lights, buzzing with chatter and music, and emanating the most enticing scents in all the seas.

"Woah," Koby breathes in awe.

"It smells like meat." Luffy drools beside him.

As they pull into its dock, a marine ship approaches alongside them. Koby is wary, but there are plenty of civilian, marine, and pirate vessels alike already docked here, so it's clear the restaurant is something of a neutral ground.

That doesn't stop the officer on the marine ship from jeering at them loud enough to be heard over the waves.

"Cute Jolly Roger, kiddos."

"Thanks! We made it yesterday!" Luffy beams.

Specifically, Usopp did. Luffy made an, ahem,prototypedesign that - while very charming - was a bit difficult to parse. Usopp drew a masterful artist's rendition of the concept for him that now waves proudly above the deck. But Koby kept the wonky flag for himself, pinned to the back wall of his locker, because he thinks it's pretty cute.

"Yeah, I can tell," the marine sneers, before turning away.

Koby lowers his glasses for a closer look at his rank, and is absolutely gobsmacked to discover this is none other than Lieutenant Commander Fullbody. Currently, justLieutenantFullbody, according to his uniform. This is the man in Rear Admiral Hina's command who, in the future, willingly demoted himself to expunge Jango's piracy record.

…Black Cat Jango. Who Koby accidentally mind-wiped. Then sort of forgot to talk to before he left Syrup Village.

Shit.

Koby raises his glasses, fully prepared to retreat below deck and have a small mental breakdown over personally ruining a life, potentially two. Except suddenly, the cannon on Fullbody's ship fires, aimed directly at their main mast.

Adrenaline lances through him. Time slows down, and he sees the trajectory of the cannonball, but without armament haki, he has no way to stop it.

Then Luffy is in front of him, swelling up like a balloon the size of an elephant. The cannonball hits him square in the stomach, indenting the rubber, and bounces back with double the speed. It whizzes well over the marine ship, and impacts the top floor of the Baratie in a spray of splinters.

Koby's stomach turns. His haki immediately floods to its full range, searching for injured voices.

He finds one instantly, but is relieved to hear it's mostly angry and irritated rather than experiencing genuine agony. Upon closer inspection, the person's haki signature is actuallydeveloped, and Koby breathes a sigh of relief knowing that whoever got hit at least had some measure of protecting themselves.

Which means he can focus his energy on chewing out this abuse of power and flagrant disregard for marine protocol.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Koby shouts at them. "YOU CALL YOURSELF A NAVAL OFFICER?"

Fullybody literally turns his back to them, directing his men to dock on the Baratie without so much as acknowledging what he's done.

"Unbelievable," Koby steams, his blood boiling.

He angrily tightens one of the rigging, and notices Usopp looking at him sideways.

"What?" Koby asks, maybe a little more aggressive than he meant to.

"Nothing!" Usopp replies quickly. "Nothing at all, want some help with that? Let me help!" And he scurries off to tie down the other lines.

The injured person turns out to be the owner of the restaurant, a man named Zeff. Koby is absolutely dying to know why a restaurant owner and chef in the East Blue would have a significantly cultivated haki signature. Unfortunately, the first thing the man does is verbally tear Luffy a new asshole for breaking his ship and his ribs, so Koby doubts he'll get the chance.

Luffy is dragged into the restaurant to discuss reparations, and Koby, trusting his captain's absurd luck and charisma to handle this, storms loudly across the docks to intercept "Lieutenant" Fullbody, who smugly approaches the restaurant with a civilian woman.

"What you did was illegal," Koby informs him, stepping into their path.

Fullbody looks utterly bored. He pats his date's arm with a condescending smile, before addressing Koby.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he says glibly.

Scowling, Koby points vindictively towards the Baratie.

"World Maritime Charter, By-Law 57: Military vessels are not permitted to discharge artillery within 1000 feet of a private or unaffiliated commercial vessel, unless directly attacked by a significant threat."

Unfortunately for Fullbody, Koby has memorized every plausible legal justification to not shoot at pirates. Just in case he ever got a chance to meet up with Luffy before their big fight. (And while thatdidhappen, he sorta got sent back in time before he needed to defend his actions.)

Unfortunately forKoby, though, Fullbody doesn't care about the laws that are literally his job to uphold.

"To a marine, pirates are always a threat," he says flippantly.

"Unless. Directly. Attacked," Koby repeats, stepping in closer, fists clenched.

"Oh? Is a little pirate cabin boy going to file a complaint against me for misinterpreting an esoteric guideline? I'm sure they'll sanction me appropriately."

Esoteric guideline? TheWorld Maritime Charter? Thecore doctrinefor navy operational procedures at sea.Esoteric?

"Thatlawexists to avoid civilian casualties," Koby seethes. "Like the oneyouinflicted."

"I believe your captain just admitted to that casualty quite publicly," Fullbody sneers, flicking him in the forehead. "In fact, maybe I should take him into custody for-"

Koby sees red. He roundhouse-kicks Fullbody in the face.

His new steel-toe boots are heavy, but connect with the asshole's jaw for a satisfyingcrunch. One of his molars goes flying.

Nami, Usopp, Johnny, Yosaku and Fullbody's date all scream.

"Zoro!" Nami shrieks, "Get him out of here while I keep us out of prison!"

Zoro rolls his eyes but descends upon him, dragging him away.

"Nice kick," Zoro mutters as he carts Koby into the restaurant.

"I wasn't done," he pouts, but doesn't resist.

"Oh, I know. But I wanna drink here. And they won't serve me if you kill someone."

"-PLUSI had to cover his bill!" Nami scolds. She's been scolding him for a good twenty minutes now. "That includes his reservation fee, docking fee, drink selection, plus meals for himandhis date. Do you know how much that costs? It's all going towards your debt. And I'm not giving youanycredit for a meal now, so unless you have belli stashed under your pillow with that cannonball, you're having free ice water and whatever garnish Zoro picks out of his drinks!"

Koby winces. He's currently slumped on the table with his cheek squished on his arms, sulking.

Across the table, Usopp chugs his wine like his life depends on it, clearly trying not to get caught in the crossfire of Nami's temper, but unable to look away from the execution.

Zoro holds a toothpick with an olive in front of Koby's face. He's not particularly hungry right now, but he does take it. If it's the only thing he's gonna eat today, he probably shouldn't squander it.

"Welcome to the shit restaurant. I'm Sanji. What the fuck do you want?"

Koby startles upright.

Well-dressed, smoking a cigarette, extremely irritated, startlingly baby-faced, and strangely cute. Their server is the future cook of the future Pirate King, Black Leg Sanji.

Of course, he totally forgot the whole reason they were here. And now he's staring at an angelic halo of blonde hair framing flawless skin and a set of soft lips with a perfect Cupid's bow wrapped delicately around his cigarette. God, how on earth did he never notice Sanji isbeautiful.

A quick glance at Zoro confirms he is also admiring the cook, specifically his mouth.

The mouth in question starts moving.

"Oh, my, pardon my rudeness," he says, bowing deeply and skirting around the table. "I did not realize a lady was present. Is there any way you can forgive me, my darling flower?"

Sanji gets down on one knee before Nami, holding his serving tray over his heart.

Ah, okay, maybe he's never noticed because Sanji in the future has never bothered to speak with him.

He watches Zoro's eye-candy sour in real time, as his expression morphs from appreciation to distaste.

Nami, however, who barely bothered to glance up at him from her menu, has suddenly lit up like a fireworks show.

"What a proper gentleman you are," she coos, batting her eyes at him. "I love nothing more than agenerousman. Perhaps you could recommend a complimentary drink to pair with my meal?"

"Absolutely, my sweet. If you have your eye on the Salmon Meunière over Pilaf, then I must recommend a glass of our century-aged tangerine wine. A local vintage, with a stunning color to compliment your beautiful hair, as well as a stunning flavor to compliment your palate."

Nami's smile tightens, fractionally.

"How sweet," she trails a nail down his cheek. "And - just checking -complimentaryto more than my senses, yes?"

"A real man always buys a pretty woman a drink," he purrs.

"How thoughtful!" Nami clasps her hands together sweetly.

Koby steals a glance at the other boys. They are both also openly staring at this strange, twisted flirting. Usopp is still holding his wine glass up, like he paused mid-sip and forgot to put it down. Zoro just looks bored.

"I'll let the kitchen know right away, my delicate rose," Sanji promises. Then he stands and turns to the table.

"Rest of you. Orders," he snaps irritably. The tone shift gives Koby whiplash.

"Three bottles of the cheapest saké to start," Zoro says without missing a beat, "and two of the second cheapest. And the steak, I guess."

"Tch," Sanji says, and turns to Usopp.

"Uh. Could I get the carbonara entreé, please?"

Not even acknowledging that he heard this, he pivots to Koby. Behind Sanji's back, Nami gives him a death glare.

"J-Just water for me, thanks," Koby stammers.

Sanji shoves his hands into his pockets.

"Whatever," he says, already walking away.

"Do you think he actually listened to our orders?" Usopp asks as he vanishes behind the kitchen doors.

"I honestly have no idea," Koby admits.

"If he's not back in 15 minutes with the booze, I'll get it from the kitchen myself."

Luffy is paying for the damages by working as a busboy. His little apron is pretty adorable, and the crew has a field day teasing him about his new job.

"It's not fair that you guys get to eat all the tasty food while I have to work!" He whines.

"Oi, dishboy, need a refill over here," Zoro calls, even though it's not technically part of his job.

Luffy, pouting, comes over anyway, and refills Zoro's cup for him. "Subtly" flicking a booger into it.

The entire table suppresses laughter as Zoro takes the glass, feints like he's about to drink, and then grabs Luffy by the back of the head and tips the glass onto his face in a manner not dissimilar to waterboarding.

"HRUGHURGHUR!" Luffy sputters, choking down the booger water. Usopp and Nami laugh so hard they're crying.

"You thought I'd fall for that shit?" Zoro asks, laughing.

"I almost got you!" Luffy pouts, dripping wet. Even though he was not remotely close in any capacity.

"I think you're supposed to taint the drink out of sight, Luffy," Koby suggests.

"Whose side are you on?" Zoro asks.

"Koby!" Luffy darts over to him. "You'll save me food, right? Koby always shares his food with me."

The small and rapidly shrinking rational part of his brain is a bit indignant that Luffy petitions him in the same way a presumptuous dog might expect to be fed from the dinner table. But the much larger, irrationally lovesick part of his brain only wishes he could.

"Sorry, Luffy. Nami's not lending me money for this. We're both eating ship rations tonight."

Luffy groans, loudly, and slumps over his lap to speak to Nami. Koby's face gets quite warm.

"Nami's mean," he says. "Let Koby get fancy food!"

Aw, that's really sweet of hi-

"So he can give me some!"

Ah. Figures.

"No!" Nami shoves Luffy's face away from her, and subsequently off of Koby. "He already wasted his credit for the week on attacking that marine."

"What? Koby said he'd invite me next time!" Luffy whines. "Won't give me food, won't bring me to punch marines. Koby's so mean."

"Next time?" Usopp asks across the table. No one answers him.

"I- I'm not doing it on purpose!" Koby waves his hands frantically, "You were busy! A-and I didn't plan to kick this one, it just sorta happened…"

"This one?" Usopp asks.

"Everyone's so mean and I'm so hungry!" Luffy whines, melting to the floor.

"Oi, new guy," Sanji appears out of seemingly nowhere. "Quit bothering the customers and get back to work."

Luffy grumbles and huffs, but trudges back to his cart and wheels it away. Zoro coils and snaps a napkin across his ass as he goes, like marines with wet towels in the locker room. Usopp wolf whistles.

"My apologies, mademoiselle," Sanji purrs at Nami. "He won't bother you again. In the meantime, please enjoy this tarte I made for you, inspired by your beauty."

"On the house?" She clarifies, hand hovering just shy of the pastry.

"As complimentary as you are on the eyes," Sanji replies, which is a nonsensical statement, but at least (probably?) conveys that it's free.

Grinning, Nami plucks the pastry off his plate and takes a delicate bite, immediately gushing about how delicious it is. Sanji is practically drooling over her praise.

Koby has been sitting at this table without food for nearly two hours while his friends dine leisurely, and he is starting to feel a little hungry. He doesn't eat much, but three gin-soaked olives isn't exactly enough for him to reasonably call "lunch."

On cue, his stomach growls.

Sanji's head turns sharply towards him. He opens his mouth to say something, but is interrupted by Zoro grunting and pushing a half-eaten plate onto Koby's empty setting.

"I'm full. Finish this," He orders, pouring himself another glass of saké.

"Yeah, take my mushrooms," Usopp says, leaning over the table and scraping them onto Koby's plate of leftovers. "I don't like them, so I need someone to eat them for me. My bread too, it's stale. And this soup - it's much too hot."

"You'd better finish everything," Nami sniffs, "I paid for this food, and not a crumb of it is leaving the table outside our stomachs."

Koby flushes with gratitude that his friends aren't actually planning to let him go hungry. It's clear from their attitude that he's not supposed to outright thank them, so he just pops one of the leftover buttered potatoes from Zoro's meal into his mouth.

It'sdivine. Koby actually has to stop chewing for a moment, just to make sure he's not hallucinating the flavor. A crispy, salty, buttery outside with herbal notes of parsley and rosemary, and a fluffy, starchy inside that dances across his taste buds. It brings pricks of tears to his eyes. He has never, ever, in his entire life eaten anything even remotely this flavorful, this delicious. Koby has lived his life eating plain bread and scavenged pirate rations and bland navy mess hall slop, occasionally broken up by a raw fruit or vegetable.

The tears actually roll down his cheeks, but he's too busy chewing, swallowing, and shoving another one in his mouth.

This is it. This is Koby's favorite food.

Sanji passes by, and Koby practically leaps out of chair to grab his arm.

"Excuse me, what are these called?" He asks, potentially a little manic.

Sanji's utterly baffled. The rest of the table looks similarly bewildered.

"...Buttered potatoes?"

Well, usually fancy restaurants have fancy names for regular dishes. He kind of assumed it had one of those, and now he just looks crazy for asking. But he doesn't even care. Buttered potatoes are officially his favorite food. He can't wait to tell Luffy.

"They're amazing," Koby informs Sanji, genuinely. "Did you make them? I-I think they're the best food I've ever had."

The entire table is absolutely staring at him like he's lost his mind. Sanji looks more uncomfortable than probably any human being in the history of the world.

"Uh, no, I didn't… I'm sorry, thepotatoes?" Sanji clarifies. "The best food you've ever had. Have you triedanythingelse? The soup, maybe?"

"I will," Koby assures him, "But I mean it, they're fantastic."

Sanji stares at him silently for a very, very long time.

"...Well, shit, okay. Yeah, I'll pass along your compliments to the chef."

He starts to walk away, and then pauses for a moment, giving one last confused look over his shoulder. Then he shakes his head and disappears into the kitchen.

Koby continues savoring the potatoes like this is his last meal. The table is weirdly silent, but he's too happy to care.

"Koby, man," Usopp says eventually. "What the fuck."

Lying on the Merry's deck that night, he tells Luffy all about it.

"-And everyone else has been making fun of me all day for choosing buttered potatoes of all things, but I don't care! I think that was the first time I ever actually enjoyed eating."

Luffy laughs, bright and beautiful.

"Stupid Koby. Eating is the best! You must be doing it wrong."

"I think I have been!" He sits up, meeting his eyes. "I can't remember the last time I've eaten something seasoned with anything other than salt or- or metal can aftertaste! Usually, I just choke stuff down until I'm not hungry anymore. But I actually wanted to eat more!"

He smiles way too wide, and Luffy smiles back.

"I'm gonna get my cook," his Captain promises. "And he's gonna make sure Koby always likes eating. He'll make buttered potatoes and tons of other tasty stuff like meat."

He throws an arm around Koby and squeezes him in a side hug.

"And I'll eat some too," He adds.

"Sounds perfect, Captain," Koby agrees.

Notes:

Surprise! The lovely orange-artistdid it again, illustrating that scene with some stunning art. I will gush about her skills every chance I get, okay, I can't help it! Thanks again, Cy, for your art and your support!

Chapter 7

Summary:

Previously: The crew picked up some of Zoro's old bounty hunter friends, and docked at the Baratie to find a cook for the ship. Koby trained, chewed out a marine, and discovered a favorite food.

Now: A few big names visit the Baratie.

Notes:

Oh my god, since the last chapter, people have createdeven more artfor this fic. Thank you so so much for taking the time to create something inspired by my little story! Everyone check these out:
-Koby Eating Buttered Potatoes (a religious experience)by kittydemon9000
-Doodles from Chapter 3by orange-artist
-Koby's New Outfit and Favorite Foodby scarusma
-Scenes from Chapter 6by hhhhunty

As always, if you create something inspired by this fic, please send it to me here or on tumblr (okiedoketm). I would love to include it in the notes to share it!

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

The next day is when everything goes sideways.

Koby's in the restaurant with Usopp and Zoro for brunch. Nami stayed behind on Merry to shower, with the intent to join them late. Usopp takes the opportunity to order Koby some hash browns under the guise of a side for his own meal.

(While they include potatoes and butter, they're notquitethe same as buttered potatoes. But still really good.)

Luffy is hovering, being generally bad at his job, while Koby tosses the occasional potato for him to catch with his mouth whenever he passes by.

The peace shatters when a large, intimidating man slams open the main doors of the restaurant. It takes a moment, but Koby recognizes him as Foul-Play Don Krieg, a pirate admiral infamously hated by both marinesandother pirates in the East Blue for his underhanded tactics. His "impressive" armada was decimated on his entrance to the Grand Line, thanks to an appearance from the Warlord Dracule Mihawk. His fleet didn't last a full week.

Hawk-Eyes must have let him live, because here he is bruised and starving on the Baratie's doorstep.

Krieg sobs out a promise of goodwill in exchange for food. Koby doesn't need observation haki to know that it's disingenuous. Sanji definitely knows it too, but he feeds the man anyway.

Once he's eaten, Krieg turns on the man that saved him so quickly it's almost comical. But Sanji doesn't argue. He turns heel and walks away.

"Where the hell are you going?" One of the cooks yells. The entire kitchen staff has been very vocal about Krieg's reputation, and this cook seems to have a personal grudge against Sanji.

"To the kitchen of course," Sanji replies without stopping. "We've got a hundred meals to prepare."

In an instant, the entire staff turns pistols on him, accusing him of being a traitor.

"If you want to stop me, fire," Sanji says with a humorless grin. "I know they're irredeemable bastards, but my job is to feed people, not judge them. It gets too complicated."

None of the men shoot, but none of them lower their weapons either. Sanji doesn't budge. Koby suddenly understands exactly why Luffy chose this boy of all people to be his cook.

"If a man is hungry, I feed him!" Sanji snaps. "That's a cook's job. What's the problem?"

Luffy watches Sanji with that twinkle in his eye, that excited ringing in his soul, that he gets when he's claimed someone as his own. Koby had suspicions that Luffy made up his mind at some point yesterday, and this simply confirms it. The only question is why Sanji hasn't already been declared a member of the crew.

A scuffle breaks out. A chef turns on Sanji, then blasts Don Krieg out the front of the restaurant. Which is a very bad idea, because he is known for being irrationally violent, and one hit from a meatball cannon isn't about to do him in.

The entire restaurant erupts into screams as Don Krieg sprays bullets all over the dining room, cackling and gloating. Koby covers his ears to protect them from the noise, but keeps his haki spread to assess the damage. A few chefs have flesh wounds, but no one is bleeding out, at least.

Krieg's self-absorbed rant is interrupted by Chef Zeff emerging from the back with a massive bag over his shoulder. Unhurried, leisurely, he hobbles across the dining room, and places the bag at Krieg's feet.

"There's enough food in there for a hundred. Take it to your men," he says.

The chefs erupt into protest, but Zeff ignores them. He holds Don Krieg's gaze evenly.

"You're…" Krieg's eyes widen in sudden recognition. "Red Leg Zeff! The infamous pirate captain. You're alive."

Koby… doesn't recognize the name. Clearly, it was before his time. But if he really was a big-name pirate, itdoesexplain the haki coming off him.

"What's it to ya? I'm a chef exclusively, now."

"HA!" Krieg throws his head back in laughter, "You say that like it was a choice. You fought with your legs - kicks that could smash bedrock and imprint steel. You clearly gave up on the life when you lost one of them!"

There's a spike of a truly dreadful emotion from Sanji. Koby, Zoro, and Usopp are currently watching from a dining table (Usopp, specifically, is cowering beneath it), so he can only see everyone's backs, but Sanji's frame is suddenly wracked with tension. His soul is drenched with… loathing? No, self-loathing. Guilt. It's strong. Even if Zeff's observation haki isn't as sensitive as Koby's, he can still probably feel it.

"I can't fight anymore, but I can cook, as long as I got my hands," Zeff informs Krieg gruffly, "So what the fuck are you getting at?"

"You spent a year in the Grand Line and returned unscathed! Give me your log book!"

A year? An entire year, no casualties. That'simpressive. Zeff is absolutely bluffing to say he can't fight anymore. Anyone who underwent a year-long voyage on the Grand Line could swat Don Krieg like a fly in a single pegged kick.

"That log is a testament to my crew. No."

Krieg does not like that answer. He goes off on an angry rant, talking about how strong he is, and how failing to conquer the Grand Line was only because he lacked knowledge. That he'll take the book, assemble a fresh armada, and take the One Piece to lord over-

"HOLD IT!" Luffy interrupts, pointing at him. "I'M GOING TO BE KING OF THE PIRATES!"

The entire restaurant goes silent. Koby hides his smile behind his hand.

"You wanna take that back?" Krieg asks, looming.

"Nope," Luffy pops the 'p.' "I was only getting facts straight."

Krieg's eye twitches. "This isn't a fucking game," he growls.

Luffy snorts. "Obviously."

"Y'know, I've been listening to the whole conversation so far," Usopp says casually to their table, "And if that place was too much for an entire armada, maybe we should just call it off. Sounds like going there is suicide."

"Shut up." Zoro rolls his eyes. "Need a hand, Luffy?" He calls. "I'll help fight."

"Nah, I can handle this," Luffy says, matter-of-fact.

"HA!" Krieg devolves again into uproarious laughter. "That's your crew? Looking a little thin, ain't it?"

"Wrong!" Luffy declares. "I have two more!"

"Don't fucking count me!" Sanji snaps. He's sat down on the floor because Krieg really is quite long-winded.

"You're much too cocky, kid," Krieg sneers. "I had a fleet of 5,000 that was smashed to bits in seven days on that hellish sea."

"Five thousand?" Usopp squeaks. "In one week. Think about how quick it'd be for a crew of five. What's one one-thousandth of a week?"

"About ten minutes," Zoro says, grinning. "Sounds like fun."

While Koby thinks that Usopp is unfairly extrapolating the danger level, he's too busy being impressed by Zoro's insanely quick math.

"I'm taking this food to my men," Krieg announces. "As a thank you, I'll even let you put up a fight before I take this restaurant for myself. Consider this your final warning."

He hefts the bag, and the double doors slam shut behind him.

Silence falls.

"We're in for a fight," Zeff warns the dining room, grimly, "If y' don't want yer ship crushed by the wings of the combat deck, set sail now."

Luffy catches Koby's eye across the room, and his orders - though unspoken - are clear in his posture and the resolve ringing from his soul. The Strawhats will fight.

Zoro evidently gets the message too, because he and Koby stand at the same time, walking with purpose.

"W-we're getting out of here, right?" Usopp asks, tripping over his chair to catch up with them. "You're going to the ship so we can all leave immediately."

Zoro doesn't bother answering. But Koby, at least, has experience leading men who aren't mind-readers.

"Luffy wants to fight, Usopp. We're moving Merry out of the way and letting Nami know."

"WHAT? No, nonono, we need to get out of here! Luffy didn't even say anything! In fact, I think I hear him now!" Usopp covers his mouth and adopts a bad falsetto, "We're all gonna leave and not die to the big scary armada!"His voice returns to normal. "Wow! Great idea, Luffy! Hear that, guys?"

Zoro rolls his eyes. Koby sighs sympathetically.

"I know it's scary, but Zeff and his crew are good people. We can't leav-…"

Koby trails off as they reach the place where Merry is docked, and it's completely empty.

He double checks the dock number. It's definitely correct. And she's not at any of the other docks, either. In fact, there's a dot on the horizon that is looking more and more likely to be their ship.

"Um. Has anyone seen Nami lately?" Koby asks faintly. "Like, in the past half hour?"

Everyone is damningly silent.

Nami was in the shower. The Merry was hijacked - likely by a pirate from Krieg's fleet, a crew reknowned for their honorless cruelty - while Nami was on board. Alone, naked, and unsuspecting.

Bile rises in his throat. Even if she somehow manages to go undetected and get the jump on them, she's totally unarmed, and-

"Bad news, bros," says a voice. They whip around to Johnny and Yosaku, miserable and dripping seawater. "Nami-aneki took the ship and our treasure."

A bounty poster for Arlong the Saw.

It can't be a coincidence. Arlong's defeat put Luffy on the map the first time around, and just seeing his bounty poster spurred Nami to steal the Going Merry.

There are several pieces Koby is missing, and he can't see the entire picture, but the few pieces hedoeshave fit together too well. Her hatred of pirates, her insistence on leaving eventually, the strange emotional turmoil eating at her, this sudden betrayal and leaving without goodbye. Whatever her reasons, she's heading to Arlong.

"Back-stabbing witch stole our fucking ship," Zoro growls. "I knew it was all a damn act."

"We don't know that," Koby starts.

"We don't? Then where's the goddamn Merry?"

"The 'leaving us for dead' thing is not a great look," Usopp agrees.

"And she pushed us overboard," the bounty hunters add in unison.

"Okay," Koby acquiesces. "Fair point. But… maybe she had a reason?"

Zoro crosses his arms. "Yeah? Ask her when she comes back."

"Johnny. Yosaku," Luffy cuts in, tone serious. It's the first time he's spoken since they fetched him to hear the story. "You still have your boat?"

"…Yeah?" Johnny says.

Luffy nods decisively. "Koby, Zoro, and Usopp will take it to get Nami back while I fight the chatty guy."

Koby's face splits into a big grin.

"Wait what?" Usopp asks.

"Are you serious? She betrayed us, Luffy. She's not worth the trouble," Zoro argues.

Luffy levels him with a stern glare.

"Nami is my navigator. I won't have anyone else."

Zoro sighs and rubs a hand down his face. "Annoying fucking captain," he mutters. "Fine. Orders are orders. I'll get her back for you."

Luffy smiles a thousand watts of pure sunshine.

"I, for one, think this is a great idea and that we should leave immediately!" Usopp declares.

Uh, wasn't he against Nami just a few seconds ag-? Oh.

"You just don't want to fight Don Krieg's men," Koby says flatly.

"Noooooooooooo!" Usopp insists. "I'm so sad to deprive this battlefield of my raw destructive power, but a beloved crew member must be retrieved!" He puffs out his chest heroically. "And Nami, too!"

It takes him a second to realize Usopp is talking about the Going Merry. Koby had already sort of dismissed the ship's disappearance as secondary to Nami's, but despite his excessive bravado, Usopp's soul betrays his genuine concern. Going Merry was a gift from Kaya, after all; of course he would want to get her back. Koby can understand getting attached to-

His heart suddenly stops. Carp is still on the ship.

"Yeah, we need to leave right now," Koby agrees.

FWOOM!CRA-ACK!

The entire ship rocks. Krieg's massive galleon rends violently in half. Its splinters rain from the sky.

"What thefuck?" Sanji shouts somewhere behind them.

Koby's senses go haywire. An absurdly strong presence has arrived, passively emitting haki like the leftover electrical charge after a lightning strike, and the signature itself is powerful enough to be-

"Hawk Eyes," Zeff rumbles. Zoro's head snaps to him. "The Warlord Dracule Mihawk. Came to finish the job."

Holy shit. What is he doing inEast Blue?

"Hawk Eyes?" Zoro asks, a tad manic. "That's him- that's the man I'm looking for!"

"What?" Usopp balks. "HIM?"

"He's the World's Greatest Swordsman," Zoro says. "I need to fight him.

"WHAT?" Usopp chokes. "He just cut that huge ship in half like it was nothing! You can't fight that!" He waves his arms at the slowly sinking galleon, "This will be your body! But the splinters are your insides!"

Koby winces at the graphic description. But he does have a point.

"Zoro, you won't be able to beat him yet-"

"I don't care." Zoro cuts him off. "My dream is to be the greatest. I have to challenge him. Will you get in my way?"

He says the words to Koby, then turns to Luffy with the same question in his voice. "Captain?"

Koby remembers Zoro's condition for joining the crew. If Luffy ever got in the way of his ambition, he must slit his own throat to atone. And perhaps Koby didn't make the same promise - doesn't have the same responsibility - as his captain, but he'd never be able to call himself Zoro's friend if he stood in the way of his dream.

"Never," Luffy says, voice firm with the authority of Captain.

"Never," Koby echoes, voice soft with the worry of a friend.

"Never," Usopp adds nervously, "Mostly because I think you'd kill me for it. But I still think this is crazy."

"Didn't ask your opinion, Longnose," Zoro pats him on the back, then walks down the docks towards Hawk Eyes.

Don Krieg's crew desperately treads water or clings to debris, and one of them cries out to know why, why Mihawk is chasing them.

"Why?" Mihawk asks, reclined against the back of his little gondola, perfectly-shined boots crossed primly on its nose. "For fun."

"Oi," Zoro calls. "You're here for fun? I'll give you fun." He draws his white sword and points it at the Warlord. "Fight me!"

Koby doesn't look away, out of respect for Zoro's dream. But he does cling to Luffy's arm the entire time like a lifeline. Luffy is chewing on his own shirt and white-knuckling Koby's entire body in turn, definitely bruising him all over.

Zoro's voice is barely discernible through the crackling, white-hot thunder of Mihawk's soul. The warlord isn't even exerting his will, and the power difference is still egregious.

Mihawk fights with a tiny blade from his necklace. It might have been funny if it wasn't coated in armament haki that Zoro has no way of noticing, let alone defending against. Hawk Eyes parries all three of his blades with the tip of the letter opener. The fight doesn't even last a full 15 seconds. Zoro bleeds, and his soul bleeds despair; not for fear of death, which Koby has come to know like a second skin during his time on the battlefield, but for failing his dream.

It hurts like no other. Koby nearly collapses, and only his mutual grip on Luffy keeps him upright.

Zoro does not pull himself off the blade in his chest. He announces - to his opponent and to the world - that he would rather die than be defeated.

"You moron!" Sanji shouts nearby, "Just give up on your dream! It's not worth your life!"

But it is. Zoro said as much with his words, and the deep, grim, reverberations of his soul affirm it tenfold.

Mihawk grants him a final blow with his legendary blade. Yoru glistens as it's freed from its sheath, and its voice crackles, an extension of its wielder.

Zoro unleashes one final attack, a whirlwind of blades; his soul's voice pitches, high and tight, with piercing, uncompromising will.

The attack is nothing to the flash of lightning that is a single strike from Yoru. Mihawk cuts, and the blades in Zoro's hands shatter like glass. Blood sprays. Zoro falls to his knees.

"Zoro-aniki!" The bounty hunters try to climb the railing, but in perfect sync, Koby and Luffy each grab one by the collar and hold them back.

"Do not interfere," Luffy says, in a low, commanding tone. The arm still around Koby grips tighter. Koby squeezes Luffy's arm back.

Zoro's resolve earns him a finishing blow on the front, not his back. A display of respect for his strength of spirit.

Yoru cuts a clean diagonal across Zoro's torso. It knocks the wind out of Koby's chest. Mihawk doesn't infuse the blow with armament, thankfully, so it doesn't fully bisect him. But Zoro's soul screeches, shrill and horrible. The sound of dying.

"ZORO!" Luffy screams. His nails draw blood on Koby's arm. Tears gather in the corners of his eyes.

Zoro falls backward, and the moment his back hits the water, Koby dives off the dock. He swims hard and fast to grab Zoro's broken body and kick them both to the surface, gasping for air. His voice still hums, but it's faint.

Johnny and Yosaku surface a moment after him, the former holding Zoro's remaining sword and the latter grabbing Zoro's legs to help Koby swim him to their nearby ship.

Luffy has apparently launched himself onto Mihawk's barge, and is currently cussing him out, throwing wild punches that the Warlord easily dodges, and screaming with all the hot fury of the sun itself.

The despair rolling off of him reminds Koby of Marineford.

"Don't worry, I left him alive," says Mihawk, sheathing Yoru. Luffy immediately stops attacking, following Mihawk's gaze to Zoro's unconscious body.

Koby, Yosaku, and Usopp work together to hoist Zoro onto the schooner.

"It is too soon for you to die!" Mihawk shouts across the open ocean. "Grow strong, Zoro. See the world, discover yourself. However long it may take, I shall await you at the top. So strive with your whole heart and mind to best this blade, fierce one! Strive to surpass me, Roronoa Zoro!"

Usopp, for all his loud panicking, already has a med kit ready when he finally drags Zoro onto the deck, tearing open his shirt to assess the damage.

"Usopp! Will Zoro be okay?" Luffy shouts from the barge.

"Um. I can try, but I've only ever stitched pants, and he's bleeding alot," Usopp confesses, slightly hysterical. "More than people should, anddefinitelymore than the pants."

"You, lad."

Mihawk's call freezes Koby's hand on the first rung of the ship's ladder. Across the waves, he meets the gaze of those famous yellow eyes as they bore into him with curious intensity.

The Warlord's will suddenly sharpens, a lance of powerful Conquerer's haki aimed solely at Koby. It's so unexpected and vicious that Koby can only compare it to a shot from a sniper rifle.

"I thought so," Mihawk muses.

Koby quickly brushes off his surprise and fixes Mihawk with a sharp glare.

"Haven't you done enough?" Koby snaps. He flares out his own aura protectively. It isn't the Color of the Supreme King, so it doesn't necessarily do anything - can't dominate, or exert pressure, or inflict damage - but it's a bit like a dog showing its teeth to a threat. Even if Koby is no match for a Warlord, he isnotabout to let this man push his crew around.

Mihawk raises an eyebrow.

"Fascinating." He gives Koby an appraising once-over. Then he finally drops the Conquerer's aura.

"I'm the captain," says Luffy, low and threatening. He steps pointedly in front of the Warlord, interrupting his sightline. "Koby is my nakama.Zorois my nakama."

Koby's breath hitches.

Those words have weight on the seas. Luffy is telling this warlord that he will fight to protect his crew. To protectKoby. Gratitude and pride swirl in his chest, catching in his throat and bringing tears to his eyes.

"You are." Mihawk says it as a statement, but his tone is curious. "And what is your goal?"

"To be King of the Pirates."

Despite the tears rolling down his cheeks, Koby smiles, and starts climbing the rope ladder again. His captain will take it from here.

"You tread a perilous path. Even more perilous than trying to surpass me."

"I don't care," Luffy sticks out his tongue. "I'm doing it." Despite the childish taunt, his soul rings loud and sure, a chorus of clanging bells in the open air. There is no way that anyone who can hear it would doubt his conviction.

"Hm," Hawk Eyes hums, and it could almost be fond. "I look forward to seeing your attempt."

Koby hauls himself onto the deck and kneels beside Zoro, across from Usopp. He's no medic, but he's emergency-dressed enough mid-battle wounds that the two of them can probably stitch Zoro up without making it worse. He pulls out a needle and a lighter, and starts to sterilize it.

Usopp has prepared a (mostly) clean rag with alcohol. But before he can disinfect the wound, Zoro's eyes fly open and he lifts his sword into the air.

"Lu-Luffy," Zoro rasps. His wound gushes blood, and Usopp scrambles to staunch it with a string of curses. "Can you hear me?"

"I can hear you!" Luffy shouts back, relieved and desperate at the same time.

"Were you worried?" Zoro says, yelling above the ocean waves. "If I fail… to become the World's Greatest Swordsman… you'll be disappointed, right?"

He coughs a spray of blood, and his body wracks with a sob. Tears and snot roll down his face.

"Never again! From now, until the day I beat him!" Zoro shouts, "I promise, I WILL NEVER LOSE AGAIN!"

Something changes, with those words. Since Koby came back in time, Zoro's voice has felt just a little incomplete, compared to the Zoro he knew in the future. Nearly there, but lacking some intangible, vital quality.

Koby feels it now. The shift in pitch that he forgot he was waiting for. Zoro's soul falls into place, newly complete, and beautifully familiar.

Thisis the moment where his friend becomes the man who will be World's Greatest Swordsman. And Koby was here to witness it.

"You got a problem with that, King of the Pirates?" Zoro shouts.

Luffy's soul swells with the warmest, most overwhelming love Koby has ever felt. So bright, so blinding, it sucks the air right out of his lungs.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughs, in perfect time with the symphony of his soul, harmonizing effortlessly with Zoro's. "No problem at all!"

Notes:

Guys, last chapter alone hasover one hundred comments. This fic has the most amazing readers ever, I swear to god. If you left a comment and I wasn't able to respond, I promise I read it and appreciated it beyond words even if there were too many for me to physically reply to after a certain point. But I tried to give some kind of response to the folks who took the time to write out long, thoughtful notes.

Seriously, even the readers who leave me heart emojis or quick comments, your messages mean the world, and inspire me to keep this fic going, knowing that there are so many people still reading. Thank you all for encouraging me to write more with your kind words 3.

Finally, if you like my writing, consider checking out my other longfic,To Be Warm in the Cold. It's the stoy of a sixth Vinsmoke sibling, Go, who ends up in the Germa dungeon cell with Sanji. Right now it's ~14k words, but I have 80k of it already finished to publish weekly. Maybe give it a chance? Okay thanks love y'all bye.

Chapter 8

Summary:

Previously: Nami apparently betrayed the Strawhats and stole their ship. Zoro fought Mihawk and was gravely injured, but he pulled through with a new resolve that Koby recognizes from his friend in the future.

Now: While Luffy stays behind to fight Don Krieg and recruit his cook, Koby, Zoro, Usopp, and Johnny follow Nami's wake.

Notes:

More art. You people are so talented it's CRIMINAL! Seriously, take a look at this:
-Mihawk Targets Kobyby scarsuma
-KobyLu on the Merryby rocksoupdoodles
-Doodles from Chapter 4by orange-artist (the guy who did the art within that chapter!)
-Traumatized Koby, Ninja Koby (from Ch. 1)by pseudopigeons

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

"What's deadly, green, and red all over?"

"Uh… a poisonous frog?"

"Nope! Zoro!"

"Usopp," Koby sighs, "I think maybe that one was a little insensitive."

"Nah, Zoro thinks I'm hilarious."

Zoro, eyes closed and otherwise totally still, flips him off.

It's been 30 hours at sea. The contents of this tiny boat, currently, are a half-dead Zoro, a very chatty Usopp, a bounty hunter who encourages him, and Koby.

Between trying to follow Merry's heading accurately and making sure Zoro doesn't die in his sleep, Koby's blood pressure has never been higher. The longer they sail east, the more Koby is forced to accept that his hunch about Nami's destination is correct. He also recently realized he has no idea exactlyhow farit is to Arlong's territory, and that they left in such a rush that they didn't pack any rations. So there's the looming threat of starvation too. And because the stress makes it hard to sleep, he hasn't. Slept, that is. Hah.

His left eye started twitching an hour ago, and he can't make it stop.

Luffy is getting the cook, we're getting the navigator,Koby repeats like a mantra. Those are two things that won't be his job anymore, as long as they don't die out here. It'll be fine. He has no idea how badly he's messed with the original timeline; if he's somehow permanently driven Nami away from the crew by his presence, or if their exit to pursue her means Luffy can't recruit Sanji either. But. It's probably fine. Hopefully. Hopefully probably fine.

Luffy is getting the cook, we're getting the navigator. Luffy is getting the cook, we're getting the navigator.

"Land ho!" Usopp declares.

Slowly but surely, an island comes into view. Specifically, an island with the Going Merry anchored at a port. The ship is moored on the clearly civilian side of the island, as opposed to the massive gated tower that looks kinda like the one at Sabaody Park.

"Oh, thankgod." Koby is relieved they're not in danger of starvation, at least.

"Uh, Koby…?" Usopp asks, tugging on his shirt. He's looking out to sea through a spyglass. "Th-there's a pack of sea monsters coming?"

"What?" Koby snatches the spyglass from him, which is very rude and he needs to remember to apologize later, when he is less sleep-deprived and everything is less stressful.

There are three shapes streaking through the water, approachingveryfast. Not just any shapes. Humanoid.

"Oh," Koby says. "Well, it's just a group of fishmen. Makes sense, considering-"

"FISHMEN?" Johnny screams, clinging to Usopp in fear.

Koby doesnotlike that reaction.

"Is there a problem?" He asks, testily. Because the last thing he needs today is this idiot being prejudiced towards the pirates in their own territory.

"They'll kill us! Fishmen are ten times stronger than humans, we don't stand a chance!"

"Don't be-" Koby cuts himself off from chewing them out on the bigotry when he decides his energy is better spent trying to explain the situation. "Look, fishmen aren't monsters, they're just people. That said, wearein Arlong Pirates' territory. They are known for being… unfriendly… towards humans."

Everything Koby knows about this crew is cobbled together from rumors circulating East Blue while he was on Alvida's ship and skimming the navy's extremely uncharitable profile on them. The former was mostly several variations of "the Arlong Pirates eat humans," while the latter alleged that Arlong was planning to take over the entire Blue and called his policies "radical fishmen supremacist ideology." However, the governmentalsouses that phrase to describe interspecies blood transfusions, so it's not actually very indicative.

This is all to say, Koby has no idea how much the sea-wide fear of the Arlong Pirates was because they're truly powerful, ambitious, and cruel, versus how much was born from common prejudices. It's likely something worse than "normal pirate stuff" but less extreme than "cannibalism."

"Everyone knows they eat people!" Johnny yells. "We're gonna die!" He breaks down crying. Usopp joins him. They're sobbing and hugging each other.

"That's a stupid rumor," Koby says, crossing his arms, "Our boat isn't even flying a Jolly Roger, so it's not like they have any reason to be hostile. It's still possible we could negotiate safe passage-"

"TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM, ZORO-ANIKI! WE'LL SWIM AWAY!" Johnny shouts, and jumps off the side of the boat. And Usopp follows suit.

"Wait!" Koby shouts, but they're already gone.

That doesn't even makesense!Fishmen can swim way better than humans. They all literally saw a group of them swimming towards the boat insanely fast. Why would swimming away work?

"What the hell?" Zoro asks, one eye open. "Cowardly morons."

"I can't tell if they're being genuinely bigoted or just extra stupid today," Koby sighs.

With a spray of ocean water, a fishman leaps out of the sea and onto the lip of their boat. Two other guys tread water nearby, their heads just above the waves.

"Human scum." The looming man crosses his arms. "You're trespassing in fishmen territory. Surrender or die."

Hm. Well, that's not agreatopener for negotiation.

"We didn't know?" Koby holds up his hands placatingly.

The pirate is not impressed. "Surrender, or die," he repeats.

Koby glances at Zoro, who is currently being held together by shoddy stitches, mediocre bandaging, and sheer willpower.

"We can take 'em," Zoro says, reaching for his lone remaining sword. A massive bloodstain materializes through the wound dressing as he sits up.

"Surrender, please," Koby tells the boarding party, holding Zoro down with one hand. "Definitely surrender."

They end up hog-tied and dumped at the feet of Arlong the Saw.

He lounges in a beautiful bayside courtyard, with a gated saltwater pool that opens right out to the ocean. And the towering building behind him is definitely a recreation of Saobody Park, labeled, creatively, "Arlong Park."

"Found some humans approaching Cocoyashi, boss," says the man who dragged them here.

Arlong raises an eyebrow.

"Why?" he asks with disdain.

Koby has no idea how to answer that without getting them killed. Every single member of this crew so far has treated them with open hostility and called them "humans" like it's an insult, despite their cooperation.

He also knows that Nami was clearly interested in Arlong for some reason, based on her fixation on his bounty poster, but he has no ideawhy. She could be trying to bag him for the reward, or something. It's not like he can mention her without endangering her, too. Maybe he can try-

"We're looking for a woman who came this way," Zoro says irritably.

Koby winces.

"Humans don't come here," Arlong says, boredly. "Try again."

"I told you, we're looking for a woman. She docked here, you damn dirty half-fish."

Koby kicks him. "Not the time to be bigoted," He hisses.

"What?" Zoro asks.

"I'm gonna let that insult slide just this once,damn dirty half-ape," Arlong bares his teeth at them. "Fishmen are evolved humans, after all. We've developed abilities that make us naturally superior, allow us to do things that no human can. We are the lords of all creation! A human fighting a fishman is fighting the power of nature itself!"

"…What?" The word falls out of Koby's dumbfounded mouth by accident, and he instantly regrets it.

This man isinsane. Almost every single thing that came out of Arlong's mouth is completely disjointed with reality. And also scientifically false. Koby isn't exactly a prominent scholar on race relations, but evenheknows that the evolution talking point was commonly used by assholes to argue why fishmen should "stay in the water," and has been thoroughly disproven in the past decade.

Trying to use it as… some kind of proof of divine right? That's bizarre and also kind of gross, considering how hard activists have fought to debunk it. For once in his life, he thinks maybe the navy was correct in calling someone a fishman extremist.

"Tch. I'm sick of that stupid theory of yours, Arlong."

Koby whips his head around. Nami strolls casually out of Arlong Park, wearing a tank top that reveals her shoulder tattoo.

Except, Koby realizes, he must not have seen her sleeveless in this timeline. Because it's not the tattoo from her future bounty poster. It's the mark of the Arlong Pirates.

"NAMI?" He and Zoro shout in unison.

Arlong chuckles. "C'mon, Nami, you know you're different! You're our esteemed surveyor, the pride of my crew! You're the exception."

Nami rolls her eyes and stops next to Arlong's chair, resting a hand on her cocked hip. Which-what?Of all the theories he had about Nami's connection to Arlong, a member of his notoriously all-fishman crew had never even crossed his mind.

"Surveyor?" Zoro spits. "You're in cahoots with these freaks?"

Koby kicks him again for the name-calling before addressing her. "Nami, what's going on?"

"You know these humans?" Arlong asks her.

Nami rolls her eyes. "Of course not. They just followed the loot I took from them. I knew they'd try to tail me, but I didn't think they'd make it all the way here."

This woman can't be Nami. She has a veneer of her mannerisms, her wit, but something isn't right.

Because she kept saying she hated pirates. If she really wanted to con the Strawhats, she could have pretended to join. Instead, she told them that she'd be leaving eventually. She traveled with them for weeks despite no obvious profit in sight, she put herself in danger to help them, and she paid for their food despite the slim chance that she'd ever see it paid back to her. All while insisting that she hated pirates.

Koby, for all his skill in observation haki, never once felt like she was lying.

"So this is the real you," Zoro says, tone flat.

"That's right." Nami stalks up to them, leaning in close to Zoro's face. "Surprised? I'm one of Arlong's Officers. I was a pirate all along."

Koby, in spite of himself, reaches out with his haki. He has to know-

"BWAHAHA! SHE MADE A FOOL OF YOU!" Arlong howls. "Nami's our cold-blooded bitch through and through. She even forgave the death of her parent for money! How could she give a shit about you?"

Nami's soulhowls.

Rage, anger, pain, guilt, despair. Grief. Violent, overwhelming, like holding on to a tree branch in a hurricane. The feeling is so strong that Koby has to hold his breath not to let out a sob, and even reigning his haki in, he can still hear it, echoing off of her like a howling wind.

"Well, I'm not surprised," Zoro says beside him. "I never trusted her anyway. Knew she was no good from the start. Probably a murderer, too."

Nami's heart still aches, but the worst of it is flooded with overwhelming, bittersweet relief. She'srelievedthat Zoro seemingly hates her. She wants them to leave, because in the maelstrom of emotions flying around inside her, there is a consistent, oppressive undercurrent offear.

Koby notices just a moment too late that Zoro is moving. He pushes off the ground and launches himself backwards into the water.

"DON'T!"

He's tied up. And injured. He's going todie. And if Nami saves him, she'll be in danger. Koby can feel it.

With every ounce of willpower he can muster, he forces armament haki into his wrists and ankles, and heyankshis limbs out in every direction with sudden force. The coating lasts just long enough for the ropes toSNAP, before fizzling out.

Arlong's crew is still gawking at Zoro's suicide attempt, so no one stops Koby from diving in after him.

He grabs Zoro by the wrists, despite his thrashing protests, and drags him out of the pool. The both of them heave for air.

On one of these desperate inhales, a foot collides with his stomach, and the wind is knocked out of him so violently he thinks maybe his lungs will be permanently deflated.

"Shouldn't have come back," Nami taunts, looming over him.

"Koby, you idiot, I had a plan," Zoro groans. Nami stomps on his bandages. He lets out a litany of curses.

"Bad plan," Koby rasps, "really bad pl-"

Nami hoists him up by the front of the shirt. Koby is, unfortunately, really short, so his feet leave the ground.

"Shut up." Nami tells him. But her eyes are darting up and down his face. She's trying to come up with a plan to get rid of them without compromising… whatever it is she has going on here.

"Do what you have to," Koby whispers. "Luffy is coming. He'll help, like he did for m-"

Nami's expression hardens, spiteful, and she slams him face-first into the concrete. His nose cracks, and warm blood pours out, staining the ground.

"Fuck, Koby," Zoro groans. He doesn't sound great.

"Jus' my noze," Koby assures him, though a bit distorted by said broken nose. Snotty blood falls into his mouth, too. Gross.

"What do you want to do with them, Nami?" Arlong asks.

"Put them in the cells," she says coldly, kicking Koby in the stomach one more time for good measure. "I'll deal with them later."

"I was banking on her saving me," Zoro complains, later in the cell.

"I know! That's the problem," Koby hisses, careful to keep his voice down. "She's clearly here against her will. If she saved you, they'd be suspicious of her loyalties."

"So?" Zoro asks, too loud. "Who cares? We just need her to admit she likes being on the crew, and then we can all leave."

"I think it's more complicated than that, Zoro," Koby sighs. "There's a reason she hasn't run away sooner."

Zoro rolls his eyes. "You're over-complicating this. She's scared of the fish guys chasing her. So we slit their throats if they try anything."

Koby waits a moment, just to see if Zoro realizes how stupid he sounds. But he doesn't.

"I'm barely five feet tall, and your small intestine is actively trying to escape your body. They're a crew of nearly thirty fishmen."

Zoro shrugs. "Sounds fun."

Koby sighs. "I really wish you wouldn't say that about every fight with suicidal odds."

"Only when they stop sounding fun."

There's a creak of a door down the hall. The two of them perk up.

Nami steps into view, with Zoro's sword in her hand and Koby's glasses tucked into her shirt. He was wondering where they went. Considering the cracked right lens and the blood splatter on it, they probably fell off when his nose broke.

Nami unlocks the cell and slices through their bindings with a bowie knife.

"Hurry up and escape," she says, tossing them their stuff, "Before Arlong gets back."

Koby stands. "Wait, Nami, how can we h-"

She whirls on him, clearly angry. Koby recoils, instinctively afraid.

"I don't need your help. I'm an officer of the Arlong Pirates, you were duped,get over it."

"Then why set us free?" Zoro asks.

"Because I have more important things to do than babysit! So leave before Arlong rips you apart!"

With that, she storms out of the room. Koby frowns after her. There's no one else around. Why wouldn't she be honest with them?

"Well, let's get a head start on bodying the fishmen, I guess." Zoro pushes himself to his feet.

"N-No! Are you crazy? I already explained why that is a bad idea!"

Zoro huffs. "AndIalready explained you're overthinking this." He steps out of the cell and strolls down the hall. "Hurry up or I'll take all the fun ones for myself."

"Stop! We're not going to-"

They do.

Zoro's right. It's kinda easy. Which is unfortunate, because Koby knows that this means Zoro will never again listen to his reservations about fighting certain battles, even if they are totally valid concerns.

"To clarify, it's not that I didn't think we could take them, it's that youreallyshouldn't be moving at all with those injuries, let alone fighting." Koby drags a body towards the piles he's making.

"Not how I remember it," Zoro replies, reclining in Arlong's chair. "Why are you making piles? Just leave them."

"I-It's a health hazard!" Koby says defensively. Having the unconscious people wake up on top of their dead crewmates sounds… unethical. Plus, having a task to occupy himself keeps him from getting twitchy.

"You should learn to relax sometime."

Koby sighs. All the men they took out (Koby, nonlethally; Zoro, very lethally) were unranked members. Arlong and his officers have all gone somewhere. It's only a matter of time before they return and discover the aftermath. Zoro refuses to leave without Nami. Which meansKobycan't leave unless he wants Zoro's death on his conscience.

Meanwhile, Nami has vanished, Usopp and the bounty hunters are off god knows where, and who knows when Luffy will make it h-

TOOT TOO TOOOT!

Koby pauses mid-dragging. That was nearby.

"Was that a trumpet?" Zoro asks. Koby shrugs, equally confused.

Zoro pulls himself out of the chair and climbs the wall near the offending noise.

"H-hey! Don't strain your injury!" Koby protests, hopping over the body to spot him in case he passes out on the wall or something.

Zoro fully ignores him, perching at the top and calling down to someone on the other side.

"Oi, was that you?"

"Huh?" Says whoever is on the other side. "Oh, yes, I was calling Momoo for lunch. I don't know why he wouldn't come…"

Admittedly intrigued, Koby scales the wall himself.

The voice belongs to an octopus fishman, with a Sun Pirate brand on his forehead. Despite the fact that he's talking to two random humans, he hasn't shown any of the hostility from the other members of Arlong's crew.

"Oh! Another one. Are you with the navy? Some of Arlong's guests?"

Navy? Why would Arlong be hosting marines? Unless…

Damn it. Is it too much to ask for a single decent, law-abiding marine in the East Blue? Why is it that every encounter so far has involved horrible, selfish abuses of power? This isdisgusting.

"Guests? Yeah, sure," Zoro shrugs. "We're guests."

"Oh my! Well, welcome! I'm afraid Arlong is in the village at the moment, dealing with a disturbance. Not sure when he'll be back."

Uh oh.

"Wh-what kind of disturbance?" Koby asks, afraid to hear the answer.

"Some intruders are hiding out there, I think? There was a boat of them earlier today…"

He shares a worried look with Zoro. That'd be Usopp and Johnny. They're in danger.

"What's the fastest way to get there from here?" Koby asks.

Hachi's transport basket isnotmade for two people, but he and Zoro make it work. It involves Zoro folding in half with his legs sticking out the top while Koby is stuffed in behind him like the world's most uncomfortable big spoon.

"I should've just run there," Zoro complains.

Koby doesn't dignify him with an answer, because not only could he strangle Zoro for wanting to run with that wound and inevitably get lost, but also his face is too squished to move his lips properly.

"Here we are!" Hachi says cheerfully, literally dumping them out on the beach. It takes a few shakes because they're wedged in pretty tight.

"Thanks, Hachi," Koby says with his face in the sand. His broken nose throbs.

"Of course! You guys are way nicer than the usual marines. Arlong should be right ahead. I'd love to take you myself, but I really should go check on Momoo…"

Zoro is already wandering off, down the beach instead of towards town.

"We can take it from here," Koby assures him. "Good luck finding your friend?"

"Thanks!"

Koby jogs after Zoro, snags his arm, and pulls him in the right direction.

As they walk, he loosens his haki, searching for Usopp. But he doesn't find him in town. So he pushes further. And further. Lets out the full range and as he reaches his limits- there-

Usopp's soul is a lot like a piccolo. It's light, and chipper, fun staccato bursts of excitement. Except when he's scared, and it's the equivalent of someone blowing as hard as they can into that piccolo without ever stopping for air.

That screeching terror is what Koby feels when he finally finds Usopp's soul. All the way back at Arlong Park. Where they came from. Arlong, Nami, and several officers are all with him.

"Oh no," Koby mutters, horrified. "No no no…"

They've approached the village, at this point, and there's a destroyed house, signs of a struggle, and no Usopp.

"Shit. Where the hell-?" Zoro starts to ask.

If he finishes, Koby doesn't hear him, because four new signatures catapult into his range, approaching quickly from the water.Veryquickly.

He whirls around to spot the source on the ocean - a huge wake trailing behind a small boat that's careening straight for the village shore. That's when he realizes three of the incoming voices are familiar. Luffy, Sanji, and Yosaku. They're all screaming.

Koby's senses fight to make sense of the chaos. His friends are panicking, the fishmen are clamoring with bloodlust, Nami is a hurricane of anger and anxiety, Usopp and the bounty hunters are screeching in naked terror, nearby the townsfolk are fearful, Zoro is confused and stressed, the animal approaching is in pain-

Dirt cakes under his nails - he fell to his hands and knees at some point - he forces himself to rein his senses in, but it's so hard to focus amidst the deafening cacophony. Trying to pull it tight is like trying to sweep water with a broom, it keeps slipping away the moment he lets go and he can try again and again in different spots but he can'tthink-

Two hands suddenly yank him.

CRASH!

Zoro drags Koby away from a massive explosion of wooden debris, as Luffy and Sanji's ship falls out of the sky and crashes directly where they were standing.

Luffy's head pops out of the rubble, totally unscathed.

"Koby! Zoro!" He cheers, hopping over the graveyard of splinters and tackling them both in a hug.

It's so intrusive and immediate that he has no choice but to focus on it. Nothing but Luffy's cheerful haki, ringing with joy to see them. Familiar. Warm.

It has a grounding effect. And the chaos quickly fades into the background of his encompassing presence, giving Koby enough of a grip to close his eyes, relax into Luffy's embrace, and steadily build his usual mental defenses back up.

By the time Sanji crawls out from the shattered remains of the hull, and Zoro pries Luffy off of them, Koby has regained his composure, haki pulled in tight.

Sanji offers an awkward half-wave to them, clearly tense.

Koby waves back with a smile of his own, only a little shaky from the bout of overstimulation.

"Luffy, did you kidnap a waiter?" Zoro asks, genuinely confused.

"Oi, I'm achef," Sanji corrects firmly.

"Sanji is our cook!" Luffy announces proudly, slinging an arm around Sanji, who manages to look equal parts relieved by and uncomfortable with the touch. But Luffy doesn't even notice, he's already moved on to the next issue at hand. "Where's Usopp and Nami?"

"USOPP-ANIKI IS DEAD!" A voice shouts, sprinting over the hills.

…No. He-hecan't be.That- Koby stopped listening for two minutes.

Johnny huffs and puffs over to their group, before shouting together "NAMI-ANEKI KILLED USOPP-ANIKI!"

Despite the fact that he's barely recovered from an extra-sensory episode, he grabs Luffy's wrist for a grounding presence and spreads his haki out again.

"TAKE THAT BACK! NAMI WOULDN'T DO THAT!" Luffy roars, just as Koby finds Usopp, rattled and confused, but otherwise fine.

"Usopp is alive," Koby agrees, pulling his range back in before he gets overwhelmed again.

"I saw it!" Johnny insists. "She stabbed him! He's dead!"

"I'm telling you, Usopp is fine," Koby says, trying not to let exhaustion color his tone.

"Nami is nakama!" Luffy agrees sternly, nodding.

It's at this point that Koby realizes he's still holding his captain's arm, and he quickly releases it with a blush.

"You guys weren't there! She-"

"Who'snakama, Luffy?" Nami saunters down the path towards them, bo staff slung lazily over her shoulder, expression cold. "Why did you people bother coming here?"

Luffy's brow furrows. "Whaddaya mean? You're our crewmate! We came to get you!"

Nami scoffs. "Don't make me laugh. You're a bunch of pathetic misfits I conned out of some treasure."

Luffy frowns.

"NAMI-SAN!" Sanji shouts, waving emphatically. "It's me, remember? Come back to us!"

"Stay out of this," Zoro growls, "she's gonna get the wrong idea."

"Love is never wrong," Sanji scowls at him.

"Nami," Koby entreats, "I know that the situation is complicated, but we can h-"

"THIS WOMAN IS A WITCH!" Johnny interrupts. Koby is getting more and more frustrated with the bounty hunters the longer they travel with the crew. "SHE BUTCHERS PEOPLE LIKE PIGS, JUST FOR TREASURE! I SAW HER STAB USOPP-ANIKI WITH MY OWN TWO EYES!"

Nami throws her head back in a dry laugh. "Ha! So what? You gonna kill me for it?"

JohnnyandKoby recoil at that.

"Nami-" Koby says softly.

"Right now," she talks over him, "Arlong is out to kill Roronoa Zoro and his 'little pink lackey,' becauseyou twohad to do something stupid."

(Not the time, but "little pink lackey?" Really? He took down just as many guys as Zoro, and he didn't evenwantto.)

"You guys might be monstrous, but you're no match for arealmonster."

Zoro scoffs. "That's nothing to us. Where the hell is Usopp?"

"Feeding the fishes."

"Cut the shit!" Zoro snaps, moving to lunge at her with his sword, but Sanji intercepts with a well-polished shoe on the blade.

"A swordsman drawing on a lady? You must have no honor."

"Stay the hell out of this!" Zoro growls.

"I'm sure you're upset after your humiliating defeat, but that's no excuse to-"

"Hold your tongue, before I-"

"G-guys," Koby cuts in, "Not the time for infighting."

The two of them stay in each others' faces, scowling, but they at least stop insulting each other.

"He's right," Nami agrees, crossing her arms. "If you wanna fight, sail somewhere else to do it. I only pretended to be your friend to get my hands on your loot, and now that you're broke, we'redone. So go find yourselves a navigator to look for your stupid One Piece, and get lost!"

For a moment, they're all silent, staring at her hardened face, closed posture.

Then Luffy pratfalls straight to his back, hands behind his head, eyes closed, and simply says:

"Goodnight."

"GOODNIGHT?" The bounty hunters shout, outraged.

"At midday? In the middle of the road?" Sanji snaps.

"I don't wanna leave the island. Those fish guys don't scare me. And I'm sleepy. So I'mma take a nap."

Oh…? Oh! Koby gets it! Luffy's pretty clever, isn't he?

He pads over and lays down next to his captain.

"Me too," he declares.

"GAH! SUIT YOURSELVES!" Nami screams, genuine rage coloring her voice, "IT'S YOUR FUNERAL!"

And she storms off.

At some point, the bounty hunters leave as well, dismayed by the apparent apathy towards Usopp's "death" and the looming wrath of Arlong's men. Zoro bids them a courteous farewell, but Koby is secretly kind of relieved they're gone. They were a bit… unnecessarily dramatic.

Luffy has fully conked out, snoring loudly by Koby's side. Koby, chronically incapable of doing nothing but still a little tired, is practicing his armament haki with his eyes closed. Progress is slow, but it's already proven useful once, so he has to keep rebuilding it.

Haki is invisible, so he probably appears to be asleep, because Sanji asks Zoro in a low, honest voice:

"Could she… could Nami have killed him?"

Zoro grunts.

"Not sure. Koby didn't think she was one of them, and he's usually got a good sense for that kinda thing. But maybe she decided to prove him wrong."

There's an intake of breath like Sanji's about to reply, but he's interrupted by distant shouting.

"GREAT!" Usopp's voice calls. "YOU HAVEN'T GONE TO ARLONG PARK YET! ZOR- oh. Aren't you the waiter?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Sanji shouts. "Next person to call me a waiter gets turned into cutlets!"

"…She saved my life," Usopp says at the end of his tale. "I think she has an ulterior motive for working with them."

"I thought so too," Koby agrees. "Something isn't right. I just don't know why she won't tell us the truth."

"Because it's no use," says a woman's voice. "You'll never defeat Arlong."

The whole group turns to face her. A tall woman with blue hair and a smattering of tattoos.

"Who's she?" Luffy asks, voicing exactly what Koby was wondering.

"This is Nojiko," Usopp explains. "Nami's older sister."

Sanji becomes instantly useless. "A second flower, just as fair? Oh, but your beauty is beyond-"

"Why do you say that?" Zoro asks Nojiko, talking over him.

Koby is curious as well. They never mentioned anything about fighting Arlong during that conversation. So why was that warning the first thing out of her mouth?

Nojiko sighs. "Look, I can tell you everything, but afterwards youmustleave this island."

Luffy stands up and stretches. "I don't care. Not interested in Nami's past. I'm takin' a walk."

He walks away.

Koby can't help the bloom of fondness in his chest. Luffy's already made up his mind; Nami only has to ask. As her captain, he needs to be able to trust that Nami will come to him herself if she needs help. Luffy doesn't need any context to justify protecting his crew - doesn't evenwantit. Koby respects that.

But Koby isn't Nami's Captain. As much as she deserves someone who will help her no matter what, she also deserves to beunderstood. He knows what it's like, to be too afraid to ask for help. To suffer in silence because trying to break free could be so, so much worse.

As her friend, as her crewmate, Koby wants to know. To support her in all the ways she's too afraid to request for herself.

"What's with him?" Nojiko asks, watching Luffy go.

"He's a weird guy." Zoro shrugs.

"I'll listen to the story, ma'am," Koby tells her. Usopp and Sanji nod in agreement. Sanji perhaps a littletooenthusiastic for the mood.

Zoro… is snoring. He literallyjustspoke, how did he fall asleep already? He's not even faking, either - Koby can sense he's fully unconscious.

Nojiko stares at him in disbelief. "Should you wake him up to hear this, or?"

"Ah, no," Koby assures her, "He's recovering from an injury. I think he needs it. But the rest of us would love to listen."

Notes:

Hey guys, um this fic broke 1000 kudos? To everyone who recommends this work to their friends or makes art that inspires folks to give this a look, THANK YOU! I never dreamed that my stuff could get this much love, considering I've always just wrote whatever I felt like. It's so exciting that other people wanna see it too!

And as always, much love to everyone who leaves me these comments, it means the absolute world to me and I treasure them all! You guys give me the energy to write enough for weekly chapters, which is no small feat for me! So, yeah, thanks a ton 3

Chapter 9

Summary:

Previously: Zoro and Koby recieve a violent welcome to Cocoyashi. Nami seems quite adamant that they leave. Luffy and Sanji crash-landed on the beach, Usopp was not stabbed, and Nojiko offered to tell the crew Nami's story. Luffy declined and wandered off, but Koby and the rest of the crew chose to listen.

Now: The crew hears their nakama's story. Nami makes a request. Koby has a busy afternoon.

Notes:

This is a longer chapter, so it took an extra day to finish. Hopefully it's worth the wait! :D

Content warning in this chapter for canon-typical self harm and a graphic description of drowning.

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

The story is tragic.

Koby didn't think it would be a happy one by any means, but the similarities to his own servitude under Alvida are painful, and bring a whole new, horrific context to some of his conversations with Nami.

It wasn't that Koby was awkward, it's that he was reciting her life story to her face. A kid taken captive by pirates and forced to navigate for survival. He found the freedom that she's been toiling for years to earn by herself, and when she begs him to tell her how, how could he possibly escape? He was rescued. A bigger kid punched the bully for him.

But Nami isn't being pushed around by a bully. She's been collared by a monster who's terrorizing her town, too. How could a smiling kid in a straw hat save her from that?

Maybe Nami doesn't think Luffy would take on Arlong for her. Maybe she knows hewould, and is afraid he'll get killed. Maybe she truly believes that Arlong will let her buy the town.

Whatever her reason for driving them away, it doesn't change the fact that this crew is going to fight for her. Perhaps the Luffy that saved Koby - the one who laughed in Alvida's face and defeated her in a single hit - wouldn't be able to defeat Arlong. But he'snotjust that Luffy. Nami isn't a stranger to him, like Koby was, she's nakama. This time it isn't a random scrap, this is his duty as her captain - as her friend - and he has an entire crew to back him up, a crew that will fight just as hard to help her.

She's nakama. They'd face any odds in a heartbeat.

Nojiko, though, doesn't see it that way. "Friends are the worst thing that could happen to a girl like her," she'd said, more to herself than anyone.

Koby disagrees. He spent the first 15 years of his life without friends. Having even a single person care about youalwaysmakes life better. Even if it doesn't seem like it. Even if it's risky. Even if it hurts. It is always worth it. Always.

After Nojiko leaves, Koby - of course - can't sit still. Pacing isn't any better than laying around, and he can only practice armament for so long before it drains his energy more than it actually strengthens his skills.

So he finds Luffy. Luffy is a master at doing nothing. Which is ironic, considering he'sverybad at waiting. But one thing Koby has discovered over the past few weeks is that, to Luffy, waiting and doing nothing are two very different things.

Waiting means that there is something exciting within easy reach, but Luffy can't have it now. This is unacceptable, and it's a miracle if he can sit still for even two seconds when food is cooking, or if they need fifteen minutes to secure a ship on a new island. Making Luffy wait is about as effective as tying him up with imaginary rope.

Doing nothing, on the other hand, Luffy seems to enjoy. Unlike Koby, whose mind floods with anxiety, restlessness, and guilt of uselessness whenever he stops moving, Luffy has an uncanny ability to be still. He enjoys watching the waves from Merry's figurehead and lounging around in the sun. He can close his eyes to doze at just about any time of day, and doesn't toss or turn if sleep doesn't come; he takes the time to just relax instead.

Sure, he gets bored often and loves to pester his crew above all else, but it's astonishing to Koby that he canenjoyany idleness at all. Luffy has the ability to turn off his thoughts and simply…existin a way Koby has never been able to.

"Hey, Captain," Koby greets as he approaches.

Luffy breaks into a massive pleased smile, as he always does when the crew uses his title. Koby uses it often, out of military habit, and far more than anyone else. Even if it's probably a little weird, it makes Luffy so visibly happy that he'd never dream of curbing it.

"Koby!" Luffy sits cross-legged against the base of a palm tree. Koby joins him.

"Everything is okay?" Luffy asks. It's casual, but Koby oddly enough finds himself understanding what his captain is actually asking.

"They miss Nami, but they're still on the beach. Er, except the bounty hunters. Those guys left."

Luffy nods, satisfied. He flops his entire body across Koby's lap.

The temperature in his cheeks sky-rockets. His heart beats faster. Luffy can probablyhearit.

Out of boredom, probably, Luffy plays idly with Koby's fingers, pulling them and wiggling his hand around like a doll or something. Koby tries not to think about how this is the by far most casual physical contact he's ever experienced. About how this is totally normal behavior for Luffy, and Koby is making it weird by enjoying it like someone else might enjoy a cigarette after a week sober.

The moment is shattered by a distant salvo of gunshots.

Koby startles and Luffy sits up straight, alert.

"Mystery sense?" His captain says. He realizes Luffy's asking if he can tell what's going on with his haki.

He lets his senses spill out, sweeping for voices in pain.

"One person, not fatal," he pauses. "Nami is with them. She… oh, Luffy-"

Gales of frustration, rage, and helplessness buffet him. Somehow a thousand times worse than when Arlong mentioned her mother. Koby's breath hitches, and angry tears press painfully against his eyes.

A warm hand falls on his shoulder, and with the sound of Luffy's soul as a guide, Koby pulls his haki back in.

"It's okay," Luffy says. "The people here are good."

Disoriented, Koby follows his gaze to see the townsfolk gathering around as Nami, a heavily scarred man, and a bloody Nojiko stumble down a mountain path. They descend upon the group immediately, checking for other injuries and administering first aid.

Luffy wanders off towards them. Koby trails distractedly behind, attempting to sift his own emotions from the echoes of Nami's.

"Nami?" Luffy asks, smiling warmly despite his concern a moment ago. "What's going on? Can I help?"

Nami glares up at him from where she's hunched over her sister's bleeding body.

"You're still here?" She seethes, standing.

Luffy opens his mouth to reply but she lunges for him, hand balling up the front of his vest and dragging his face an inch from hers.

"I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!" Nami screams, voice cracking from emotion and volume. "GET OFF THIS ISLAND,NOW!"

"Na-" Koby doesn't even get through her name, because Nami shoves Luffy at him, knocking the two of them on their asses in a shocked heap.

"Nami, where are you going?!" Someone shouts.

By the time he and Luffy sit up, she's gone, leaving only a trail of dust clouds settling in her wake.

"Genzo, what the hell happened?" One of the townspeople asks.

Luffy wanders off, pointedly uninterested in whatever it is Nami won't tell them, but Koby listens. And what he hears makes his blood boil with rage.

The villagers take up arms, determined to fight Arlong themselves. Koby can only pace in front of Luffy like a caged animal, because as much as he wants to join them and maybe strangle this Captain Nezumi with his bare hands, he won't do anything against his captain's orders. And his captain won't let them fight until Nami asks.

When she does return, nearly twenty minutes later, her face is blotchy from crying, but her mouth is pulled into a huge toothy smile.

"Everyone, just wait a little longer, I'm going to try again!" She babbles with manic cheer, "Just give me one more chance! It'll be even easier this time! I already know-"

She's cut off when Genzo steps forward and pulls her into a hug. He murmurs something into her hair. Nojiko steps forward too, speaking softly. Koby can't hear them, but he already knows what they're saying; they won't let Nami fight alone anymore.

"STOP IT! EVERYONE!" Nami screams, stepping back and drawing a knife. "I- I won't let anyone else get hurt by them!" Her hands shake. "They'll kill you all!"

Genzo steps forward after her, closing his hand firmly around the blade.

"We know," he rumbles. "Now, STEP ASIDE!"

Nami flinches. Genzo rallies the villagers with a battle cry and leads them all past her, covering Koby's line of sight on his nakama. Once they're past, he sees Nami has fallen to her knees, face blank in total devastation.

"Koby," Luffy says, voice hard with a command, "wait with the others."

Koby dips his head. "Aye, Captain."

He turns his back to the scene, but Nami's screams and the sound of metal piercing flesh rip through the air, impossible to ignore.

"Arlong," She growls, all the pain of the last eight years in her voice and pouring out of her soul so strongly that Koby couldn't block it out if he tried. "Arlong! ARLONG!ARLONG!"

Walking away from her is torture. Nami's wailing sobs pierce his heart, even as Luffy stops her from hurting herself. Koby is too far away to hear their conversation, but it doesn't stop him from letting a few of Nami's devastated tears roll down his own face.

Thankfully, he doesn't have to endure it for long. Luffy's soul starts ringing with that fierce determination, loud and violent to announce a reckoning, crescendoing and unyielding and infectious.

"OF COURSE I WILL!" Luffy shouts. And Koby knows. She did it. Nami did the hardest thing of all - something Koby himself never could in his first lifetime.

She asked for help.

Luffy's sandals slap against his heels as he stalks forward, until he strides past Koby at the end of the street, where the rest of the crew is already waiting.

"Let's go." Their captain orders.

"RIGHT!" They all shout in reply.

The stone gates to Arlong park shatter like glass with a single punch from Luffy.

"Which one," Luffy asks the assembly of officers, "is Arlong?"

His tone is something dangerous. His soul simmers angrily, like the trickling bubbles before a boil. Luffy can't unleash Color of the Supreme King yet, but he's certainlypissedenough that he'd knock half the island unconscious if he could.

"That would be me," Arlong says lazily from his chair, clearly oblivious to the sheer power of the guy approaching him.

Luffy stalks forward. A pair of pirates attempt to intercept him, but he just bashes their heads together without stopping.

"What business do you have with me?" Arlong asks, eyes narrowed.

Luffy doesn't acknowledge him. He instead delivers a right hook so powerful it launches Arlong right out of his stupid lawn chair, skidding across the pool tile, and slamming into the far wall of the park.

"YOU MADE OUR NAVIGATOR CRY!" Luffy snarls.

An army of non-ranking pirates charge at him, but Koby, Sanji, and Zoro easily lay them all out before they make it halfway.

"You really just dive right in, don't you?" Sanji asks Luffy casually.

"Yeah, but I won't lose," Luffy replies easily.

"I'm not worried about that, dummy," Sanji rolls his eyes, "Just meant to save some for the rest of us."

"I-It's okay if you don't share with me," Usopp says, visibly trembling, "Y-you can have my portion, Luffy!"

"How generous," Zoro says flatly.

Koby pats Usopp comfortingly on the back.

Arlong spits some curses at them, and Hachi lets out a familiar "TOOT TOO TOOOT!"

A giant cow-like sea king emerges from the pool, positively radiating fear, shaking and crying. Koby feels genuinely bad for it. The poor thing's terrified of Luffy and Sanji. But when it tries to back away, Arlong says:

"Momoo? What are you doing?"

The comment generates a spike of absolute terror from the creature so strong it might as well have slapped Koby in the face. He can only imagine what kind of horrible abuse this animal was put through thatthisis its reaction.

Shaking, Momoo faces them all once again, and lets out a massive"MOOOOOOOOO!"

And that's when all hell breaks loose.

Momoo lunges. Usopp screams. Arlong's men charge. Sanji chuckles. Zoro pulls a sword from its sheath. Koby shifts his perception two seconds into the future.

He doesn't love what he sees.

"We need to get out of the way!" Koby tells his crewmates, pointing to the tower behind him.

"What?!" Zoro and Sanji snap at him in unison.

Usopp, to his credit, doesn't ask questions, he just books it.

LuffySLAMSboth feet straight through solid concrete and grabs Momoo by the horns.

"Oh,fuck," Zoro and Sanji say together.

"Move!" Koby orders, and this time they actually listen, running for cover just in time as Luffy drags a fifteen-ton sea king by the horns and spins.

"GUM GUM WINDMILL!"

Momoo's body swings around the battlefield like a wrecking ball, taking out every poor soul who isn't fast enough to dodge. The entire time Luffy is screaming in frustration, until he finally lets go and sends the pitiful creature sailing over the gates and into the ocean with a massiveSPLASH.

"I'm not here to waste time on small fry!" Luffy shouts, rounding on Arlong. "I'm here to clobberyou!"

Arlong waves a hand, and his officers attack. Zoro, Koby, and Sanji move as one cohesive unit, clashing with each of them. Zoro takes Hachi, Sanji takes a man with a Sun Pirates tattoo and pigtails, while Koby finds himself throwing a series of jabs at a guy with very large lips.

Usopp runs past them all, trying to tug Luffy out of the concrete because - oh, ofcoursehe's stuck. Because nothing could ever just be easy for Koby.

They fight for a while. Koby quickly realizes that his opponent is hotheaded and only has eyes to kill him, so he keeps his haki a second into the future and focuses primarily on dodging, not even bothering to hit. This enrages the lip guy evenmore, and since Koby, curious to see just how sloppy this man will get when he's blind from anger, keeps doing it. And sure enough, his emotions start to get the better of him the longer Koby dances around him. He might even be able to tire him out like this.

At least until Arlong approaches a still-very-stuck Luffy and ugly-snotty-crying Usopp.

He has just enough time to shout "USOPP, RUN!" and dodge a punch by a hair's breadth before Arlong's fingers dig into the concrete. He severs the chunk containing Luffy and hurls it into the open ocean.

No. No no no, Luffy will drown. He'lldie. Luffy can't- he can't die here. Koby can't see that again. He won't survive seeing that ag-

A devastating punch to the gut jolts him out of his panic. He sails through the air, caught off guard, and crashes to a stop near a cowering Usopp. Lip-guy is in pursuit.

"Usopp, I need to save Luffy. Take over," Koby orders, peeling himself off the pavement.

"Wh-wh-what? No! I-"

Koby doesn't wait for him to come around, he's already pulled off his steel-toed boots. The lip-guy is shouting at him for being a coward.

"He gets angry easily. Hit him and run, just keep him busy!"

"But-!"

Koby dives in.

His observation haki is like a radar, desperately seeking Luffy's fading voice. Arlong threw him far, and every second it takes to get to him makes Koby's heart pound faster.

Finally,finallyKoby catches sight of him on the ocean floor, body drifting limply in the sea water, a few bubbles escaping his mouth. His eyes have that lidded tiredness of devil fruit users in water, but as Koby approaches, his haki signature bolsters with newfound resolve, which means that even if he can't react, he's conscious and fighting to stay that way.

Koby's own lungs are starting to burn, and he has maybe a minute left before he's too weak to move. He can only imagine how Luffy feels.

He grips Luffy's ankle to tether in place and musters every last ounce of willpower in his body; will to save his captain, his best friend, his…freedom. And he lets it coat his fist in a brilliant black sheen of armament.

He punches the concrete block with all his strength.

It cracks. Tiny air bubbles escape the pockets around Luffy's ankles, but he doesn't budge.

Koby punches again. The crack deepens. More bubbles. Still not free.

Luffy's haki - though fading - rings with confidence and gratitude. Not even a hint of fear. He believes whole-heartedly in Koby, even as his eyes roll back and his head lolls, a torrent of bubbles escaping his mouth.

Panic surges at the sight but Koby crushes it viciously. His captain trusts him. He has to do this. Hecando this.

Vision blurring from exhaustion, Koby channels that confidence Luffy felt in him, lets it strengthen his own will to save his captain, and coats his hand one more time.

Fist meets concrete. The block cracks even wider. Luffy isn't free, but he's close. So, so close.

He can barely see through the black spots in his vision, and he can't even fathom summoning any more haki, but he won't leave his captain. With bare hands he pounds at the holes around Luffy's ankles, blindly chiseling at loose chunks and tugging at the limbs. His skin tears and salt water burns at the cuts, but he's hardly conscious enough to care.

The pain searing his lungs becomes too much to bear. Involuntarily, he gasps for breath and salt water floods his lungs; the burn isexcruciating.

The right foot pops free. Koby's body feels like it's being crushed and ripped apart at the same time. He slams weakly, repeatedly at the left, tugging and tugging until finally, finally, that one pops free as well.

Hand clasped bruisingly tight around Luffy's ankle, Koby kicks off the sea floor, desperate to reach the top, though his brain is so overwhelmed with pain it hardly understands why. It's just some primal need in him.Up, up, up.

His head breaks the surface.

Immediately and automatically, his body wretches, vomiting sea water and gasping as sweet, beautiful air surges into his lungs. He hacks and coughs painfully as the waves toss him about, but it hardly matters. He's alive, and he has-

Luffy!

Urgency returning, he tugs weakly on the ankle in his grasp, pulling Luffy's head above the surface.

He can't feel Luffy's soul, and he doesn't know if that's a result of his own exhaustion or if it means Luffy is well and truly dea-

"Luffy," he rasps, which rips another coughing fit out of him.

Barely in control of his limbs, he holds Luffy's head above the water and tries to squeeze the water from his lungs. Anything just to get him tobreathe.

Koby's ears ring as he devolves into a desperate mess, slamming Luffy's back, blowing air into his lungs.

He only stops when something yanks the back of his collar, instead thrashing blindly to protect Luffy, fight back-

"KID!" A voice barks, cutting through the deafening pounding of blood in his skull. His eyes focus again, and it's Genzo, the man with the scarred face, treading water behind him.

"You gotta let Nojiko take him to shore."

World spinning, Koby turns his head to see Nojiko treading nearby, clearly ready to grab Luffy.

"We have you," Genzo assures, like he's soothing a wild animal. Maybe he is.

"O-okay," Koby agrees shakily. He feels out of his body as he releases his hold, and Nojiko slings Luffy's arms over her shoulders, side-stroking towards shore at blistering speed.

Numbly, he lets Genzo drag him along, and there's a gap in awareness as Koby suddenly finds himself on his back, staring up at an empty blue sky.

Dizzily, he sits up. He's on a dock. Nearby, Nojiko and Genzo administer CPR to Luffy's limp, pale body.

Huh, He thinks distantly,I let him die again.

He stares hollowly as the body bounces repeatedly under Genzo's chest compressions.

But then the body jolts much more violently, out of rhythm.

"MMPH!" Luffy shouts, muffled by Nojiko's mouth.

Nojiko pulls away just in time for Luffy to turn over and vomit out an obscene amount of sea water.

"Hnnnng, gross," Luffy moans, before convulsing again and hacking up even more. Genzo slams his back the entire time, helping him force out the dregs.

The entire time Koby watches, stunned stupid.

"Okay," Luffy says eventually, sitting back on his knees and slapping Genzo away. He pauses for a moment thoughtfully, like he's taking stock, and then nods.

"All better!" He leaps to his feet with a massive grin. Then it's gone, and Luffy's gaze turns to him, suddenly very serious.

"Which way is Arlong?" He asks.

Koby, too dazed to process, points blindly in the direction of Arlong Park.

Luffy's expression darkens and he grabs onto two nearby posts, walking his body back absurdly far.

"Wait!" Nojiko cries, "What are you-?"

"GUM GUM SLINGSHOT!" Luffy shouts, lifting his feet and jettisoning himself into the air towards Arlong Park.

The three of them watch in dumbfounded silence for a few moments, until Koby's shock finally wears off and he returns to his senses.

"Hold on," Koby blurts, "he justleftme here!"

When he arrives back at Arlong Park five minutes later, he understands why Luffy didn't bother to bring him. He has the rest handled by himself.

All that's left of Arlong's officers are bloody stains on the pool tile, set dressing for the rough, violent fight going down between Luffy and Arlong.

Zoro is slumped against a pillar, bloody and half-conscious watching the fight while the bounty hunters fuss over his torn stitches. He lifts his hand in a lazy wave towards Koby without even looking at him.

Sanji leans against an opposite pillar, suit shredded and stained with blood from a thousand small cuts, plus a fresh, dark black eye. But he looks unbothered, smoking a cigarette and watching the explosive clash like a sporting event.

Nami stands in the open gateway between them, one hand over her mouth in shock, the other clutching Luffy's straw hat on her head, hypnotized by a battle she probably never thought she'd witness.

"I think we're in the clear," whispers a voice beside him.

"Ah!" Koby nearly jumps out of his skin.

"AH!" Usopp flinches back, ducking back behind the wall he was peering from. "Don't scare me like that!" He hisses.

"Me?" Koby asks. "You came out of nowhere!"

"I'm hiding! Like a sane person! You're the one waltzing up to a battlefield and giving away my position!"

Koby thinks that Usopp's literal hole in the wall where he's spying hardly counts as part of the battlefield. But he decides it's not worth pointing out.

"It's just Arlong, left?" Koby confirms.

Usopp blinks, then puffs his chest out with pride. "Yep! I took them all down with my raw strength! Barely broke a sweat, and each one was begging for mercy! They fell to their knees and cried-"

"Usopp," Koby interrupts flatly.

Usopp pouts. "Yeah, Zoro and Sanji took two down and held off Arlong until Luffy got back. I took out the other one - alone, might I add! He hunted me through the town like a predator, but I turned it around on him and-"

"That sounds great," Koby cuts him off, "really, great work! But that means there's no one left for us to fight, correct?"

Usopp narrows his eyes, skeptically. "Y…es?" He says.

Koby grins.

"Great! I'm gonna go run an errand, I'll be back as soon as possible. Thanks, Usopp!"

Koby waves and takes off towards the beach.

"Wait, what do you mean by an errand?!" Usopp calls after him, but he doesn't get a response.

As Koby runs, Luffy's voice carries on the wind from his fight with Arlong.

"I don't know how to use a sword, shark face!" His captain shouts. "I don't know how to navigate, either! I don't have a mystery sense, I can't cook, and I can't tell lies! I know I can't survive without help!"

Koby's heart swells. His feet fly even faster at the words. "Whatcanyou do?" Arlong sneers.

"I CAN BEAT YOU!"

Koby can't help himself, he throws his head back and laughs. His captain's going to beat that monster into a pulp. And in the meantime, Koby is going to take care of a bully.

Getting to the marine warship isn't that hard. It's only a few hundred meters from the docks, easily within swimming distance.

Well, easily for Koby's old body, which often swam beside ships on the open ocean for miles just for something to do. It issignificantlyharder in this body, which is improving quickly, but not quite that quickly, and is still sort of recovering from drowning earlier. He makes it to the ship undetected, but he has to rest in a float a few times. It's a little embarrassing.

If Koby's bet correctly, the lookouts won't be reporting him on the off chance theydonotice his approach. Because this is Arlong's territory; swimmers patrol the waters all the time. No lookout who wants to keep his job is going to shout for every single one.Especiallynot if they're supposed to be allies.

This means that Koby can climb the ship's built-in hull ladder totally undetected, pry open one of the battery hatches in the lower deck, and squeeze his way inside the lower cannon bay.

As with all Marine ships of this class, the lower gun deck doubles as the hold, so there's thankfully no one around to notice him shimmy awkwardly over the barrel of a cannon and half-fall into the ship, soaking wet.

But he's in. Time to get to work.

He peels off his wet shirt and wrings it out, and shakes his hair out like a dog, doing his best to get rid of any audible dripping. This next part is going to require some stealth. Koby pulls his shirt back on and slinks through the hold, up the staircase that should lead to…

The berthing. He peeks his head just above eye-level with the deck, scoping it out. A few hammocks are full, likely the poor souls on third watch taking their sleep shift, but otherwise no one is around. Coast clear.

Koby creeps to the nearest personal trunk and clicks it open, mindful of the noise. When no one stirs, he sifts through piles of unfolded underwear and sleepclothes until he pulls out a spare uniform and holds it out.

Way too big. Damn.

He repeats the process with a few more chests, mentally apologizing to the one guy who actually folded his garments, as Koby undoubtedly undid all his work only to find the shirt once again too large.

Eventually he finds one that fits (albeit over his clothes). Only a cadet, the insignia reveals, but it'll work. It's not like he's trying to totally fool anyone; on a ship this size, any new face is suspicious. He just needs to look inconspicuous from far away, so that no one sounds an alarm.

It feels… weird to wear a marine uniform again. It's only been maybe a month since his jump back in time, but a lifetime without Luffy and the crew filling his every waking moment has never felt more distant than when he secures the uniform cap in a motion he's done a thousand times over. The uniform he wore like a second skin is nothing more than an unwieldy disguise.

There's a gnawing ache in his chest. This was hisdream.The kid who spent two years crying himself to sleep on Alvida's ship, fantasizing about donning this very uniform just to make it through the night… is he still in there? What ishefeeling?

Koby grows ill, suddenly. He- he can't wear this. He's not a marine anymore, he technically never w-

He rips off the disguise before he finishes the thought. Shoving the garments back into the trunk like getting them out of sight can banish the lingering dread.

Fuck.

…

Fuck.

…

Focus. Nami is nakama, and somewhere on this ship is a decade's worth of blood, sweat, and tears shed to pay her own ransom. Money her village is going to need if they ever hope to rebuild. He needs to do this.

No disguise, but that's fine. He'll just have to get creative.

The new plan takes longer and involves a lot more risk, but that's fine. In fact, if he pulls it off, it'll be significantly better than his original idea to just steal.

(Ifhe can pull it off.)

It takes about forty minutes to finish his preparations below deck, but no one so much as pokes their head in, which is great, because Koby really doesn't need the added stress of silencing and hiding a body on top of all this.

Well. Hopefully this works.

Koby climbs the stairs all the way to the main deck. He doesn't even try to be stealthy. Having their attention is crucial.

Hoping that his nervousness isn't visible, he strolls out onto the deck and waits for someone to sound the alarm.

And waits.

A chore boy - almost definitely the one he nearly robbed - eyes him warily, clearly confused by his presence. He glances furtively to the other, more senior marines, who have not noticed the random civilian on the deck. Clearly too scared to say anything in case Koby is meant to be there, the boy ducks his head and swabs with newfound concentration.

"Seriously?" Koby asks him, crossing his arms.

The kid flinches and cowers like Koby is about to hit him, eyes wide.

Well, he's on a time limit. And he officially hates Nezumi even more now after seeing how scared his men are to draw attention to themselves. So all the more reason to get started.

"CAPTAIN NEZUMI!" Koby cups his mouth and hollers in the direction of the Captain's quarters. "You're in violation of the World Maritime Charter, By-Law 17: Military personnel are not permitted to solicit or accept payment from pirates without explicit approval from the World Government!"

Nowthatgets some attention. All the marines stop what they're doing to stare at him. And then half of them pull out swords while the others run below deck to grab their firearms, probably.

Too bad Koby just finished dumping every rifle on this ship into the ocean via the battery hatch.

The door to the captain's quarters SLAMs open, revealing an extremely pissed-off Captain Nezumi.

"Who let this brat stowaway? Throw him overboard!"

"Return the money you stole from the villagers!" Koby shouts back.

"NOW!" Nezumi shrieks at his men.

The marines charge. Koby concentrates as hard as he can, sending his observation haki two seconds into the future. And when he's sure the timing is right, he grabs one of the mainsail's rigging, loops it around one ankle, and jumps.

BOOM!

The entire ship jolts and tips violently, as every single portside cannon fires at once. All twelve of them, right on time, just as Koby painstakingly designed with a network of extended delay wicks. Every single marine on deck goes flying through the air as the ship lurches a good twenty feet from recoil, catapulting them into the water with a series of splashes.

Koby kicks his leg, just as the ship swings back the other way, using the momentum to gain speed. And when it rocks back one more time, Koby has enough momentum to launch himself onto the upper deck, where Nezumi clings desperately to his doorframe to remain upright.

"Return the money you stole from Cocoyashi and help them rebuild!" He orders.

Nezumi, despite shaking like a leaf, doesn't back down.

"I'm a marine Captain!" He shouts indignantly.

"A poor excuse for one!" Koby snarls back.

"Shoot him!" Nezumi screeches. "What are you waiting for? H-he's attacking an officer!"

There's confused shouting on the lower deck as the men undoubtedly discover the empty weapon racks.

"Actually," Koby chirps with thinly veiled malice, "I haven't touched a single marine! But since you're offering…"

He grabs the front of the captain's ascot and yanks, slamming his skull into the doorframe. Nezumi's nose cracks loudly, and gushes blood all down the front of his white blouse. He reels back, dazed, and Koby yanks again, using Nezumi's unbalanced weight to make him stagger forward. Right into the railing that overlooks the main deck.

Nezumi trips and flips forward, dropping a good ten feet onto his back with a heavythump.

Koby hops deftly over the railing and lands in a crouch beside him, face looming over his.

"Last chance," he warns, seriously. "Return what you stole and agree to make amends, or I'll make you."

Unfortunately, Koby's still a second in the future, so he already knows the answer.

"Someone kill him!" Nezumi wheezes.

A saber swings to his left with the intention to behead. Koby leans backwards, letting it whiff right over him, and disarms the man with a quick knock to his wrist.

Two men attempt to grab him. He falls into a full backbend and twists his arms. His body spins, both legs out, sending both assailants flying.

With a quick pop, he's back on his feet, just in time to sidestep another sword aimed for his gut. A quick jab to the stomach and front kick to the nose lays him out.

Koby dodges another attack a hair too slow, and a blade bites into his right bicep. He hops back just in time to avoid slicing an artery.

The cut burns, but he doesn't let it hinder him. He drops low and sweeps the marine's ankles, tripping him enough to get in close and land a devastating uppercut that knocks him out.

A good dozen more marines come at him like this, and Koby manages to hold his own by mainly using their own momentum against them - dodging so that they run into each other or trip over themselves. He suffers some significant cuts to his chest and upper back, but nothing he can't fight through. One particularly nasty assailant stabs straight through his left shoulder, but Koby takes advantage of the fact that the blade is caught on his clavicle to put the marine down like all the others, dripping blood onto his prone body.

When the attacks finally slow, Koby's panting heavily from exertion, but senses no immediate danger, so he takes a moment to catch his breath. There are several more marines surrounding him, but their haki voices are all unsure. Some are scared. None of them really want to fight him.

"You can't be serious!" Nezumi shouts, literally shaking in his boots. "He's just a kid! Get him!"

Koby leaves the sword lodged in his shoulder to stem significant blood loss, but uses a quick burst of armament haki on the meat of his hand to snap the thin blade in half. The excess metal and hilt clatter to the deck.

Any of the remaining marines who were only unsure quickly become afraid as well. Nezumi looks ready to piss himself.

Good.

"Marines," Koby pants out, "Are given power toprotect the weak."

He stalks right up to Nezumi, ignoring the sting of his wounds. The ship is totally silent, save the gentledrip, drip, dripof Koby's blood onto the wooden deck.

"There isnothingI hate more than people who use the name of the Marines - a name that is meant to representjustice- as a weapon against the vulnerable."

He grabs Nezumi by his dumb whiskers and yanks him down to eye level. He cries out in pain, as it undoubtedly pulls in his freshly-broken nose.

Koby punches him once in the face, hard enough to leave the nastiest black eye by tomorrow morning.

"So will you work to make amends with the citizens of Cocoyashi that you hurt, or will you fight me yourself?"

At this point, Nezumidoespiss himself.

"W-we surrender! Everyone, just do as he says!"

Still disgusted, Koby drops his shirt, and Nezumi crumples onto the deck, a pathetic shaking, sobbing mess.

"Drop lifeboats for the men overboard, then change course for Cocoyashi," he orders the remaining marines. "The navy will be providing humanitarian aid."

The Strawhat crew and the entire population of Cocoyashi are gathered on the beach celebrating when the marine ship makes anchor. Koby doesn't wait for them to lower the gangplank, he grabs Nezumi by the collar in one hand and the sack of Nami's gold in the other, then hops down onto the beach, dragging the two deadweights through the sand.

"Sorry I'm late," Koby says, stopping in front of Nami. "I wanted to make sure you got these."

He drops the treasure and the whimpering excuse for a captain at her feet.

Nami looks completely raw, puffy eyes ringed with exhaustion, a crusting bloody wound in her shoulder, and Luffy's beloved straw hat over her horribly tangled hair. But as Koby places his spoils at her feet, her face contorts, her eyes fill with giant tears, and snot drips from her nose.

"KOBY!" She wails, collapsing into him.

Her weight drives the blade sharply into his stab wound, her tears and snot soak his shoulder, and her sobs shake his body painfully with every cry. Yet despite all that, it is probably the best hug he's ever received.

"Thank you," she murmurs wetly into his shoulder. "Thank you, Koby, thank you."

He smiles, tears pooling in his eyes as well, as he wraps his arms around her in turn.

"Of course, Nami. Any time."

Notes:

Thanks again to my boy Cy, who made this beautiful art that made me cry. Please go check him out, orange-artiston tumblr.

Chapter 10: Interlude

Summary:

After the Strawhats' victory at Cocoyashi, we check in on the world through a few familiar faces...

Notes:

Fellas. The readers are back at it again, making me cry with some truly, truly beautiful art. Like, I still cannot thank you people enough for creating stuff based on my work, and letting me share it with everyone! Thank you so much for making me smile 3
-Strawhat Koby in the Iconic One Piece #81 Panelby tribadistic-constellations
-Koby's Haki from Chapter 8by have-i-threatened-you-before
-Chapter 9 Doodles!by orange-artist
-Nami Orders Koby a Bandana ;)by 0rbis

This chapter is a little different and much shorter than usual, as it's a series of vignettes from the perspective of a few different characters around the world of One Piece. (Don't worry, we'll be back with Koby for Chapter 11!) Consider this more of an "Interlude Chapter."

Finally, there won't be a new chapter next Saturday, since I'm travelling all week. So expect my next update in two weeks. Thanks for understanding!

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

Sanji

The first day with his new crew was eventful, to say the least. Luffy's a rubber moron, but he's an okay guy; between working with him, fighting alongside him, and entertaining him on the voyage here, Sanji was pretty confident he could get along with his captain for the long haul. The rest of the crew, he had been… wary to meet.

Nami-san is a woman, so of course he could never have a problem with her. But apparently this crew had done something to drive her away, which raised all sorts of alarm bells. Luffy was adamant about getting her back, at least, but Sanji is a nosy little shit, and he overheard the green one protesting back on the Baratie. Calling her names. That shit makes him uneasy as much as it pisses him off.

Ultimately, though, everyone seems to follow Luffy's judgment. And Sanji thought he had a pretty good bead on the rest of the crew, now. Nami-san is a smart, fiery, resourceful, and resilient woman. Longnose is a coward with a runny mouth but grows a backbone when he needs it. Mosshead is a suicidal, brutish dog who at least gave his leash to a decent captain. And Glasses is a weird but loyal friend with half-decent manners and a knack for keeping the peace.

Or so he thought.

Because after they all went to bat for their nakama - for the lovely, brilliant Nami-san - Koby was nowhere to be found. Usopp said that he saved Luffy from drowning and then "ran an errand," whatever the hell that was supposed to mean, and Sanji was starting to think maybe this kid was being a flake.

Then he came back with an entire fucking warship under his control.

Just… What the fresh hell? He knows Luffy is a monster - he saw the guy in action against Krieg - but Glasses is barely five feet tall, slightly malnourished, and definitely doesn't have a devil fruit. There was an entire blade sticking out of his shoulder, and he didn't even seem to notice. Sanji is a strong guy, and he would do literally anything for Nami-san, but swimming across the open ocean to single-handedly raid a ship full of marines is so bat-shit insane that it's not even something that wouldoccurto him. Let alone taking total control of the fucking thing.

He ponders this while he flips a twelfth full rack of pork ribs, glazes the thirteenth with a tangerine-barbecue sauce, reduces the heat under the marmalade to a simmer, and plinks a handful of ice cubes into a row of cocktails. Cocoyashi is having its first party in eight years, and Sanji hasn't had such fun cooking inages. The entire town is converted into one massive open-air kitchen, with almost every adult in the village cooking whatever they know, sharing family recipes they haven't had the time or resources to make while occupied.

Cooking with them is a blast. Limited ingredients but unlimited freedom - no menu to consider, only mouths to feed. Happy, hungry mouths who deserve the joy of a good meal after starving themselves for so long just to make it through the month. He gets to provide that for them. It's wonderful.

…Maybe the shitty geezer had a point about leaving.

Regardless, when the night grows darker and everyone is thoroughly drunk, he makes a few rounds of the village himself. Once he's been so politely turned down by every lovely lady in the village, and he's tried a little of every dish, he takes a moment to fuck off and smoke.

By pure coincidence, the little alcove he chooses is already occupied by Longnose and Mosshead; the former of which is drunk off his ass, and the latter drunker than he should be for almost dying two days ago. But more importantly, it'sjustthem. Which means Sanji can use this as a chance to get a little insight.

He nods at the two of them as he approaches, lighting up. Zoro nods back and Usopp waves drunkenly.

"Sanji!" Usopp calls, sounding like a tipsy bachelorette, "Your food isamazing!"

He smirks around his cigarette.

"'Course it is," Sanji says smoothly, but he's fucking preening a little.

"Ain't bad," Zoro grunts in agreement, lifting his bottle slightly.

Sanji scoffs. "'Not bad,' he says."

"Yeah," Zoro replies, narrowing his eyes. "The food ain't bad. Take the compliment."

"That's not a goddamn compliment, Mosshead, that's a statement."

"Fuck me, I take it back, then," Zoro rolls his eyes and knocks back a gulp of sake.

Sanji's jaw tightens involuntarily. "You can't just fucking take it back, asshole."

"I can do whatever the hell I want. It's my statement. I'm taking it back."

"You-!"

"Ladies, ladies, you're both beautiful!" Usopp coos, drunkenly slapping his hand on the front of Zoro's face and dragging it downward.

"Tch," Zoro scowls and swats him away, maybe a little too hard. Usopp doesn't seem to mind.

Sanji smirks and lets the spat drop. It's a nice night, and he's still riding the high of feeding so many happy people. He'sproudof that, goddamn it.

He finishes his smoke in silence, save the occasional slosh of Mosshead's sake bottle or Longnose humming to himself.

"So," Sanji says eventually, stubbing the butt out on his shoe.

Both of the guys look up at him expectantly. Usopp bleary-eyed and Zoro unimpressed.

"What the hell is up with Glasses?" He finally asks, unable to contain his curiosity.

"Who?" Usopp asks, brow furrowed.

"What about him?" Zoro asks, taking a swig.

"How about the way he took down an entire naval warship by himself?" Sanji asks, trying not to sound hysterical.

"Didn't just take it down, took it over," Zoro says, flashing his teeth like a predator.

"Ohhhhh! Koby!" Usopp says, nodding. "Yeah, that guyhatesmarines. Like, violently."

Zoro juts his chin towards the Longnose in agreement, as if that says it all. It absolutely does not.

"What?"

"Yeah, man, he sees a marine officer and gets pissed! Screams at them and beats the shit out of them. It's craaaazyyyy."

Sanji can only stare at him.

"...This is a fuckinghabit?" He asks.

"HA!" Zoro throws his head back and barks a sharp laugh. "Yeah, first time I met him, he laid out an entire platoon single-handedly. Wasn't even gonna mention it to us until one of them stalked him and thanked him for it."

"Right before we met you, he cussed out an officer and then kicked a tooth right out of his skull while quoting maritime law. Zoro had to drag him away."

Sanji vaguely remembers that the asshole who wasted his soup had a missing tooth. Never in a million years would he have guessedKobywas responsible.

"Y'know what I think?" Usopp slurs. "He definitely hates marines so much because they, like, killed his parents or something. 'Cuz he doesn't just kinda dislike marines, he hasbeefwith them. Chases 'em down. The law stuff? He memorized it to quote while he beats the life out of 'em, for dramatic irony. Why else would he know it? Take the time to memorize it? Because he's on a vengeful mission. He's using the letter of the law to justify his sins - using doctrine as a shield against the harsh reality that he has become the very thing he hates. A killer. No better than the ones that slaughtered his own loved ones in cold blood."

Sanji and Zoro are silent for several moments, staring at him.

"Usopp, you're drunk as fuck," Zoro says, finally.

"I'm so sober it's actually crazy," Usopp argues, the upper half of his body swaying.

"Cool. Great conversation," Sanji says flatly, kicking off the wall. "I'm bringing you water and if you don't drink it all I'll kick your fucking ass."

Nezumi

Captain Nezumi is a powerful marine officer, with powerful connections, and - most importantly - he is brilliantly clever.

See, the Arlong Park incident, while unfortunate for his wallet, was actually quite fortunate for his reputation. Nezumi arrested Arlong the Saw, the highest bounty in East Blue, mind you, and even headed a reconstruction effort for the community that the brute terrorized. He's a marine hero!

Or, he would be. But that little pink pirate punk is quickly becoming a putrid stain on Nezumi's image.

His men talk about the one-man raid on their ship. How the assailant took out half the company on board before he even began to fight in earnest. Personally beat two dozen men to a pulp, including the captain himself, then commandeered the ship, and hardly broke a sweat. Sensationalized but the most salacious detail, of course, that this single attacker was achild.

Most of this is untrue, of course. The sneaky little pirate boy messed with their cannons and stole their guns. He rocked the boat a little and took everyone by surprise. It was a lucky fluke, nothing more.

But that's not the word on the sea. The word on the sea is that Nezumi got his ass handed to him by a pre-pubescent kid. That he's a coward who let one boy take command of his ship.

This won't do.

Luckily, the nature of these nasty rumors provide plenty of foundation for Nezumi's brilliant solution.

"Hello," Nezumi greets the woman who sits herself in front of his desk. "As you likely heard, there was an additional pirate threat at Arlong Park - this one attacked my marines directly. And it isn't his first offense; Lieutenant Fullbody reported him for assaulting an officer a few days ago. That's grounds for a bounty, isn't it?"

The woman agrees, and Nezumi's lips pull into a delicious, triumphant grin.

"Unfortunately," he continues, a hand over his heart sympathetically, "we were unable to procure a photograph, but as a firsthand witness, I can provide a detailed description of his appearance and crimes."

The brat's name is "Koby," which he was able to determine from the insufferable townsfolk singing his praises. And it'll soon be plastered all over East Blue, accompanied by the words "Dead or Alive."

The woman from the bounty office begins by asking questions for a composite sketch. This is where all that gossip from before comes in handy, because Nezumi simply describes exactly the type of person capable of the ridiculous feats his men keep ascribing to that little pink criminal. Strong enough to nearly capsize a galleon. Skilled enough to fight dozens of men simultaneously without injury. Violent and mad enough to raid an entire marine ship alone. Vicious enough to target the highest ranking officer on the ship and defeat him.

The pink hair, the bandana, those general details he maintains, just to make sure the stories line up to some degree. But this sketch is not meant to capture a criminal. It's meant to save a reputation.

After a few minutes of description, the bounty officer turns her notepad around and shows Nezumi the finished poster mock.

"Oh yes," Nezumi says with a salacious grin. "That is exactly what I had in mind."

Alvida

Buggy is a moron, but he's a significantly useful moron. He has a decent-sized crew, surprisingly good resources, intimate knowledge of the Grand Line, and - most importantly - a shared enemy.

Alvida had been bitterly contemplating an alliance with Buggy ever since that rubber shithead stole her whipping boy. She reconsidered after Buggy was defeated by the same rubber shithead, and then ultimately accepted anyway when news of Don Krieg's defeat spread.

She now realizes just how crucial this alliance will be, when the clown's weird lion opens its mouth to drop a wad of slightly damp bounty posters on her desk.

Strawhat smiles up at her from the top of the stack. Monkey D. Luffy, worth thirty-million belli.

"God fucking damn it!" Buggy shrieks from the room next to her, undoubtedly reading the same poster. "I'm gonna kill that twerp! Flashily!"

There's a series of thuds and crashes as her co-captain proceeds to throw a temper tantrum.

Alvida rolls her eyes. She hates the kid too, but Buggy is riled up much too easily. All the professionalism of a toddler.

She flicks idly through the rest of the stack, and then freezes.

Her eyes are playing tricks on her.

Alvida pulls out the page. Stares at the sketch. The drawing is not at all accurate, but the pink hair, glasses, and four letters at the bottom are unmistakable.

Koby.

"THAT WORM!" The shout punches out of her. She's suddenly standing, grabbing her chair and hurling it full-force across the room where it breaks to splinters against the wall. "Backstabbing little brat! This bounty is a fucking JOKE! He'll live the rest of his miserablelifeunder my boot!"

Alvida kicks open the door from her quarters onto the deck. From the room beside her, Buggy does the same, at the same moment.

"SET COURSE FOR LOGUETOWN!" They order together, snarling in rage.

Hazal

"Well I'll be damned," Hazal murmurs, staring at the next bounty in the stack.

"What?" Helmeppo pushes the glue roller irritably. He hates bulletin duty in general, and the fact that he's currently pasting up a poster of Monkey D. Luffy only serves to make him bitchier than usual.

Hazal has mostly forgiven him for being a shitty boss after witnessing his father try to kill him and forcing an apology out of him. But that doesn't mean she can't enjoy taking the piss out of him now that they're equals.

"It's your best friend!" She holds up the poster with an impossibly-wide smile.

Helmeppo scowls and glances from the corner of his eye. And then he double-takes so fast he probably has whiplash, fully dropping the paste roller in the dirt.

"What the hell?!" He snatches it out of her hands rather rudely.

"Spitting image, innit?" Hazal says with barely contained glee.

Helmeppo's mouth opens and closes soundlessly, like a gaping fish. He's clearly torn between insulting Koby by calling bullshit on the sketch, or agreeing with Hazal that it's accurate to save his own pride.

"...This isn't real," he says eventually.

"Well, I can check," she replies, cheekily running a tongue over the top row of her teeth.

"Uh, no, you don't have to-"

"Got the memo right here! Let's see…" she runs a finger down the page.

"Nevermind, I believe you-"

"'…Shipment includes posters for a rookie pirate captain responsible for the defeats of Foul-Play Krieg and Arlong the Saw, one Monkey D. "Strawhat" Luffy, and-'"

"I said I believe you!"

"'-a member of his crew who has assaulted multiple high-ranking officers and an unconfirmed kill count, "Marine Slayer" Koby.'"

"A KILL COUNT?" Helmeppo chokes.

Hazal can't help it, she throws her head back and cackles.

Helmeppo yanks the memo from her hands too, and scans it frantically. Alas, he'll only find exactly what she said.

"That- there isnoway!" He says shrilly, looking back and forth between the memo and the poster.

Hazal clutches her stomach and doubles over laughing. Tears roll down her face.

"Stop that!" Helmeppo screeches, swatting her head with the papers. "He'skilledpeople!"

"HAH! Yeah, right!" Hazal wheezes, slowly standing up and wiping her eyes. "They didn't even give a number, just 'unconfirmed' out the gate? Someone got their ass licked and lectured, just like you. I meanlookat it."

Helmeppo flushes bright red at the mention of his beatdown, but half a glance at the poster proves her point easily.

"Whatever," Helmeppo sniffs disdainfully. Hazel snickers. Teasing this guy is too fun.

"Chin up, Hippo. If you get strong enough to bring him in, you could become 'The Marine-Slayer Slayer.'"

"I- I don't evencareabout this guy! He's beneath me!" He lies, jabbing a finger into Hazal's sternum.

She doesn't respond beyond raising an eyebrow.

Helmeppo blinks, finally processing everything she said.

"Did you call meHippo?!" He asks, indignant.

Hazal chuckles and pats his cheek, already pushing past him to stick the poster in the wet glue.

"Gah! Hazal!"

Notes:

Special thanks to my girlfriend Avalon (no-lava) and my friend Cy (orange-artist), who each drew a rendition of Koby's wanted poster for this chapter. The first time I saw them I doubled over laughing, much like Hazal. I hope they bring you as much joy as they did me. Holy shit.

Here's the description that I gave them, in case any other patriotic artists wanted to help the marines bring this sick criminal to justice:
A bounty poster for KOBY, wanted dead or alive for 10,000,000 belli. The portrait is an innaccurate sketch that depicts Koby's body from the waist-up, with cartoonishly wide proportions, rippling muscles, and a chiseled face. Only his hair, glasses, and bandana are accurate.

Remember, no new chapter next Saturday, so I'll see ya in two weeks. Thanks for understanding!

Chapter 11: Chapter 10

Summary:

Previously:The Strawhat crew defeated the Arlong Pirates, and Koby delivered a righteous beatdown on the corrupt Captain Nezumi. Cocoyashi is saved, their livelihood returned, and Nami is finally free.

Now:The Strawhats set sail for Loguetown! Koby is a tad stressed.

Notes:

Y'all, I've gotten tagged in so much lovely lovely art since last chapter, including some absolutely HILARIOUS wanted posters. Thank you so so much to everyone who has made art and shared it, I treasure all of them.
-Sanji is Afraidby princyvish
-Koby Reacts to His Wanted Posterby rara-is-trying-art
-Pinup Wanted PosterandMarine Slayer of My Heart~by scarsuma
-Various Adorable Fic Doodlesby 0rb1s
-Chad Kobyby already-gone-downhill
-Nezumi Gets His Shit Rockedby socially-awkward-chocobo
-Alvida is Being So Mature About Itby ace-past04

Content warning in this chapterfor mildly disordered eating.

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

The residents of Cocoyashi really made up for eight years of lost partying time with maybe the wildest rager Koby has ever been to. (And he was in the military, where drinking is the only fun that most people know how to have.) Cocoyashi's celebration festival lasts for four straight days, everyone singing and drinking, roasting meat and peeling tangerines in the streets, sharing any and all the food they can get their hands on. Koby hasn't been able to enjoy alcohol since developing observation haki, since it makes it harder to control his senses, which usually ends with him overstimulated and/or crying. But he does at least try a few sips of every drink Nami excitedly shoves into his hands before he discreetly places it down.

Nami's alcohol tolerance is frightening, by the way. A full bottle of top-shelf rum doesn't even visibly affect her. She and Zoro both could give Garp at the annual Officer's Banquet a run for his money.

The memory makes his heart ache.

By the fourth night of partying, Koby needs a bit of peace and quiet, so he slinks away from the crowds to walk along the beach for a bit, planning to check on the Merry and Carp again. (Nevermind that Koby already checked she was fine the moment he was released from Cocoyashi's little hospital. She should still be tucked safely under his pillow, but, well, it doesn't hurt to checkagain.)

But before he makes it there, a voice speaks up right behind him.

"What wasthat?"

Koby leaps a good two feet straight up, whirling around to be face-to-face with himself. A few years older, much edgier.

"Y-you- me-"

"We've been over that part," Ninja Koby steamrolls, "we need to talk about the part where you aren't taking this seriously."

It issobizarre to see himself in real life when he's not numb with shock or half-dead from blood loss. Looking at him properly in the golden hour light, Koby feels really stupid for calling him a ninja. He's not dressed like a ninja atall, especially now that he's not wearing a mask. His jacket and cargo pants are black, but that's where the similarities end.

And just as he's thinking that, he processes the words his double said.

"Wait,what?"

"Luffy drowned! What happened to 'being a pirate lets me protect him directly?'"

"I- Idid!I jumped in after him!"

"You consider that he didn't have you to save him originally? But he was alive? Which means you were the one to cause him to drown in the first place!"

Koby opens his mouth to retort, but his older self barrels on.

"You haven't learned anything new, and you're actively endangering him. It's time to close the loop. Next loop we-"

"Stop!" Koby shouts, horrified. Interrupting himself continues to be very uncanny. "Luffy gets into danger all the time. I-it was scary, but he came out okay. And I don't know why you think I'm not taking this seriously! You're me. You know we don't take anyone's life lightly, let alone Luffy's."

His future self folds his arms, frowning.

"But you are."

"I'm not!"

"Then where's the list of rules I gave you?" Ninja Koby asks.

Koby freezes. He- oh, god, the frog was in his old shirt pocket, the one that he fell in the ocean with, and then Nami used as a makeshift wound rag. She absolutely threw it out before they hit Syrup. The rules are definitely gone.

"You lost them. And you didn't even notice, because you're not taking this seriously. That wastwelve lifetimesworth of information."

"I remember them enough," Koby argues, weakly.

His older self levels an unimpressed look. "How many were there?"

"Twelve?" Koby guesses, because one for every lifetime makes sense…

"Fourteen. I swear, you didn't eventryto memorize it! This isn't a game! Luffy has died in front of us every single time - yousawit. Well over thirty years of intensive investigation and spy work has only gotten us dead ends. And you're a- a pirate in east blue! Throwing parties andflirting!"

Koby sputters. "I- I amnotflirting- I'm just existing!"

"That's the problem!" Ninja Koby grabs at hair that isn't there, and then pivots to gripping his shaved head instead. He paces angrily, which Koby recognizes as a nervous habit of his own. "You're not doing research, or climbing ranks, or establishing an information network. You're just existing! I don't even know if you're me anymore!"

Koby feels a spark of irritation. "That's a bit much. I'm obviously still me."

"Are you?" Ninja King asks. "Because you're not even amarine! From my perspective, it looks like you gave up on our dream like it was nothing."

Koby flinches.

"That… that's not true," he says hoarsely.

Ninja Koby doesn't respond, he just glares at Koby, eyes hard as flint.

Koby feels sick. Dizzy. He- no- he needs to change the subject. Now.

"If it's that important, then why aren'tyoudoing all that networking? You're still in East Blue yourself."

"Grrahh!" Ninja Koby yells, throwing his hands up and pacing away. "It doesn't work like that! This isyourloop."

"Don't get mad at me! How the heck am I supposed to know what that means? You haven't told me anything."

Ninja Koby whips around.

"I told you. The rules. And you. LOST THEM!"

"BECAUSE YOU NEVER EXPLAINED THEM!"

His older self's eyes narrow. His gaze flicks over Koby for a moment, considering, before he sighs and takes a step back.

"Okay. You're right, I'm being unfair. Let me-" Ninja Koby freezes, suddenly, focused on a point behind him.

Koby turns, following the gaze, to find a little girl - no more than four - in a pale orange sundress. She's only a few feet away, staring up at Koby with big round eyes.

"Um, hello. We were just-" He gestures to his older self behind him and then does a double take, because he's gone.

Figures.

Koby lets out a frustrated sigh and rubs idly at his forehead in a weak attempt to soothe a quickly-mounting headache. A sudden wave of exhaustion hits him, but he ignores it to give his full attention to the girl, kneeling down to her level and bringing a soft smile to his face.

"Sorry for yelling. I'm Koby. What's your name?"

The little girl continues staring up at him, half her hand in her mouth. She does reach into a pocket on her dress and pull out a small rag-doll rabbit, made from a patterned fabric that Koby recognizes from one of Nami's shirts.

"That's a very cool rabbit," Koby compliments. "Do the both of you happen to know Nami?"

The kid smiles wide around the fingers she's sucking on, holding up the bunny and nodding.

"She made that for you?" Koby guesses.

The girl nods again, clearly pleased that he understood.

"Woah, that's so cool!" Koby grins back. "Say, I got kinda lost out here, do you think you can help me find her?"

The little girl holds out the rabbit with purpose. Koby realizes she wants him to hold it. And as soon as he does, the girl spins around and marches off confidently, leading him back towards the party.

He follows her, with one last glance back at the spot where his older self was standing. No footprints.

Koby keeps as busy as possible on the voyage to Loguetown, for reasons that may or may not have to do with his festering guilt. This means losing himself in obsessive (and admittedly unnecessary) chore work, and intensive training sessions as often as his body can handle before failing. It's notquiteas insane as the months he spent sneaking out of the barracks at night to punch a ship's mast until he was strong enough to break it. But that's mostly because Usopp threatened Carp's life if he hit Merry again. So it's not for lack of trying.

A new sparring partner in the form of Sanji is a huge boon. His fighting style is radically different from Zoro and Luffy's, which keeps Koby from falling into a rhythm. He even shows Koby some forms to improve his kicks, which isfun. It's been years since he got the chance to learn from a new instructor.

Unfortunately, he also starts experiencing something else he hasn't had in years; growing pains. Koby faintly remembered the horrible aching that caused him to toss and turn for his first several months in the military while he shot up an entire 11 inches. It just completely escaped his mind that he would have to deal with itagain. He already had trouble sleeping for more than four hours a night thanks to anxiety, now he's lucky if he can fall asleep at all.

At one point, Koby is on his third day being held upright by only 20-minute power naps. He dazedly enters the galley after his morning workout and walks straight into the dining table, clotheslining himself and rattling everyone's breakfast.

He looks up to see the entire crew staring at him. Zoro in particular raises an eyebrow and lowers his steak knife.

"I was gonna throw this at you for not paying attention, but you look so pathetic I don't think I can," he says. A great friend.

"Your eye bags are darker than a raccoon's," Nami agrees.

"Like a man haunted by his troubled past," Usopp supplies.

"Death warmed over," Sanji chimes in from the kitchen.

"Bad," Luffy summarizes, mouth full of bacon.

Koby sighs. "Sorry," he mumbles, slinking into the booth. "I haven't been sleeping well."

"It's because you're so high-strung you shake like a chihuahua half the time," Zoro says, casually tossing back an entire hard-boiled egg. "You gotta relax, man. Take more naps."

Koby bites his tongue to keep from snapping that he has been exclusively taking naps, and that's actually the whole problem. It's not Zoro's fault that sleep deprivation makes him irritable.

"This reminds me of the famous North Blue Sleep Experiment. Fifty years ago, a shady government lab put five people in a room with a mysterious gas that prevented them from falling asleep! Everything was fine for the first five days, but then they started to—" Usopp goes into a tall tale about some unethical science experiment, which Luffy is immediately caught up in.

Koby's eye twitches.

Nami seems to sense his frustration, and puts a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"If it would help, you could spend a few nights in the girls' cabin?" Nami says quietly. "The bed is big enough-"

Over her shoulder, Sanji glares daggers at Koby, slowly shaking his head "no" and brandishing a rather large kitchen knife.

Koby decides he would sooner undergo the horrifying side effects Usopp is currently fabricating than face Sanji's wrath for sleeping in the same bed as Nami.

"No thanks," he assures her quickly. "I'm fine! But I appreciate the offer!"

"…alright," Nami agrees, skeptically. "If you change your mind, though, let me know."

"Ah, no, no, I think I'll be alright."

This seems to placate Sanji, who slowly lowers the knife.

Maybe Koby spoke too soon. Because when everyone files out of the galley after the meal, Sanji grabs him by the collar and pulls him back into the kitchen, alone.

"I won't enter the girls' cabin! I swear!" Koby pleads.

"Good," Sanji growls, lighting a cigarette. "Because if you so much as think about it, I'll make a croquette from your insides."

"It really, really won't be a problem." Especially considering how Koby is still getting over his fear of women.

"Alright," Sanji agrees, blowing smoke. Koby turns to flee, but Sanji steps in front of him. "That's not what I wanted to talk about."

Koby blinks. He wracks his brain for any untoward statements he could have possibly made to Nami, and comes up short.

"You're malnourished," Sanji says, like he's stating a fact they both know.

Except Koby most certainly didnotknow.

"…What?"

Sanji raises an eyebrow. "I'm not gonna pry, but as a chef, I know the signs pretty well. Prolonged nutrient deficiency, over the course of at least a year. You're probably older than you look, yeah?"

Well. Yes. But not for the reason he thinks.

"I-I think you're mistaken. I'm just… mature for my age?"

Sanji snorts. "This isn't about trauma, idiot, it's about your body. I've seen you train, and you don't have nearly enough muscle mass for what you're doing. Your ribs are visible by the end of a spar. You're tired all the time, but can't sleep. I bet you run cold, too. And most damningly, you don't fucking eat enough." He jabs his cigarette to punctuate that last point.

"Wha- I- I eat!" Koby sputters. "I just don't really get that hungry."

Sanji stares at him like he's an idiot. "Yeah. That's a symptom of malnourishment. I put a full serving on your plate, and you ate about five bites of the potatoes. Luffy sucked down everything of substance."

Koby shifts uncomfortably. Sanji makes it sound like a bad thing. Koby was full, Luffy was still hungry. It… it made sense.

"You can't seriously be in denial about this. Are you really gonna tell me there'sno chanceyou've been nutrient deficient in the past few years? Nothing comes to mind?"

Koby flushes. Because yeah, there is a huge chance. Alvida didn't exactly feed him as much as expect him to scavenge for enough food to keep himself upright, or else she'd beat him. By the time Luffy found him, he was good enough at stockpiling and grabbing food on raids that starving wasn't really an issue. But he usually only ate once per day, to make sure it lasted.

That was so long ago. Three, nearly four years, by his memory. But for this body, it hasn't even been two months.

"Uh…" Koby feels so stupid. "No, that makes sense."

Sanji nods to himself and stubs his cigarette out into an ashtray on the counter. Then he walks over to the fridge.

"Not trying to be a dick, just need you to eat what I give you.Allof it. Or else I start supplementing your diet with these."

He pulls out a mason jar of creamy beige liquid and slides it across the counter. Koby catches it, reflexively, and inspects it, unsure what he's looking at.

"Protein shake," Sanji supplies. "If I were as much a hardass as my old man, I would make you drink three a daywithmeals. But something tells me I'd have to tie you down to make that happen."

Tentatively, Koby pops the lid off the jar and sniffs. It smells like peanut butter, banana, and vanilla.

"Luffy ate your breakfast, so you're not leaving here until it's gone."

Koby winces. "I'm really not-"

"If the next word out of your mouth is going to be 'hungry,' you might wanna think again."

…He walked into that one. With a sigh, he plugs his nose and chokes down the sludge.

It tastes good, like everything Sanji makes. It's not even too sweet, like he expected. But Koby doesn't generally enjoy eating, and forcing it down in goop form isn't an exception. It's truly a testament to Sanji's culinary skills that he finishes the whole thing without gagging.

"Eat my food, or there's a whole lot more of those in your future, capiche?"

"Yessir," Koby mumbles.

"Good. Now get out of my kitchen," Sanji says dismissively, turning his back to Koby and starting on the dishes.

Curious, Koby loosens the iron grip on his observation ever so slightly. Despite his gruff demeanor, Sanji's soul is a swirling flame of emotions. Anxiety and concern, fueled by sympathy and stubborn protectiveness, flickering with insecurity.

Koby's heart immediately softens. He took the tough love for granted as a natural extension of the Sanji he knows from the future. But this Sanji has only been with the crew for about a week. Ofcoursehe's worried he overstepped.

"Thanks, Sanji," Koby says. "I appreciate you looking out for me."

His back is turned, but Koby catches a spread of blush forming on the back of his neck.

"Unless you're a pretty girl, I don't wanna hear that mushy crap. Get outta my kitchen."

Despite the harsh words, his aura radiates a reassured and fond warmth. Koby exits the galley with a smile on his face.

"This price is obscene!" Nami scolds a rather uncomfortable-looking News Coo. "If you raise your prices any higher, I won't bother buying your rag anymore! There are plenty of other newspapers that don't overcharge."

Koby, currently swabbing the deck, tactically doesn't point out that the World News is the only paper that delivers to ships on the Grand Line. Siding against Nami about money isnotsomething he's interested in.

"Why are you so worried about the cost?" Usopp asks, filling a small capsule with a tabasco bottle he stole at breakfast. "You're not collecting money anymore."

"Don't be stupid," Nami replies, "Now all the belli I make belongs tome. I'm not about to be a penniless pirate!"

Before Usopp can reply, Luffy's body crashes into him, splashing tabasco directly into his eyes and all over the deck.

"GAAGH!" Usopp screams, clutching his face in pain. Koby yelps and runs into the galley to grab freshwater and a wet towel to flush his eyes.

"Why can't I just have one?" Luffy whines, for the millionth time this week.

"This is Nami-san's tangerine grove! I won't let you touch it!" Sanji declares, also for the millionth time this week. "Nami-san, I'll protect these trees with all the love in my heart!"

"Thanks Sanji-kun!~" Nami replies, not even looking up from her newspaper.

"Well, it's okay. I'm in too good of a mood to fight. We're finally going to the Grand Line!" Luffy chirps, and he's not wrong. After nearly two weeks of sailing, they're only a day away from Loguetown.

Koby pours a fresh stream of water over Usopp's face.

"I'm blind forever! I'll never be able to aim again!" He bemoans.

"It's just pepper sauce," Koby assures him. "You should be fine in about ten minutes."

"I'll have to wear a blindfold, and learn to shoot based solely on the wind and sound. Never again will I see the beautiful glittering blue of the sea, or the stunning red skies of the sunset…"

Nami turns the page of her newspaper nearby, and a pair of loose fliers fall out. Koby's hand freezes with the cloth hovering over Usopp's eyes. Nobody breathes for one long, agonizing moment. And then-

"AAAAAAAAAH!" Everyone is screaming. Luffy in delight, and everyone else in total shock.

Luffy dives off his perch on the railing, grabbing at the posters. Koby darts in and grabs the closest one before Luffy can get his hands on it.

"WE'RE WANTED!" Luffy shouts in delight, holding up his own bounty poster proudly. "Dead or Alive! We're worth 30 million belli!" His face is split into a massive grin that perfectly matches his photo.

Koby hardly notices. He's too busy staring at his own wanted poster. Because. He is a wanted man. 10 million belli wanted. That… that's the threshold for being considered a threat in the East Blue. He isn't just an enemy to the marines, they're going to behuntinghim.

"Koby has one too?" Luffy asks, draping himself over Koby's back to peer over his shoulder. "He's worth- AHAHAHAHAHA!"

His captain falls over laughing, rolling around on the deck and crying. Faintly, Koby feels the deck spinning beneath him.

The image is a sketch, which normally would mean that they couldn't get a picture of him. But considering how grotesquely muscled they drew him, it looks an awful lot like whoever ordered the poster didn't really care about accuracy.

Usopp has joined Luffy in his cackling. Sanji is pouting about not getting his own, maybe. Koby doesn't really care. He's still staring at the poster in shock.

"As usual, you guys have no idea how serious this–ohmygod Koby's poster!" Nami shrieks, snatching it from his hands. "ZORO! Zoro, get over here!"

"Hold on, Koby gets a poster but I don't?" Zoro says, approaching. "I killed way more people than hi…" he trails off. "Holy shit, the abs look like a sheet of bubble wrap."

Luffy and Usopp's laughter picks up.

"This- this is serious!" Koby says, face turning bright red. "It's- forty million on one crew in East Blue is unheard of. They'll be hunting for us."

"Sure, sure," Nami says, clearly not paying attention as she snickers at the image. "I can't believe this is meant to beKoby!"

"The kid who snuggles with a cannonball," Zoro agrees.

"H-Hey!" Koby protests, cheeks somehow even warmer.

"Did they get epithets, my dearest Nami-san?" Sanji asks.

No. Please no. There's no way he did anything worthy of an epithet, right? Just wrong place, wrong time, surely!

"Strawhat Luffy," Nami reads from the newspaper. "And Marine Slayer Koby."

Koby chokes. On the ground, Usopp's laughing fit turns into a coughing fit, Luffy keeps giggling, slapping his back aggressively.

"Marine Slayer?" Koby shouts, grabbing the paper. "What- but-Why?"

Zoro snorts. "Probably because you hate marines."

Koby stares at him, eyes wide. "What?I don't hate marines! And I've certainly neverkilledany!"

Koby has always tried his hardest not to kill at all, if he can help it. Sometimes, in a really dangerous battle, it couldn't be helped. He carries a lot of guilt for those fights, but they were always extreme circumstances. He can't even fathom killing marines - especially not enlisted people who are just trying to earn enough to eat!

Usopp sits up, finally regaining his breath. "Phew! Hah, it's alright, dude, you don't have to pretend around us."

"I- bwah- pretend-what?" Koby sputters. "I'm serious, I don't hate marines!"

"Sure, you just attack them on sight for no reason," Zoro grins, patting him on the back.

"I don't attack on sight for no reason!" Koby says, hysterical. "And I don't hate marines! Just- marines are meant to protect those who can't protect themselves. And- and when I see them abusing their power…"

"It sends you into a homicidal rage," Usopp supplies. The rest of the crew nods in agreement.

"No!" Koby cries. Even to his own ears, it's not very convincing.

Sanji shrugs. "Makes sense to me. If you get mad at every corrupt marine, then you get mad at every marine."

Koby buries his face in his hands and groans.

"This is so cool! We both have posters!" Luffy slings an arm around his shoulder, clearly trying to cheer him up. "That makes us notorious pirates!"

"Aye, Captain," Koby agrees, miserably.

The poster cranks Koby's guilt up to one hundred. His other self was right - he's not a marine, he can never be a marine again, and now he has a reputation forhatingthe marines. Even among his closest friends.

He feels vaguely ill and out-of-body for the rest of the day. If time is passing, it's not very convincing. He forces down lunch and dinner, because Sanji watches him like a hawk, but he doesn't taste anything.

Laying down would be pointless - he knows he won't be sleeping - so he doesn't bother with the pretense. When night falls, he stands out on the deck, watching the choppy ocean waves reflect the stars in distorted fragments.

Over and over, he relives the sensation of guilt crawling over his skin when he wore that marine uniform. The proof that he knew, even before his other self brought it up, that he's abandoned his dream.

You gave up on our dream like it was nothing.

The words swirl around in his chest, clog his throat, and press behind his eyes. He's been moving so fast since Luffy found him, he didn't have a chance to digest it before. But it's true. Koby abandoned his dream. Tossed away on a whim, because he was sick of taking orders. A marine, sick of taking orders? What a joke.

"Oi, Koby," A voice in his ear startles him.

"GAH!" Koby jolts.

Luffy's perched on the railing to his left, barely three inches away, watching him curiously.

"H-hi, Luffy," Koby says shakily. "I thought you went to bed…"

"Mm. I did. But I was hungry so I tried to get a snack but I got caught in a trap and Sanji got mad so now he's making me food but only if I wait outside."

Luffy talks so fast it takes a moment for Koby's brain to catch up. But he eventually gets the jist.

"Oh," is all he says, averting his eyes.

They sit together in silence for a bit. Koby can't bring himself to look at his captain with all the guilt roiling in his gut.

"Hey, Luffy," Koby asks eventually, gaze trained on the stars reflecting in the waves. "If I tell you something, would you promise not to laugh?"

"No," Luffy says bluntly.

That startles Koby enough to whip his head towards him.

"I can't promise that because you might say something funny or stupid, and then I would laugh," Luffy shrugs.

Koby is at a loss.

"Um, well… I'm hoping you won't think it's stupid, I guess. Can you try not to laugh?"

Luffy frowns. "Yeah, but I can't promise."

"I-" Koby sighs. "Okay, I guess that's all I can reasonably ask of you. H-here… here goes.."

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.

"For a long time, I wanted to be a great marine."

Silence.

He opens his eyes. Luffy is staring back at him, no obvious expression on his face. What little he can feel of his soul without prying gives nothing away.

"…I think I abandoned my dream," Koby confesses, voice barely a whisper. He's shaking.

"Why?" Luffy asks, still perfectly neutral. He's certainly not laughing. This might be worse, though.

"Because I'm a pirate now, not a marine."

"Why?" Luffy asks again, same inflection.

"I- well, it's complicated-"

"Explain it simple."

"I- Luffy, I can't-"

"Yeah you can," he interrupts. "Just tell me why."

Koby tries to swallow around the lump in his throat.

"It-it didn't work, I guess. A-a lifetime ago, I joined the marines. I wanted to protect people who couldn't fight for themselves, and establish justice foreveryone, not just the strong. I did that as much as I could, but… it wasn't always possible. I got orders that I didn't agree with. I fought against people that I did. It was a constant balancing act of doing what I knew was right, but still following orders enough that I could keep my position."

He presses his palms into his sockets until colors bloom inside his eyelids.

"One day, I realized I was givingmyselforders like that. Building barriers and rules around the way I could do good, and not telling myself why. So much happened so fast, but in the end… I made a choice. And I joined you."

The words hang in the air like a dangling noose. Koby lets out a shaky exhale.

"Mm," Luffy nods to himself. "Koby's stupid."

Koby's heart stops.

"It's ok, I won't laugh," Luffy says with a grin, like he's actively fighting the urge. "But Koby didn't give up his dream. He just chose to be free." His captain shrugs.

It takes a moment for the words to process.

"B-but- I gave up on being a marine," Koby sputters. "My dream-"

"PBBBT!" Luffy blows a raspberry. "Stupid Koby wasn't even listening to himself. Your dream is to do good things. You quit being a marine because it didn't let you."

"That's- …oh," Koby says weakly. He's at a loss for words.

"Koby said so when we met. He just worries too much. 'Cause he's stupid."

He did? Koby hardly remembers. The events of that day are sort of a blur.

"I…" Koby attempts some kind of response, but he's still reeling from the way Luffy's words have torn open his chest and exposed his vulnerable beating heart. "…You really call me stupid a lot."

"Shishishi! Well Koby is stupid a lot! But it's okay. He's good at lots of other things. Like sailing, and punching marines, and having a mystery sense, and making funny faces." Luffy happily swings his feet back and forth on the railing.

"Wait, funny faces? I don't make funny faces!" Koby can't even imagine what he's talking about. He was confessing his deepest shame two seconds ago, and now he's fully lost the thread of this conversation.

"Sure ya do! Like this."

Before Koby can react Luffy spins around and grabs him in an absolutely bone-crushing hug that lifts him right off the ground. His body is warm and firm, and his soul rings like a cheerful bell choir; pure happiness. Directed entirely athim.

Koby's face flushes, buried in his captain's shoulder. Luffy's hair smells of raw lye soap and salt water, his skin of sun-warmed rubber. He holds Koby close enough and long enough that he can hear Luffy's steady pulse where his ear is pressed against his neck.

It's a comforting touch he didn't know he needed. It washes away all the horrible anxiety and guilt that's been festering since he took off that marine uniform.

Luffy would never demand that Koby contort himself into some painful shape just to fit under his banner. HewantsKoby to be here, to be himself, to follow his dreams. He can feel the proof in the way his aura chimes with such overwhelminglove.

He knows now, deep in his bones, that whatever his dream might be, he wants to accomplish it at Luffy's side.

Luffy sets him back down on the deck, pulling away.

"See, like that! Koby's face is all red and his mouth is hanging open. It's funny!"

It takes Koby a moment to remember their conversation.

"I- That- I-It's notthatfunny…" His cheeks burn even hotter.

"Shishishi! Yeah, it is!" Luffy grins, open and genuine.

Koby chokes on nothing. That smile is so unfair.

"Oi! Your damn snack is done," Sanji barks, kicking open the galley door.

"FOOD!" Luffy shouts, loud enough that it blows Koby's hair back slightly. He launches off the railing like a rocket, leaving Koby in the dust.

"Made one for you too, Glasses," Sanji calls to him. "If Luffy eats your plate you're drinking a shake."

Ah, that's enough to snap him out of it. He wrinkles his nose in annoyance.

"But-"

"Shut up. You'll get enough nutrients or I'll kick your ass."

The snack is PB , four for Luffy and one for Koby. Plus a saucer of herbal tea that Sanji demands Koby drink without explanation.

When Koby finally finishes choking down the last sandwich triangle. Luffy wraps his arms like a pair of snakes around Koby's entire body.

"It's bedtime. Koby's gonna actually sleep tonight."

"L-Luffy-" he stammers in protest, but it's pointless, he's already being carried.

Instead of dropping him in his own hammock, though, Luffy brings Koby tohis.

"What are you doing?" Koby whispers in a panic, trying not to wake everyone up.

"Koby's gonna sleep tonight," Luffy repeats, unbothered, "Captain's orders."

He doesn't even retract his arms, just keeps Koby hostage in that binding hug. Luffy settles them both into the hammock, shifts a bit until he's apparently comfortable, then grins.

"G'night!" Luffy says, and shuts his eyes.

"...Good night, Captain," Koby sighs.

Despite the arms coiled around him and the horrible insomnia of the past week, he does eventually fall asleep. In fact, it's by far the most sleep he's gotten in one night since coming to the past.

Luffy's heartbeat is a very soothing rhythm.

Notes:

And we're back! Thanks to everyone who waited patiently in the off week, and to folks who leave lovely comments! They seriously make me so happy when I get them, and even if I don't get a chance to reply, know that I deeply appreciate each and every one. They fuel me to write more!

Chapter 12: Chapter 11

Summary:

Previously: Koby got a rather tense visit from Ninja Koby, which left him feeling high-strung and guilty. The crew set off from Cocoyashi, and Koby had some trouble sleeping. Sanji levelled with him about being malnourished, and Luffy levelled with him about being stupid for feeling guilty. With their help, Koby finally got some sleep.

Now: The crew arrives in Loguetown! It's a very chaotic sixty minutes.

Notes:

Sorry for being a little late! My editor is in the midst of finals and needed an extra day. Thanks for being patient!

More lovely art! Thank you so so much to these lovely folks who made me laugh so freakin hard:
-Chapter 10 Art (feat. Chihuahua Koby)by wolfyathedumassart
-Nami and Zoro React to the Posterby booburt
-A Delightful Doodle Pageby 0rb1s

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

Loguetown. Historic birthplace and execution grounds of the Pirate King. Final respite for ships destined for Reverse Mountain and the Grand Line. It'll be a long, long time before they see East Blue again.

"You haveone hour," Nami says. "Not even a second more! I will leave without anyone who doesn't return in time. That includes you, Luffy!"

"Shishi! I'm gonna see the Pirate King's execution platform!" Luffy says, clearly not listening.

"And YOU!" Nami rounds on Koby, pointing accusatorily.

"Ah! Me?"

"There's a navy base here, and if you eventhinkabout picking a fight I will rack your bill so high your grandchildren will be paying me."

"Wha- why would I pick a fight?"

Usopp coughs loudly.

"I don't hate marines!" Koby yells.

"I didn't say anything. Sounds like they're on your mind, though…"

"I don't care!" Nami interrupts. "No fighting. No getting noticed by marines. No being late. Everyone clear?"

The crew all murmurs their assent with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Except for-

"Luffy," Nami says sternly.

"Don't worry, Nami! It'll be fun."

"That isnotwhat I'm looking for."

"We're here!" Luffy shouts, winding himself up to slingshot the few-dozen-foot gap to shore.

"ONE HOUR!" Nami screams as he sails through the air and tumbles onto the dock. He hops to his feet and takes off down a random alleyway, clutching his hat against the wind.

Koby thinks it's pretty cute.

He doesn't have any plans for the port stop, so Nami claims him as a pack mule.

"Are yousureI can't come to carry your bags, instead, my mellorine?" Sanji asks when Nami grabs Koby's arm.

"You said yourself, we need to stock up on food supply. Onlyyoucan pick out the best ingredients, Sanji-kun~" she insists, and that's enough to assuage him. He skips off to the marketplace happily.

Usopp peels off as well to find some new goggles and other tinkering supplies. Zoro says he needs to buy "something," and despite being broke, he turns down Nami's predatory loan. So Koby can only wish him luck with that mission.

That leaves just the two of them.

"I am going to try onsomany expensive clothes," Nami gushes. "Let's do the fancy store first and try on some outfits, and then we can go to more practical shops for actual purchases."

"Wait, why would you try on clothes you don't want to buy?" Koby asks, bewildered.

"For fun!" Nami grins, pulling him along. "And because they can't stop us."

Koby sits on a plush velvet bench while Nami puts on a bit of a fashion show out of the changing room.

The whole conceit makes him extremely nervous, honestly. Alvida always had him wait outside her room and pay her compliments with every new outfit, and if he wasn't "genuine enough" she would berate or even hit him.

But Nami isn't like that. Sometimes, well, sometimes she does get angry and hits people, but never maliciously, like Alvida. It- it's meant to be friendly, only to people she's comfortable scolding. Koby's just jumpy around angry women. That's not Nami's fault.

When Nami steps out of the dressing room in a floor-length red gown and a mink scarf, Koby stammers out:

"I-It looks l-lovely, Nami!" And tries so hard not to wince at the slight fear in his voice.

But Nami doesn't get angry. She just looks surprised for a moment, and then her face lights up like stars in the night sky.

"Thanks, Koby!" She's grinning ear-to-ear, cheeks faintly pink. It's so genuine and warm it's infectious. Koby smiles back, despite himself.

…Maybe this won't be so bad.

After that, with every outfit, Nami exits the changing room posing dramatically, like she's putting on a performance. He doesn't really get fashion, but Nami's having fun, and she preens and giggles when Koby compliments each outfit with increasing sincerity and confidence. So he must be doing something right.

It's a lot less stressful than he thought it'd be. Even kinda nice.

When they get to the second shop with much more practical, adventure-ready clothes, Nami dumps a heap into his arms.

"Try these ones on," she says, with a conspiratorial grin.

"Er-" Koby tries to protest.

"No arguing! I want to see them! Pleeease?"

He caves.

Every time he exits in a new combination - stiff, awkward, and unused to wearing clothes for appearance - Nami applauds and gives her thoughts. While she's much more opinionated than Koby and doesn't hesitate to "veto" certain articles (she picked them out in the first place?), she still always compliments, which Koby doesnotknow how to react to. He just turns bright red and stammers his gratitude.

Eventually Nami decides on an outfit to buy for him. Not that Kobyknewshe was planning to buy an outfit for him.

"Of course!" Nami says like he's ridiculous for doubting that. "It's going on your tab, as always, but no interest. My treat!"

…Well, it's not like she'd take 'no' for an answer anyway.

The outfit itself is very nice, much higher quality than anything Koby would have gotten for himself. Not that he has ever picked out clothes before. Tan canvas pants, a lavender short-sleeve button-up, and maybe the nicest jacket Koby has ever seen outside his officer's coat. It's real denim with shiny brass buttons and a detachable wool lining. Nami doesn't tell him the prices of anything, but it can't be cheap. At least she doesn't make him get new shoes.

"I got your boots big so that they'll last a while. And they go so well with the outfit!"

Because Koby was definitely worried about the aesthetics.

Nami deals with the register while he wrangles all her purchases into a big sack to carry. But he pauses when he grabs a particular bundle from the pile.

"This is-"

"A multipack of bandanas," Nami cuts in smoothly. "They're cheaper to buy in bulk, so I'm saving us all money when you inevitably get Marine blood on yours and ask for a new one."

Tears well up in his eyes. He's so touched he doesn't even process the Marine comment.

"Thanks, Nami," he manages, hugging the package close.

She rolls her eyes, but there's a pleased grin on her face as she turns back to haggle with the cashier.

He hauls the comically large sack of purchases over his shoulder through the streets of Loguetown as Nami flits into a few more shops to collect other supplies. Map paper, inks, compasses, probably a log pose. Koby is fortunate enough to be on a crew where navigation isn't his responsibility anymore, so he doesn't have to worry about it!

Exiting the latest shop, Nami frowns and looks up at the sky.

"That's weird. Do you feel that?" She asks.

"N…o?" Koby says.

"The air pressure's dropped since we went in. Way faster than it could have."

Uneasiness creeps over him. Paranoid as ever, he sweeps the area with observation haki.

He's immediately blindsided by an unbelievably strong haki signature, only a few blocks away. Their power is blanketed subtly across the entire city, so evenly cloaked that Koby didn't evennotice. Whoever this is, they're exerting something massive with such graceful discretion that it might as well have been invisible.

The signature at the eye of the storm spikes with a lash of conquerer's haki. Startled, Koby stumbles backward, and his nose starts gushing blood.

They noticed him. It's a warning not to say anything.

"Ah!" Nami squeaks. "Your nose!"

Koby swallows thickly. Hot blood runs down his throat, an unnerving contrast to the fear that's chilled him to the bone. Forcing himself not to panic, he pulls off his bandana and balls it up into his nostrils to stem the bleeding for now.

"That confirms it. There's a huge storm incoming. Let's get back to the Merry," Nami says, clearly unnerved. He concurs with the sentiment.

Now that he knows of the presence, it's impossible to ignore, like he's walked through a spiderweb at some point and invisible strands cling to his skin. It's terrifying to think he would've been totally oblivious if it weren't for Nami. A moment from Syrup Village flashes in his mind, when she knew the exact number of children hidden in the bushes. Does Nami have observation haki? She could be using it unconsciously to bolster her regular senses…

No. Not the time. He can ponder that later. Instead, he focuses on hurrying after her through the streets, until they stumble into the main square at the same time as the rest of the crew, sans captain.

Usopp and Sanji are carrying a fish the size of seven people. Zoro has two brand new swords on his hip, one of which isincrediblycursed, howling openly with malice and bloodlust. It's not very loud, being an inanimate object, but it is slightly disturbing.

"Oh my god, Koby's bleeding!" Usopp yelps. "Did he try to fight the entire base?!"

"We need to get back to the ship," Nami orders. "There's a huge storm incoming. Once it hits, we'll be stuck here until it passes."

The sky has already started to visibly darken. Clouds gather ominously overhead.

"...Where's Luffy?" Koby asks, a fresh tendril of dread coiling in his chest. He suddenly feels like he's forgotten something, but he doesn't know what. He just needs eyes on Luffy,now.

"He said he was coming here to see the execution…" Zoro trails off as his head turns towards the platform.

An article title from another lifetime flashes before Koby's eyes:ACT OF GOD? PIRATE EXECUTION INTERRUPTED BY LIGHTING STRIKE.

That's what he was forgetting.

"LUFFY'S ON THE EXECUTION SCAFFOLD!" He and Zoro scream.

"WHAT?!" Usopp and Sanji scream back.

They're too far to hear anything, but there's Buggy the Star Clown, giving a grandiose speech and brandishing a sword over their Captain's paddocked neck.

"Usopp, Sanji, take the supplies back to the ship and assist Nami with rigging," Koby orders, instinctively slipping into his officer voice. "We'll need to make a quick retreat. Zoro, with me."

He doesn't wait for affirmation; Nami has her group handled. Instead he takes off into the crowd, barrelling straight through the gathered crowd towards the platform.

"Sorry!" He shouts back to the people he knocks over as he runs. "Sorry! Emergency!"

"Don't apologize! It's embarrassing!" Zoro shouts behind him.

Koby blushes but doesn't stop apologizing, because theseareinnocent people, and he feels a little bad for shoving them.

The closer they get, the more it becomes clear that this is a proper disturbance. Koby trips over an unconscious Marine, and he can hear sounds of a scuffle.

"Any last words?" Buggy's voice rings out.

"I'M GOING TO BE KING OF THE PIRATES!" Luffy shouts.

"STOP THE EXECUTION!" Koby screams, breaking into a clearing, Zoro right behind him and shouting the same.

"Koby! Zoro!" Luffy cheers, smiling down from the scaffold. "Help!"

"Get 'em, men!" A voice shouts, and a bunch of brightly-dressed people point their weapons at the two of them.

"I'm going to take down the platform," Zoro says, unsheathing his third sword. "Watch my back."

He grips the hilt in his mouth and darts off. Koby jumps into action, punching and kicking his way through the crowd. Fresh blood mingles with tacky remnants of the nosebleed on his knuckles. He keeps them busy while Zoro carves cleanly through anyone between him and the platform.

"For Lady Alvida!" One of the men cries, and Koby freezes in shock. Just in time for a blade to carve into the meat of his chin.

The pain and spray of blood spurs him to at least keep fighting, but his ears are suddenly ringing. Alvida? What-? Why would he-?

"There you are, you pathetic little runt!" Spits that same commanding voice from earlier, and Koby recognizes it now. Fear for that voice is etched into his bones, written in the marrow. It's her.

"A-Alvida-s-s-" he chokes himself off from calling her '-sama.' He doesn't have to, anymore.

…But why does she still make him feel so small?

The endless stream of crummy pirates parts, to reveal… a woman. Just, some random woman. Wearing Alvida's hat and holding her club.

"That's no way to greet your captain," she sneers, and suddenly it doesn't matter that this woman is hardly recognizable. This is Alvida; the same twisted, horrible monster that beat him senseless for two years. It's the same voice, and the same arc of her club as she hefts it onto her shoulder. The same cruel narcissism.

"Who is the prettiest woman in the whole wide world?" She asks, and Koby flinches against the compulsion to spit out a complimentary response.

"You are, Alvida-sama!" The entire crowd coos, men and women alike fawning all over her, offering praise.

Koby's bloodboils.

For two years, she had to beat that response out of him, because no one else would say it. He spent so long calling her beautiful under fear of death, taking hits on behalf of the people who insulted her, forced to defend her honor to random strangers. Now here she is, suddenly smaller with sleeker hair and missing her freckles, and the entire world is tripping over themselves to worship her.

But she hasn't changed.She's still the same sick, horrible person who keeps a child slave and kills for fun, and she gets everything she ever wanted regardless. Alvida is happy, she's beautiful, and the world is all too eager to tell her so.

But she still wants to chain Koby down and abuse him. Because she can.

"You are the ugliest creature I have ever seen," Koby says lowly. He feels nothing but the blood rolling down his chin and neck, his heart pounding in his ears, as every pirate in the square goes silent. He clenches his fists so tight his nails dig painfully into his palms.

Alvida's delicately painted lips curl back into an ugly sneer.

"You learn to throw a punch and suddenly you think you're free? I'm going to teach you your place," she snarls. "Under myboot!"

"Koby!" His real captain's voice rings out from the platform. "Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji!"

Alvida swings her club. Koby ducks out of the way with ease, like he dreamed of doing a million times as a kid, but never could.

"Sorry! I'm a goner!" Luffy chirps, smiling like the sun, even as the blade falls.

"DON'T SAY THAT!" Koby screams, loud enough it feels like his throat might tear.

"NO!" Zoro shouts, cutting down swaths of pirates but still not close enough.

"Shishishi!"

Everything happens at once.

Rain starts to fall, pitter-pattering on the pavement. Alvida's club comes back around, and collides directly with Koby's stomach. Familiar pain blooms across his abdomen, blood flies from his mouth. Lighting strikes the sword in Buggy's hand, flooding the clearing with light and a deafening–

KA-DOOM!

–with the sound of a wood combusting into burning splinters as the entire platform is engulfed by flames within seconds. There isn't a single human noise in the entire square. No shouts, no whispers, no one even dares to breathe. It's only the raindrops, the roaring fire, and the distant rumbling of more thunder.

Koby tumbles across the cobblestones and scrambles to his feet.

Luffy. Luffy. Oh, god, where's Luffy?

Fwip.

Koby's heart soars. That's-!

Fwup. Fwip.

The entire square watches in awed disbelief as Monkey D. Luffy strolls casually out from the burning wreckage of the Pirate King's execution platform, sandals slapping against his heels. He leisurely bends over, palms his beloved straw hat, and plops it on his head.

"Shishishi! I'm alive. Lucky me."

Stunned silence.

"Let's get the fuck out of here!" Zoro snaps.

It's tonally jarring enough that Koby snaps out of his stupor. Alvida's back is turned to him, eyes on Luffy.

He should run. Now, while she's not paying attention. Get back to the Merry as discreetly as possible.

Instead, Koby snatches the stupid, horrible iron club from Alvida's limp grasp. He places one hand on either end.

"That guyis my captain," Koby announces, staring her directly in the eyes while nodding at Luffy's fiery miracle. He coats his palms in armament haki and slams them together, crumpling the weapon like an empty soda can. "You were just my bully."

Alvida pales. For maybe the first time Koby has ever seen, she looks well and truly scared. She takes the tiniest half-step back.

"Koby!" Zoro barks. He and Luffy are in a dead sprint towards him. "We're not in the clear, yet! Move it!"

He barely has enough time to drop the iron ball before they whiz past, Luffy snagging Koby by the arm so that he falls in step beside them.

"Surround the square! Capture the pirates!" Someone orders in the distance.

"Who was that weird lady?" Luffy asks as they run.

Koby doesn't even glance to see if she's following.

"No one important," he replies with a satisfied grin.

The three of them dash and weave through the alleyways. More than once, Koby has to grab Zoro before he veers off the wrong way, but it seems they're at least outpacing their pursuers.

That is, until a very familiar face steps into their path.

"Roronoa Zoro!" Captain - no - Masterchief Tashigi says. She's not even an officer yet, is she? "You were mocking me!"

Zoro smirks. "Wasn't aware I had to tell everyone I meet that I'm a pirate. Not like you said you were a marine."

Tashigi scowls, adjusting the grip on her sword. "I will take Wado Ichimonji from you!"

The sounds of the manhunt grow closer.

"You two go on ahead," Zoro says, pulling out his own blade. "I'll take care of this."

"But-" before Koby can point out that Zoro barely even made it this far without getting lost, Luffy shouts "Okay!" and yanks him ahead, running.

Of course, if Koby were currently capable of thinking beyond .5 seconds into the future, he would realize that if Not-Yet-Officer Tashigi is here, then her superior officer wouldn't be far off.

"Monkey D. Luffy,"Vice AdmiralCaptain Smoker rumbles. "And his Marine Slayer. How convenient."

"Wha?" Luffy skids to a halt. "You again?"

Koby does a double take. "You met Smoker?"

He bites his tongue before he finishes the question with 'And got away?' because as much as he admires Luffy's strength, he cannotbeat Smoker without armament haki. Koby at least hassome, and he certainly can't.

Captain Smoker raises an eyebrow, watching Koby sideways. "You're both much younger than I expected. But no pirate has escaped Loguetown since I took command here, and I intend to keep it that way."

Koby gulps. The most he can even hope to accomplish is a few modest hits before his haki gives out completely. Luffy can't eventouchhim. Even if Zoro is right behind them, there's nothing-

"Outta the way!" Luffy shouts, and launches at him.

Koby squeaks in surprise and leaps in after his captain.

While he never had the chance to meet Smoker in his past life, he has a reputation for being a strong and fair man, if a bit of a loose cannon. Garp taught them well enough to not trust a marine's reputation amongst other marines, but based on the interactions Koby's had with Tashigi and general civilian sentiments, he always got the impression that Smoker is a genuinely good man, if a little gruff.

Unfortunately, this ultimately means nothing when the man is actively trying to imprison or kill both him and his beloved captain.

Smoker dissolves into a cloud as Luffy collides with him, dispersing thickly to blind them both. Koby closes his eyes and focuses solely on his haki signature. Everything is muddled, between the stranger spread all over the town and Smoker's power controlling the smokescreen, but he manages to lock onto a shape. There.

He steps to the side a split second before Smoker materializes behind him and strikes with his jutte. The seastone weapon shatters the cobblestone where he stood.

Smoker's eyes widen, then narrow.

"Haki, huh? That explains your poster," he mutters.

Koby isn't sure how to break it to him that actually, it was probably just a really butthurt corrupt guy.

Luffy chooses this moment to punch clean through Smoker's chest. Koby leans to the side to avoid getting hit by the overshoot. Smoker scoffs and disperses, reforming behind Luffy, sweeping his legs with the jutte, then wisping again to pin him, seastone pressing into his neck.

"Doesn't explain whyyou'reworth 30 million," he sneers.

A fierce wave of protectiveness washes over Koby.

"Captain!" He yells, shoulder-tackling Smoker with just about all the armament haki he can muster.

It's not strong, but it's just enough to knock him off Luffy. Unfortunately, it leaves Koby wide open for Smoker to materialize over and pinhiminstead.

"Luffy, run!" Koby chokes out.

"Loyalty to a pirate? Foolish."

"GET OFF OF KOBY!" Luffy screeches, a gatling of rubber fists punching ineffective holes in Smoker's torso.

"…perhaps not as foolish as he is," Smoker mutters, launching a hand out in a trail of smoke to slam Luffy face-down into the cobblestone, and hold him there with the jutte on his back.

"N-no-" Koby tries to speak, but Smoker presses down further, crushing his esophagus brutally.

"Looks like your luck ran out, kids," he says, as Koby's vision blurs.

"Whose luck?" Says a new voice, and suddenly air rushes into Koby's lungs.

"You!?" Smoker asks, "What areyoudoinghere?!"

Koby's vision returns just enough for him to make out the cloaked figure looming over them both, Smoker's wrist in his grasp. His face is shadowed, but the entire left side is covered with a very distinct tattoo.

"What!? Who!?" Luffy asks.

Monkey D. Dragon, Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary army, most wanted criminal in the entire world, and Luffy's father, is in Loguetown. He's been in Loguetown this entire time, spreading his haki all over the city and causing the storm currently pouring from the sky. And now he's shown himself. Here. In front of Koby, who still has dried gore from that nosebleed caked on his face.

"The world is waiting for our answer," Dragon says cryptically, with a grin. "Gust."

Koby tries to think of some sort of question to ask this man aside from "what the heck?" when a massive gale of wind slams into Smoker and every marine in the area, bowling them over.

Thisis why Dragon's presence was all over the city. He's controlling the winds.

"Luffy! Koby! Run!" Zoro shouts, barrelling down the road, somehow unaffected by the impossibly strong winds carrying an entire platoon of marines away like sheets of paper. "The storm is huge! We're gonna get trapped on the island!"

Koby doesn't even have the chance to stand. Another gust carries him and Luffy down the road until they both get their feet from under them and take off running, Zoro close behind.

"Oi, Koby," Luffy asks as they dash. "You knew that guy. Who was he?"

Koby's brain short circuits. He knows for a fact that Luffy didn't learn who his father is until Water 7, when Garp mentioned it, even if he didn't particularly care. But if Koby just said that now, how would he explain how he knows Luffy's father? Especially when it's not his secret to tell? And saying that it was the head of the Revolutionary Army might just confuse Luffymore.Unless… well, his brother is the second-in-command, right? So he must know it exists, at least. But if that's the case, why wouldn't Luffy know about his father sooner?

"Uh," Koby says eventually. "I don't really know how to answer that question."

Luffy wrinkles his nose. "Is he important?"

He considers this for a moment. "Not to you."

"Oh. Okay then, I don't care."

And that's that.

"You two are so fuckin' weird," Zoro mutters.

Raindrops pelt their skin by the time they make it back to the dock. Usopp sobs and Sanji cusses colorfully as the two barely hold on to the final rope keeping them moored.

"Hurry up and get on board!" Nami screams, completely soaked.

Luffy launches them all onto the deck, and with a tuck-and-roll, Koby is on his feet, running alongside Usopp to man the sails.

"I'll grab the- AH! Koby, you look like a crime scene!"

"Huh? Oh, I'm not hurt," he assures, pulling on the rope.

"There's a bruise shaped like a handprint on your neck!" Usopp cries.

"Yeah, but it doesn't hurt," Koby huffs, embarrassed.

"Quit the small talk and turn hard to port!" Nami orders.

The storm rages, the waves toss Merry dramatically back and forth, but together the Straw Hats manage to keep her steady and leave the port without capsizing. And within the hour, there's a winking glow in the distance.

"There's a lighthouse!" Usopp calls out.

"That's the Guiding Light," Koby murmurs, suddenly hit with a nostalgic reverence. He's only ever seen it once, passing by on the '03's course through the Calm Belt.

"Beyond it is the entrance to the Grand Line," Nami says, with gravity.

Sanji pushes off the railing and drags a barrel out of the galley.

"Alright. Let's launch this ship into the Great Ocean!" He announces, propping his heel on the barrel's rim.

"I'm going to find the All Blue."

Luffy steps up beside him, his sandal joining Sanji's dress shoe.

"I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

"I'm going to be the world's greatest swordsman," Zoro grins.

"I'm going to draw a map of the world!" Nami declares.

"I'm going to become a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp announces.

Koby watches them all, each adding their dreams to the barrel, and considers his own. A few months ago, he thought his dream was to become a great marine. But Luffy is right; that was a goal, not the dream itself. For a long time, he assumed that the justice of the law was the only way to achieve it, but that's not the case at all. It's something he can fulfill just as easily - maybe even more successfully - alongside his captain and his crew.

"I'm going to protect everyone I can!" Koby says, hefting his boot onto the barrel.

This time, I'm going to do it right.

"GRAND LINE, HERE WE COME!"

And they slam down on the barrel together.

Notes:

We made it to the end of the East Blue Saga! Ahh! I never thought I'd actually get this far. Thank y'all so so much for your continued support and kind comments, they keep me going 3

Chapter 13: Chapter 12

Notes:

Time for my favoritest part, sharing cool art! We only got one, but my hero 0rb1s is single-handedly fueling our souls this week with someweekly KANGVCD doodles, thank you for your service 0rb1s I am saluting you.

With the winter holidays approaching, I'm gonna go on a very short hiatus from posting, which should allow me to build up a buffer again so that my poor editor/girlfriend doesn't have to keep editing for me last minute when I write down to the wire. So, expect the next chapter on January 6th. Thanks for understanding, and Happy New Year!

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

For all Koby knowsaboutReverse Mountain, he's never actually been on it. Garp's ship, the '03, sailed straight through the Calm Belt thanks to his Conquerer's Haki. And by the time Koby needed to travel outside the Grand Line, most ships had seastone coating.

This was a very smart move on the navy's part, because Reverse Mountain isterrifying.

Everyone is screaming, the ship is swaying so violently it's hard to stay standing, they nearly crash into one of the guide buoys, and when they finally get to the top-

"Nami-san, there's a mountain at the bottom!" Sanji shouts.

"What?" He and Nami shout back at the same time, "No there isn't!"

Except there is. A towering mass, impossibly tall, blocking the river's mouth.

Why is there a mountain? Koby has never heard of a second mountain blocking Reverse Mountain? The ship is currently going 55 knots straight towards a sheer wall! They're gonna die!

"We're gonna die!" Usopp and Nami wail.

BUOHHHHHHHH!The mountain howls, so loud it rattles Koby's teeth.

"It's a whale! A huge fucking whale!" Sanji yells.

"What do we do!? Do we fight it?" Zoro asks.

"Are you kidding? You can't fight something that big!" Usopp snaps.

BWAAHHHHH!The whale keens.

Ok, think. It's a whale, not a mountain. They can't make it move, but the river itself isn't completely dammed which means-

"RUDDER HARD PORT!" Koby orders, "There's an opening on the left!"

It's tight, but it's their only hope.

"AHHH! The rudder is broken!" Usopp shrieks.

Ohshit.

"Keep trying!" Zoro orders, vaulting onto the upper deck. "I'm coming to help!"

"OH! I've got a plan!" Luffy shouts, and runs below deck.

"LUFFY!" Koby calls after him, but goes ignored.

Bad. Bad, this is so very bad. Maybe he can open the sail? At this speed it will surely tear, but if it can alter their course…

He runs for the main mast, grabbing at the rigging when-

KA-BOOM!The entire ship jolts, slowing down significantly. Bumping roughly but non-lethally into the massive whale's hide. The ship itself is unharmed, save the lamb figurehead splintering and clattering.

"The… the cannon," Koby realizes. Luffy fired the cannon, using the recoil the same way Koby did to take out most of Nezumi's men.

"THE CANNON?" All the boys yell behind him, shell-shocked.

"I… almost died…" Nami whimpers, collapsed over the bow railing. "Oh,god, I almost just died."

Shakily, Koby stumbles towards her and gives her a hand up, rubbing her back soothingly. Unfortunately, he has a lot of experience talking civilians through shock during crisis situations.

"We gotta get out of here, Nami," he says gently, "navigate us through the opening, and then we're safe, okay?"

Using the auxiliary oars, he and the other boys manage to nudge poor Merry towards the opening.

Against all odds, they finally make it, rowing past the massive eye of the whale. Just the pupil alone is three times the size of their ship. Koby shivers, relieved to be home free.

That is, until Luffy comes out from below deck, clenches his fists, and screams:

"HOW DARE YOU DESTROY MY SPECIAL SEAT!"

Then he Gum-Gum pistols the whale in the eye.

"YOU IDIOT!" Everyone screams. Koby and Zoro start rowing faster. But it's pointless. The whale opens its mouth, and leagues of water pour in, sucking them all down in an impossibly strong current.

"BRING IT ON!" Luffy taunts, slingshotting himself off the yardarm and soaring through the sky.

For the rest of them, it's nothing but a torrent of water crashing into the ship and dragging them all down into darkness.

Koby feels… horrible. Like there's something trying to rip out of his chest.

It takes a moment to realize it's not physical, but emotional. Sorrow, hurt, mourning, emptiness. Impossible emptiness. It's hard to even think about anything but the grief gnawing at him. Every second opens the wound in his heart wider.

Alone. He's all alone.

Zoro's voice suddenly cuts through it: "Sound off."

Right. Koby's not alone— why would he be? He's with his crew. They all groan at Zoro and peel themselves off the deck. Everyone except Luffy is here.

"Didn't we get swallowed by a whale?" Sanji asks. "Where the hell are we?"

"We're dead," Usopp sobs, clinging to Nami. "This is purgatory for sure."

Nami is gripping him back and crying just as hard. "I hate the Grand Line!" She cries.

That terrible anguish is still clawing in Koby's chest. There's no way it belongs to him, but his haki is pulled so tight he shouldn't be able to feel anything short of someone dying nearby. And this is definitely not that, even if he sure feels like it.

"Koby," Zoro grunts, nudging him in the back with his boot. He's the only one still on the floor.

Koby can't be spacing out— he has his crew to worry about. They don't need another problem.

"Sorry. I- I'm here. I think," Koby says, standing up. His body feels so far away, like he's controlling it remotely - his own emotions are completely drowned out by that foreign, swirling sadness. But his thoughts are still his own, so he can at least sort of pay attention.

"Youthink?" Usopp asks, voice shaking with nerves.

"…Yeah." Koby says, because he does not have the capacity to explain everything going on internally right now.

The crew moves on to discussing what the heck happened, and Koby can barely focus on the conversation.

His observation haki must be going haywire. Usually, outside emotions only affect him if it's a crowd running high with emotions - like on the battlefield. But maybe he hit his head in the fall? It's the only explanation he can think of.

Except this is much more… coherent than the times he's lost control of his haki. In the past, it's always been a deluge of several voices all rushing in at once, through an open floodgate. This is more like being trapped in a fish tank, drowning in loneliness.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Nami and Usopp both screech, and Koby quickly snaps to attention.

A modestly-sized squid Sea King looms over the ship.

He takes off running for the bow, along with Zoro and Sanji, prepared to take it out before it can crush the Going Merry. But they all skid to a halt when three massive harpoons lance straight through its body from behind.

"AHHHhhh…?" Nami and Usopp's terrified screaming tapers off into confused yelling.

"There's a flower?" Sanji reports. "No, a person. On the island."

Koby follows the harpoon ropes to the source, but it's too blurry to make anything out. Instinctively, he reaches to push his glasses off for a better view, but they're not even on his face. Instead, his hand comes away wet with tears.

He's crying.

He blinks, startled, and more tears roll down his cheeks. Why is he crying?

Now that he's not preoccupied with mortal peril, that heart-wrenching agony is back - or never really left. It'smiserable. He- he needs to help them, whoever this is.

The crew is all busy, backs to him while they call back and forth across the water to whoever killed the sea king. He takes a few steps back, leaning on the main mast, out of the way.

Tentatively, he reaches out with his observation haki, just a little, hoping to pinpoint the person in pain.

This is a mistake.

The crushing sadness bears down at full force. It's too impossibly large to focus on anything else. It doesn't bowl him over, but it's a struggle to remain upright. The entire world goes out of focus.

Around him, people move and talk. Koby is glued in his spot, staring into the middle distance, an occasional tear rolling idly down his face.

Above all the layered sorrow and pain and loneliness is the desire for it to end. To just feel anything else at all. It takes all his energy just to find where he ends and this mourning person begins.

Suddenly, a rush of soothing drowsiness washes over him. The change is disorienting but not unwelcome, and it's jarring enough that he's able to break out of the grief spiral.

When the sensation finally ebbs enough to get a grip on his own body, he hears Nami's voice.

"The whale's calmed down. I wonder if that old man did something?"

Koby's still leaning against the mast. The first thing he notices is two new people sitting at the bow of the ship. A foppish guy in a cravat and plastic crown, and a very familiar girl with long light blue hair.

"Princess Vivi?" Koby asks, incredulous. Aren't they supposed to be in a whale right now? Why is the crown princess of Alabasta inside a whale?

Wait. The sky is blue. Those are clouds. Did they get out of the whale somehow? He blinks a few times, craning his around and trying to get his bearings. Everything feels… sluggish, like he's moving through syrup. But he notes the entire crew is here, including Luffy, plus Princess Vivi and a random man. Everyone is dripping with seawater except Nami and Usopp.

"Uh-" the random man starts.

"He's clearly delusional! I know of no one by that name," Princess Vivi titters. "A princess? Ha! Though, I suppose it's an easy mistake; Iamquite beautiful!"

"You're gorgeous!" Sanji agrees, somewhere behind him.

Koby turns his focus back towards her, staring owlishly. He only met the princess briefly as an escort to the Reverie, about a week before the battle against Blackbeard, but this isdefinitelyher. Younger and talking strangely, but there's no mistaking it.

It occurs to him, belatedly, that even if Princess Vivi is a known public figure, it would probably be super weird for him to just… blurt her name out. She is clearly very uncomfortable, if her rapidly paling face is any indication.

"Sorry?" Koby tries. He's still really bad at talking to women, it seems.

"Okay, but then whoareyou guys?" Nami asks, clearly irritated.

"Tell them nothing, Mr. 9," Princess Vivi whispers to the man.

"W-well sure, Miss Wednesday," he whispers back. "But why did that boy call you-?"

"They're pirates, Mr. 9, don't listen to anything they say."

"Wecanhear you," Nami says flatly. "Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday?"

"Hey, he's back," Usopp interrupts.

Koby follows his pointing, head spinning, and he makes out a blur floating in the sky, far away. He swipes at his eyes, trying to clear the tears enough to see.

"As long as I live, you'll never harm Laboon!" The blur hollers.

"Who's the old guy?" Luffy asks, at the same time Koby says, "Who's Laboon?"

Before anyone can answer, Princess Vivi- er, "Miss Wednesday" and Mr. 9 start cackling.

"But we're already in his stomach, you foolish old fool!" Mr. 9 yells.

Okay, so, theyarestill in the whale. Which is called Laboon.

"There's nothing stopping us from blasting a hole right through his insides!" Miss Wednesday yells, and they both take aim with matching gilded bazookas.

…Hold on,whyis the Crown Princess of Alabasta trying to kill a whale with a rocket launcher? What did Kobymiss?

"YOU CAN'T STOP US FROM WHALING!" Mr. Nine screeches, and the two of them fire at the sky. No, not the sky, the wall of the whale's stomach, which for some reason looks like the sky?

Ugh. Koby is exhausted, and it feels like all his mental faculties are obscured with a thick layer of fog.

The distant blur jumps, and intercepts both projectiles in a massive explosion.

"The old guy protected the whale!" Usopp shouts.

"Wait, then was he protecting it?" Nami murmurs. This must be a new revelation. Koby is barely following. He really wants to lie down.

"Mwahaha! Your efforts are for nothing!" Princess Vivi cackles.

"You can't stop us! This whale will be food for our village!" Mr. 9 agrees.

"Isn't Alabasta a kingdom?" Koby asks, confused. Is this a fever dream? Is he hallucinating?

"What is goingon?" Nami shouts, and it's nice to know other people are equally lost.

Luffy steps up behind Mr. 9 and Princess Vivi, and punches them both unconscious.

Everyone stares at the two crumpled whale poachers.

"They had it coming," Luffy huffs. On the one hand, they probably did. On the other hand, Luffy might have technically started an international incident.

"How dare you hit a woman!" Sanji snaps, and punches Luffy back.

Everything is super disorienting, but they end up on a tiny island that belongs to the Flower/Old Guy/Whale Protector. He tells them the story of Laboon, a baby whale abandoned by his nakama fifty years ago, now an adult whale who is so lonely he rams repeatedly against the Red Line in self-harm.

As he talks, Koby reaches a hand to his cheek, wiping away the tears that are still falling. Laboon's tears. Because Koby hasn't lost control of his haki, he's literally enveloped in someone else's voice - someone in a lot of pain.

"He still thinks his friends are coming back," the man says tiredly.

"That's not true," Koby mutters without thinking. When everyone is silent, he looks up, and realizes that he said it aloud, because everyone is staring at him.

Koby shuffles awkwardly, quickly swiping away as many tears as he can. "He knows, but he's so lonely, he can't accept it. If he gives up on the one hope he has…"

He trails off. Even with the weird fog still swirling through Laboon– and by extension, Koby– that despair is still present. Dulled, but never fully gone.

"...Koby, are you okay?" Nami asks, putting a hand on his back. "You're crying."

"I'm… It's fine," he assures her. "It's not mine."

Luffy makes an inquisitive noise. "Mystery power?"

Koby swallows thickly and nods. "I would really like to get out of the whale soon, Captain."

"I think I can help with that," The old man cuts in, eyeing Koby curiously. "I'll guide you through the canals."

As soon as they exit the whale, Koby's head clears. He knew that he was out of it, but the relief is like taking his first breath of fresh air after drowning. The world is sharper, brighter, and he can finally stop crying.

That poor whale isseverelydepressed. Koby couldn't stand it for a few hours, he can't imagine living with that for decades…

"Oi, Luffy, what do we do with these guys?" Zoro hefts the two whale-hunters up by their hair.

Huh. Now that his head isn't swimming, it isextraweird that Princess Vivi is here, hunting a whale for food with some random guy and using code names. Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday. Why do those monikers sound familiar? The Alabasta file had a lot of codenames like that, didn't it? Crocodile's organization used them. Hold on… is Princess Vivi working for Baroque Works?

…Did Koby justblow her coverworking for Baroque Works?

"Throw them overboard." Luffy shrugs.

"Wait–"

Too late. Zoro dumps both of them into the ocean.

"Eh?" Zoro asks.

"...Nevermind," Koby sighs.

"Hey, who are you guys, anyway?" Luffy calls to them over the railing.

"Shut up and mind your own business!" Princess Vivi snaps. It's jarring to see her be so mean.

"Wait, Miss Wednesday! Don't forget, our business is pirates!" Mr. 9 coos.

"That's right, Mr. 9. The organization will be very interested in them. We'll see you again, you hillbilly pirates!" Princess Vivi yells. It is… so weird.

"And you too, Crocus! One day, we'll get that whale!" Mr. 9 promises.

The two of them swim away furiously.

"Ah, Miss Wednesday," Sanji croons, watching them go, "A woman of mystery. See you around, sweetheart…"

"Those guys were weirdos," Zoro says bluntly.

Koby really couldn't agree more.

Once they're anchored on the cape, Luffy corners him alone behind the lighthouse.

"Laboon needs a reason to wait." Luffy asks in that way he does, where he states a fact and lets it linger.

Koby chews his lip anxiously.

"Yeah," he replies. "He's lonely."

Luffy nods in acknowledgment and hops down onto the Merry. He wraps his arms several times around the main mast. Koby tilts his head to the side, curiously. What is he-?

With a loudCRRRACK, Luffy snaps the main mast clean off the deck.

"LUFFY!" Koby screeches, sprinting and jumping down after him.

It's no use, Luffy has already leapt up onto Laboon's scarred nose.

"Ah, there's a fresh wound!" His captain says happily, like a psychopath. "GUM GUM FLOWER ARRANGEMENT!"

He stabs the splintering mast directly into the poor whale's raw flesh.

There's a moment of silence.

"…is that our ship's mast?" Usopp asks weakly, up on the cape.

BUOOHHHHHHHHHH!Laboon screams in pain.

Koby drops to his knees and covers his ears to avoid going deaf with the mouth only a few dozen yards away.

Laboon thrashes, trying to fling Luffy off. The entire ocean sloshes around him, forming 20-foot waves that toss the Going Merry about like a leaf in a hurricane.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING?" Screams the crew.

"He destroyed the ship!" Screams Usopp.

"AGGGHHHH!" Screams Luffy.

"Please don't swallow me again please don't swallow me again please don't swallow me again-" Koby sobs.

The next two minutes are maybe the most stressful minutes of Koby's life that don't involve someone dying.

Laboon slams Luffy into the cape with his face, and Luffy startsfightingthe depressedmountain-sized whale, punching it in the eye and getting slammed into the Red Line the same way people might sway a fly with newspaper.

"LUFFY, WHAT THE FUCK?" Sanji yells somewhere.

Meanwhile, Koby clings to one of Nami's tangerine trees and prays. Laboon's jerky movements are surely causing tsunamis all across Paradise, and he's only a few yards off from turning Koby and the Going Merry into paste under him.

"IT'S A TIE!" Luffy hollers. Laboon freezes.

Koby tentatively pokes his head out of the foliage.

"I'm pretty strong, huh?" Luffy is saying. "Our match isn't over yet, we still have to settle it. Your friends may be gone, but now you've got a rival - me! And after we circle the Grand Line, I'm coming back to fight again!"

BWAAAAAHHHH!Laboon cries with joy.

…Dang it, Koby can't even be mad at Luffy for five minutes, can he? Not when he does something like this. Laboon is so unbelievably happy that Koby can feel the euphoria rolling off of him. In the most insane way possible, Luffy has saved yet another person, just by existing.

"KOBY!" Luffy shouts down to him, and for a moment, Koby has hope that maybe he's going to apologize for nearly killing him.

"Get me the giant paintbrush!" Luffy yells instead.

Koby sighs, but can't help the dopey grin forming on his face anyway. "Aye aye, Captain."

They spend a few hours at the cape, during which Luffy applies two house-sized bandaids to Laboon's splinter and paints a massive rendition of that adorable wonky jolly roger design over his snout. Laboon now matches the one in the back of Koby's locker.

"All done!" Luffy announces eventually, covered in paint. "Now this is a mark of our contract, so you're not allowed to ram into stuff and erase it before we get back!"

BWAH!Laboon chirps happily.

Meanwhile, Sanji is preparing the massive Elephant Bluefin from Loguetown for a "We Survived" celebratory barbecue, while Koby assists Usopp in re-attaching the broken main mast covered in whale blood.

"Thank goodness you bought sheet metal," Koby says, nailing in the fresh support. It's not…great, because Koby and Usopp aren't carpenters, but it'll hold until they can get a proper replacement.

"I didn't think we'd be using it so soon," Usopp laments. "And why isn't Zoro helping too?"

Zoro snores loudly, which Koby knows for a fact means that he isn't actually asleep.

They finish anyway, without his help, and climb back up the cape just as Sanji announces that the food is ready. Only for Nami to let out a chilling shriek.

"AAAAAH! THE COMPASS IS BROKEN! It's spinning like crazy!"

Koby blinks. "Well, yeah, we're on the Grand Line. You should switch to the log pose."

Nami looks at him like he's speaking in tongues. "The. What."

"The log pose?" Koby furrows his brow. "You got all those navigation supplies in Loguetown, I assume you also picked up… a log… pose…"

Based on how red Nami's face is getting and the vein bulging from her forehead, she definitely did not.

"...You don't have a log pose," Koby realizes. "Oh my gosh, we came to the Grand Line without a log pose."

"WHAT IS A LOG POSE?" Nami screams, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him violently. "You were with me the whole time! Why didn't you mention it!?"

"You're the navigator!" Koby cries, eyes screwed shut in fear. "I'm sorry, I thought you knew!"

"KOBY, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" She shakes him harder. Koby prepares to find out what happens to the soul after death.

"Nami is so beautiful when she's violent," Sanji sighs dreamily.

"Lay off the kid," Crocus cuts in, and Nami blessedly stops shaking his brain into a smoothie. "If you're going to the Grand Line, you need a log pose or else you face certain death. It's common knowledge, of course he would assume you had one."

"I… I don't know what a log pose is," Nami admits in a small voice. Koby peeks one eye open. She looks on the verge of tears, and his heart clenches in sympathy. It's not her fault that she didn't know, and now the crew's safety is at risk for it.

He pulls her in for a hug. Nami tenses for a moment, but quickly melts into it.

"Thanks, Koby," she sighs, "Sorry for trying to push you off the cliff."

Koby blinks. "You- what-? You didn't?"

"No, but I was thinking about it really, really graphically." She pulls away and pats his shoulder. "Alright, so what exactly is this 'log pose,' then?"

Crocus calmly explains the strange phenomena of the Grand Line that interfere with navigation, and why the log pose is so essential. Koby picks at the grilled fish on his plate while keeping a wary eye on Nami for any further attempted murder.

Sanji suddenly materializes over his shoulder.

"Eat. The tuna," he threatens.

Koby dutifully eats his fish, now watching out fortwopeople who might try to kill him at any moment.

"Eh? So what's this log pose?" Luffy asks Koby, gnawing on elephant bluefin hide. He is clearly not following the more in-depth explanation from Crocus.

"It's a special compass," Koby explains patiently.

"Oh, a weird compass?" Luffy asks, reaching into his pocket. "Like this?"

He pulls out a log pose.

Koby falls out of his chair. "That's- Yes!"

"WHERE DID YOU GET THIS?" Nami yells, vaulting over the table and punching Luffy, snatching it from his grasp.

"EH?" Luffy whines, "Those weirdos dropped it when they left! Why did you hit me?"

"Just 'cause," Nami says absently, inspecting the log pose.

"Just 'cause?" Luffy repeats, pouting.

Koby sighs and stands, helping Luffy to his feet too.

"I think it's best not to argue, Captain," he offers.

Luffy continues to make the cute pouty face, but he sits back down and continues inhaling his food while Nami talks with Crocus about using the log pose properly and the rest of the crew chats. Except he doesn't stop at his own food. He starts eating the main plate, too, and the one intended for Nami, and then he snatches Koby's plate, gulping it down before Koby even registers what he's done.

"Wait, Luffy-!"

Sanji's head snaps to him like a hawk.

"You let the shitty captain eat your food," He accuses.

Koby's eyes widen, and he raises his hands in surrender.

"No, Sanji, I didn't mean to-"

"Oh my god, he even ate the bones!" Usopp says

"I'm going to kickbothyour asses," Sanji growls.

"I'm sorry!" Koby squeaks. Sanji spins, aiming a roundhouse kick for his head, and Koby instinctively ducks, causing his dress shoe to graze Nami's log pose instead, shattering it.

Everyone freezes. Nami stares with a frozen smile at the broken glass strapped to her wrist.

"N-Nami-san," Sanji stammers, falling to his knees. "I am so sorry, I didn't mean-"

He doesn't get to finish his sentence, as she grabs both him and Koby by the collar, hurling them off the cliff into the ocean.

As they plummet, Koby's terrified eyes meet Sanji's furious ones.

"I will never forgive you for this," Sanji hisses. And then they hit the water.

The two of them drag themselves back onto land alongside none other than Mr. 9 and Princess Vivi, who looksignificantlyworse than when Zoro threw them overboard. Are those freshburns?

"Um," Koby says, staring at them.

"Miss Wednesday!" Sanji lights up, pushing out of the water and kneeling to lend her a hand. "Allow me to assist you!"

"Oh, thank you," Princess Vivi says, accepting it, and the two of them walk off together.

This leaves Koby and Mr. 9 clinging dumbly to the cliffside together like a pair of drowned cats.

"...So. We have a request," Mr. 9 says. Koby sighs.

Luffy agrees to take the two of them to Whiskey Peak.

It's been a long time since Koby read the debriefing on the Alabasta incident and the auxiliary report on Baroque Works, but he does remember that the island of Whiskey Peak was one massive honey pot operation, used to collect fresh pirate bounties that funded the organization.

He decides not to bring this up, though, because for one thing, he's not about to abandon Vivi at the Twin Capes, even if sheisbeing uncharacteristically mean. Also, because she is very clearly undercover, and he's already done enough to put that in jeopardy.

That said, he can't help but watch her the entire time she and Mr. 9 beg and plead and scheme their way onto the Merry. (Which theyreallydon't have to do, because Luffy doesn't really care about that.) She very, very studiously does not look in Koby's direction even once.

While they wait for the log pose, Crocus corners Koby alone.

"You know what that 'mystery power' is?" He asks gravely.

Koby swallows nervously. "Y-yes," he admits.

"Thought so. Where's a kid from East Blue learn that?" Crocus asks skeptically.

"I… am wise beyond my years?" Koby tries.

The flat expression on Crocus' face suggests he doesn't buy it.

"Whatever," the old man sighs, "I suppose it's none of my business. Just watch out for the others. Haki in Paradise is a good leg up, but it's not going to make you invincible. Of course, if I had to guess, you already know that."

Koby nods, shoulders drooping in relief that he doesn't have to explain himself.

"Mm," Crocus grunts, narrowing his eyes. "Well, I'm too old for this. Good luck keeping your captain alive. I'm sure it'll be a constant struggle."

With that, he pats Koby's shoulder and walks away.

"You have no idea…" Koby whispers as he goes.

Notes:

Nami: omg r u ok?
Koby: i'm fine i've just never been inside someone before this sucks
Nami: excuse me?
Zoro: he's a bottom

Love y'all! See you on Jan 6th!

Chapter 14: Chapter 13

Summary:

Previously:The Strawhats made it to the Grand Line! And got immediately swallowed by a whale. Inside Laboon, they met a pair of Baroque Works agents under the guise of whale poachers, and Koby accidentally revealed Vivi's identity- though she was quick to cover it up with a coy comment. After Luffy makes his promise to Laboon, they agree to take the two "poachers" home to their island, Whiskey Peak.

Now:As they approach Whiskey Peak, Koby tries not to make Vivi's job harder than he already has. The results are mixed.

Notes:

long time no see! sorry i'm late, this chapter ended up being a goddamn monster. if you didn't see the word count, it's like 9k words. i don't know how this happened, it'swhiskey peakfor fucks' sake! that's like two, three episodes of the anime! but here we are anyway... regardless, thanks for waiting patiently!

as a warning, since i can forsee future chapters running long like this, i may start posting a bit more flexibly. (as in, not every single saturday.) for a while, i was able to do weekly updates because i had a backlog, but i didn't have as much time as i needed over the break i took for the holidays. with how long chapters are getting, i have to slow down before i totally burn out.

to be clear, i will stilltryto post every saturday, but if a chapter needs more time, i will delay it for as long as i need to finish it with the quality y'all have come to expect.

does that make sense? i hope that made sense. and if you're someone who waits with bated breath every week for this fic to update, and would like to be notified whenever a chapter is late, i created a discord server for this fic! take a look at the end notes for a link to join.

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

Koby resolves to avoid Princess Vivi at all costs until they drop her off at Whiskey Peak. Now that he has full cognitive function and isn't consumed by Suicidal Whale Emotions, he realizes just how dangerous his slip up could be for her. As a part of S.W.O.R.D., Koby's been responsible for plenty of undercover agents, and he knows very intimately that the slightest tip off could put the operative's life in jeopardy.

He's always been bad at talking to women, but endangering her life within two seconds of meeting her is a new record.

Avoidance is easy enough, though. The ship is small, but Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday seclude themselves in the galley the moment they enter the seas of a winter island, and there's plenty to do on the deck with the extreme and sudden snowfall. Luffy and Usopp make snow sculptures while Zoro naps, and Nami has Sanji shovel the deck. Koby plans to join him as a sort of apology for the log pose fiasco. (Crocus had a spare, so it was a victimless accident, but Sanji seems the type to hold a grudge…)

The plan is thrown out the window before he can even grab a shovel when Nami calls out to him.

"Koby, go get a bag of rock salt from the pantry! The wheel is frozen solid."

The pantry. In the galley. Where Princess Vivi is.

"Um. Could you ask someone else to-?"

"Don't talk back to Nami-swan!" Sanji scolds. And Koby realizes he's not getting out of this one.

Alright, fine. This is fine. He just needs to get the salt. He doesn't even have tolookat Princess Vivi, really. Just walking through the same room as her isn't incriminating, after all. In and out, he'll be quick.

Swallowing his anxiety and putting on a neutral face, he pushes through the galley door. He doesn't even look at the two shivering agents at the dining table, he beelines for the supply closet. They don't acknowledge him.

Great! This is good. Koby really worries too much over nothing. He throws a sack of rock salt over his shoulder and heads back out into the galley.

Miss Wednesday steps right in front of the closet doorway and Koby slams into her, spilling her boiling hot mug of tea all over the both of them.

"AIEEE!" She shrieks and falls to the ground. Steam curls off the front of her puffy coat in the cold air.

"AHH!" Koby shrieks back. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, P- Miss Wednesday! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you!"

"Miss Wednesday!" Mr. 9 frets, leaping from his seat.

"Help me up, peasant!" Miss Wednesday orders, holding her hand up irritably.

Embarrassed and terrified, Koby takes it, pulling her gently to her feet. As he does, he feels something strange in his palm. It stays as she pulls back.

Princess Vivi has passed him a note. He very carefully doesn't react.

"Unbelievable," Miss Wednesday sniffs. "This coat is worth more belli than you'll see in your lifetime! Watch where you're going!"

"I- I really am sorry," Koby stammers.

"I don't care!" She harumphs, flipping her ponytail and stalking off. "I'm going to powder my nose. You betterhopeit doesn't stain!"

The door slams behind her. Mr. 9 scowls and glares at him with vitriol. All Koby can do is hastily gather up his bag and scurry back outside.

Discuss your terms to remain silent. Bathroom, two minutes.

Koby delivers the salt to Nami and darts off, slipping into the head as discreetly as possible.

The room is quite small, barely big enough for a sink, toilet, and wall shower. Fitting two people in here at once isn't easy, unless someone stands under the leaky showerhead. Asking Princess-Vivi-as-Miss-Wednesday to do that sounds tantamount to a death wish.

Instead, he presses himself into the wall as tightly as he can, while Princess Vivi leans against the sink, arms folded and expression guarded. Her demeanor is different than it is in her guise— Miss Wednesday's head is always angled slightly up and expression always vaguely scornful. Instead, she is perfectly neutral, leveling him with a suspicious gaze rather than a disgusted one. But it's still much, much colder than the Princess Vivi he met three years from now.

This is a new persona, he realizes. Not the nefarious Miss Wednesday, nor the kind Princess Vivi, but someone else. For all he knows, without other people around to observe her behavior, this is just… Vivi. He might be meeting therealperson for the first time.

The prospect that the warmth he remembers from Princess Vivi was simply a diplomatic persona sends a shiver down his spine. Koby could've been gushing about his love and respect for Luffy to someone in a mask, couldn't he? Princess Vivi spoke fondly of Luffy and the Straw Hats, but she never told him exactlyhowthey knew each other. What if that was a play to earn his trust, or just get him to talk?

…No. No, he can't think like that. You'll never see the good in anyone if you always assume the worst. If Vivi is undercover, she's smart to be guarded like this. Koby just has to earn her trust for the friend he once made to reappear. That's what this meeting is about.

All business, Vivi quickly turns both knobs on the faucet, running the tap at full force. He knows, objectively, that it's sound cover to avoid eavesdropping, but the sailor in him can't hold back a wince at the blatant waste of fresh water at sea.

"So," Vivi says, tonelessly. "Who sent you, and what do you know?"

Koby blinks.

"Oh. Um, no one sent me, Princess. I just recognized you. You're, well, royalty."

Famous royalty, even. The only founding family of the World Government to remain in direct governance rather than Ascend to Mariejois. Marine-issued manuals for upper-rank officers have entire pages dedicated to her family's odd relationship to sainthood. Standing protocol was, essentially, that the Nefertari family's safety and orders took precedence over all other royals, but are still overridden by any proper Celestial Dragon. (Which Koby finds personally distasteful. All lives are important, and choosing to save one at the expense of another is wrong, no matter what the law says.)

Of course, most officers probably don't give the Nefertari exception a second thought, considering there's exactly two people in the world that the scenario could apply to. But Koby was tasked with escorting the Nefertaris to the Reverie, so Rear Admiral Prince drilled him on it like a fresh recruit learning their quals for the first time.

This is, of course, so highly classified he's not even sure Vivi herself is aware of it. So instead, he tells her what it would make sense for him to know as an average-but-educated civilian.

"I know that you're the crown Princess of Alabasta, a World Government kingdom not far from here, and that your Father is King Nefertari Cobra, the- erm, reigning sovereign."

He stumbles over the last bit, almost calling him "Cobra, the Redeemer," which is almost certainly an epithet he earnedafterCrocodile was arrested.

If Vivi catches the slip up, she ignores it. Instead, her jaw works subtly, flexing minutely as she considers him.

"Right. Who else on your crew knows this?"

Koby's head tilts.

"I don't think any of them? I was a bit… out of it, inside Laboon, but no one else seemed to recognize you. Nami is the only one who reads the news consistently, but she's not familiar with the Grand Line. Oh! I know Sanji called you 'Princess' a few times, but he just does that to most women, don't worry."

Koby gives her a warm, reassuring smile. Vivi does not return it. Her jaw is still clenched.

"You didn't tellanyof them," she clarifies, eyes narrowed. "Not even your captain?"

Koby imagines the total confusion on Luffy's face if he tried to explain that this random person they picked up was a princess disguised as an assassin disguised as a hapless whale-poacher. Or the irritated boredom he'd wear if Koby tried to explain why he might evencareabout any of that.

"I haven't told him, no," Koby confirms, and can't help the smirk on his face.

"None of them know my ties to Alabasta," Vivi says, watching him carefully, slowly unfolding her arms. "At all."

"Not at all."

Some of the tension in her body dissipates now, and Koby's relieved that he could finally assure her.

"To think someone likeyouwould try to ransom me," Vivi says lowly.

"Wha-?"

That's all Koby can get out before a tiny, razor-sharp gemstone flies at his forehead. He barely manages to duck before it impales the wood behind him with enough force to have pierced his skull.

Oh. She's trying to kill him.

Vivi has shifted throughout the conversation, so that she stands between him and the door, boxing him into the tiny bathroom that really isn't big enough for the both of them. She flicks her hand and the gem flies back, attached to her finger by a string. It rebounds over her shoulder and streaks towards him again, and he barely manages to roll out of the way, his back slamming painfully against the shower dial.

"This is a misunderstanding!" Koby yelps, hands up. His eyes dart around the room, looking for some kind of opening to flee, but Vivi's blocking the only exit, peacock slasher whirring in a circle in front of her, too fast to run through.

"I will save my country,pirate," she spits the word like it's vile. The tiny emerald glints dangerously as it shoots for his throat.

This is very bad. He can't easily subdue her in such a small space without hurting her or knocking her out. And giving a crown princess head trauma after he essentially cornered her alone in a tiny bathroom is a little too villainous for him to stomach. But she won't exactly let him explain, and he'll die if he doesn't do something, so there's no other option.

"HELP!" Koby screams as loud as he can. "I'M GONNA DIE, SOMEONE H-MMPH!"

Vivi full-body tackles him, one hand over his mouth, the other gripping the gemstone arrowhead like a knife against Koby's neck. The only thing between the sharp tip and his carotid artery is his forearm braced against his chest, keeping her wrist from plunging the weapon forward.

She'sreallytrying to kill him.

"I won't let anyone use me against my people," she hisses, pushing harder. The blade just barely pricks into his neck, and he can feel the smallest bead of warm blood rolling down his sternum.

Alright, no time to find out if anyone heard him. Plan B.

He grabs the fist with the slasher in his free hand, ignoring the stinging pain as the sharp edges slice through the meat of his hand. He pushes to his feet and Vivi hangs onto his back with a vice grip, determined to keep the hand over his mouth.

Koby twists, stumbles, and rams with full force into the door. It splinters, but doesn't break. The slasher blade digs into the bones of his palm and he grits his teeth, slamming once more against the door with his full might.

This time, it gives. Koby and Vivi spill out onto the snowy deck, and he uses the surprise to shove her, hard, sending her tumbling a few feet away and giving Koby space tobreathe.

"What the hell!?" Nami shrieks.

Koby quickly shoves his bleeding hand into his pocket and darts a furtive glance at Vivi. She's frozen, eyes wide and crazed like a cornered animal.

Everyone on the deck (except for Zoro, still fast asleep) is staring at them, startled. Mr. 9 peers out of the galley.

Sanji recovers first, dropping his shovel and stomping furiously up to Koby, grabbing him by the collar and hoisting him off his feet.

"Tell me right now what the fuck you were you doing alone in the bathroom with a lady, shithead," he growls.

Koby's mind races a mile a minute. He can't blow Vivi's cover, not with Mr. 9 here. He needs an excuse, immediately. Something, anything remotely plausible to explain why they had a secret bathroom rendezvous.

"We were making out!" Koby blurts.

You idiot! Somethingplausible!

Sanji sputters and immediately goes dark red. Koby can't tell if he's flustered or just incandescently angry. Over his shoulder, Usopp inhales so quickly that he starts choking violently on his own spit, eyes bulging as he hacks up a lung.

"He's right!" Vivi chimes in quickly, back in her Miss Wednesday persona with her chin upturned. "I invited him to- to fool around. Looks like your ship couldn't handle how rough I can get."

"I- You…what?" Sanji sputters, head whipping rapidly between her and Koby.

"Ne, is that why Koby was screaming and thumping around in there?" Luffy asks, tilting his head curiously.

Both Usopp and Sanji go bright purple. The latter drops Koby so fast it's like he's been burned.

"Excuse me?" Sanji asks Luffy, voice pitched so high it could be used to train dogs.

"You heard that?" Miss Wednesday asks, smirking and turning back to Koby, "Bad boy, Pinky. I ran the tap to muffle us, but you really should've been gagged. Hm?"

As if on cue, the sink in the bathroom starts to overflow and trickles out onto the deck. Seemingly confirming her story.

Sanji falls to his knees, eyes hollow from shock. Usopp has gone limp, foaming slightly at the mouth while the tap water slowly freezes him to the deck.

"Everyone is buying this?" Nami pipes up suddenly, and Koby very carefully does not panic. "The door exploded! Koby has blood on his neck!"

Vivi's jaw flexes ever so slightly, and she doesn't respond for a beat.

"HICKIES!" Koby yelps. "They're hickies! Very private, please don't look at them!"

Koby is such a bad liar it should be illegal. The universe needs to stop putting him in situations where he has to make stuff up.

Sanji and Usopp, at least, are unresponsive at the moment, and Luffy seems bored, picking his nose with one hand and prodding Usopp curiously with the other.

Nami, though, is thoroughly unimpressed.

"Really," she asks flatly.

"Yes," Miss Wednesday replies with a haughty flip of her hair. "I told you I play rough."

Nami looks about ready to tell Vivi that Koby has never "played" in his life, and certain not rough, when the sky grows suddenly dark. A massive flash of lighting blinds them all, and thunder cracks loudly. Heavy rain pelts down on them.

"What? Where did this-?" Nami glances at the log pose and does a double take. "WE'RE OFF COURSE?" She screams in horror.

"Are you simple?" Miss Wednesday asks irritably. "This is the Grand Line, what kind of navigator are you?"

Koby's eye twitches, stressed that Vivi chose to insultthe one personwho hasn't bought their ruse.

Nami just scowls.

"All hands on deck!" She orders, glaring at Miss Wednesday. "We need to get out of here before the sails tear. Luffy, wake the other idiots!"

Luffy, who was already playing with Usopp's limp arms, slaps him across the face.

"AHHHHHHH!" He screams, getting louder when he notices the storm.

"Koby, mainsail,now!" Nami orders, waves of pure anger rolling off of her.

He squeaks in terror and gets to work.

By the time they make it out of the insane weather and back on course a full hour later, everyone has at least forgotten about the bathroom incident. Because they're all thoroughly soaked, wind-burnt, and exhausted. Even Luffy, for all his boundless energy, has collapsed on the deck with them. For several full minutes they all just lay there, intermittently letting out tired groans.

"Urrrrrrgh," Koby moans, because it's been a minute since someone's said it.

"Urrrrrrgh," Everyone else agrees.

The collective despair is undercut by a massive jaw-clicking yawn.

"Oi," Zoro says, standing and stretching leisurely. "I know the weather is nice, but can you all really afford to be lazing about?"

Zoro. Was asleep. Throughout the entire crisis. Koby knows, because he attempted to shake him awake.Severaltimes.

"Tch, who broke the door to the toilet? Were they too stupid to find the knob?"

Koby suddenly has the energy of a thousand suns. Blind with rage, he joins the rest of the crew and the undercover assassins in beating the hell out of Zoro.

"Ow! The fuck did I do?!"

By the time they finish punishing Zoro— some of them sooner than others (Nami has to be dragged off of him)— there's a small green shape on the horizon.

"ISLAND!" Luffy cheers, running to the railings to get a closer look. "Our first island on the Grand Line! I wonder what it's like?"

Well, a mass-honeypot bounty trap, mostly.

"Whiskey Peak," Zoro mutters, eyeing the two assassins with a sharp, predatory grin. "Miss Wednesday, Mr. 9… those names sure sound familiar…"

Both of them start sweating. Vivi's eyes dart to Koby for half a second, but he's just as bewildered as she is.

Suddenly Zoro leans back and shrugs, all threat in his posture completely gone in the blink of an eye.

"I'm sure it's a coincidence," he says boredly. Both assassins exhale in relief.

Okay, so he absolutely knows something about this place. Zoro doesn't juststopbeing bloodthirsty. Koby can sense amused and sinister excitement rolling off of him without even trying.

"This is where we get off, peasants!" Mr. 9 announces, hopping up onto the railing.

"Thanks for the ride, it's been terrible!" Miss Wednesday agrees.

"Oof," Usopp shakes his head sadly. "Koby was that bad?"

"I would have treated you right, Miss Wednesday!" Sanji sobs openly, clinging to Usopp's arm, shaking his head in unison and clutching a hanky to his chest.

Koby coughs awkwardly, blushing.

"Oh my god, you two are so unbelievably stupid," Nami mutters.

"Bye bye, baby~!"The bounty hunters call, ignoring them. They leap overboard into the sea, front crawling towards another area of the island.

Usopp pulls the inconsolable Sanji into the galley, rubbing his back. Luffy bounces off to his special spot (newly-repaired) to eagerly watch the island approach. This leaves Nami, Koby, and Zoro as the only ones left on the deck.

Nami immediately rounds on him.

"There is absolutely no shot in hell that girl was even remotely attracted to someone like you," Nami says flatly, crossing her arms.

"Hey," Koby protests weakly. She's right, but the way she said it is still kinda insulting.

"Eh? Koby's gay," Zoro asks, clearly confused. "He has it bad for-"

"STOP! For the love of everything please stop talking!" Koby yelps, slamming his hand over Zoro's mouth.

Zoro raises an eyebrow, but at least doesn't try to continue.

"Duh, I know that." Nami rolls her eyes, and Koby thinks that this is maybe the most humiliating conversation he's ever been a part of. "I want to know why he tried to pretend he was snogging Miss Wednesday when she was very obviously trying to kill him."

Zoro guffaws and slaps Koby's hand away. "What?Is that what—" he does a double take towards the galley. "They were stupid enough to buy that? Even if Koby were a good liar, he's like twelve."

"Okay, this is starting to affect my self-esteem," Koby mutters. He's been growing! Maybe he doesn't look his age yet, buttwelveis a bit much.

"We're off topic," Nami growls.

"Fine, why didn't you just kill her back, then?" Zoro asks, rolling his eyes.

Nami looks a hair's breadth away from hitting him. It probably doesn't help that they didn't let her finish kicking his ass earlier.

"I don't want to kill anyone!" Koby says, waving his hands frantically. "And definitely not her! Don't kill her!"

He can only imagine the damage to timeline that would cause, not to mention the horrible guilt and logistical nightmare of being hunted for murdering a member ofthemost important royal family.

"But why not at leastmentionthat she was dangerous?" Nami snaps. "What if she tried to kill you again? Or someone else! We could have at least kept an eye on her!"

"…Oh." Koby hadn't considered how that would look from her perspective. For all she knows, he was willfully putting the entire crew at risk. Vivi was only after him because he knew her identity, but Nami had no way of knowing that.

"I- I'm sorry. I swear, I knew that she was only targeting me specifically. I would never put the crew in danger if I suspected otherwise—"

Nami punches him. Koby is so startled he stumbles backwards, clutching his jaw in shock.

"You idiot!" She snaps. "You're part of the crew too!"

Koby blinks.

"I swear, you love running off and getting unnecessarily hurt or whatever, and that'sfine, I don't care, but at leasttell someoneabout it, so that we don't find your dead body in our shower!"

She clenches her fists. Her face is flushed red.

"You owe me a lot of money, so you're not allowed to die until I collect your debt, got it?"

Koby's mouth opens and closes stupidly.

"Well?" Nami asks, getting up in his face. He reflexively takes a step back, but his back hits a barrier.

Zoro has stepped behind him, boxing him in.

"Y-yes, Nami! S-sorry, Nami!"

"Hmmph." Nami leans back, crossing her arms. "Good. And if he dies, Zoro, you assume his debt."

"Oi, what the fuck?"

"Plus compounded interest."

"You fuckin' witch!"

With a wink and her tongue sticking out playfully, Nami skips away.

Two hands spin Koby around and grab him by the shoulders, shaking him like a rag doll.

"How much do you owe her?!" Zoro asks, furious.

"I- I don't know!" Koby admits, eyes screwed shut in fear. "I never asked because I've never had money to make payments!"

Zoro stops shaking him and looks him dead in the eyes. Koby thinks maybe he can see the flames of hell in Zoro's pupils.

"If you die first, I will hunt you down in hell just to kill you again."

Koby squeaks in terror. "N-noted."

The welcome they receive from Whiskey Peak is comically over-the-top for a single ship of scrappy pirates. The "mayor" personally greets them and offers totally unlimited,freefood, drink, and accommodations. Aside from being, just, a hugely unsustainable economic model, they also have insider knowledge that this village is so desperate for food that they attempted to poach a whale on— according to Crocus— multiple occasions. So there is absolutely no universe in which anyone on the ship should fall for this.

Except that when Koby looks to the left, every single member of the crew has stars in their eyes.

Seriously?

He leans over to Nami, standing beside him.

"Um, I'm pretty sure this is a trap?" He whispers.

"Shut up, Koby," Nami hisses, elbowing him harshly in the side.

"But Nami-"

She elbows him again, harder, eyes still on the mayor.

"Of course it's a trap," she whispers. "The best part about a honeypot is that you can just run away with the pot."

Koby blinks.

"But-"

The mayor says something and everyone cheers, running off into the town and leaving the two of them alone in the dust.

With no one around, Nami turns to him and claps both hands on the sides of his face, squishing his cheeks.

"You know how much it costs to feed Luffy. We have a town of suckers willing tofeed him until he passes out.Forfree. If you eventhinkabout blowing this for me, I will add a full month of supply costs to your debt, and then throw your pet cannonball overboard."

Alright, she makes a good argument. The only problem is that they still need toget outof the trap.

"But how-"

"Koby." She slaps his cheeks again. "I am going to get unbelievably drunk and steal everything I can carry. I give Zoro four, maybe five hours before he gets bored of playing along for the booze and lays waste to this island. So you can keep your mouth shut until then, or you can wait on the ship. Understood?"

Oh. He forgot about Zoro's weird interaction and bloodlust on the ship. Of course he plans to fight an entire town of bounty hunters. Mostlyweakbounty hunters, based on their haki signatures, but still an insane number of people.

"Koby," Nami squishes his face for emphasis. "Nod if you understand."

As best he can while his head is actively smushed, he nods. Because there's really nothing he can do to change her mind.

"Atta boy," Nami releases him with a patronizing pat on the head.

Koby stays with the Merry, mostly because he's already awkward and nervous at parties normally, and he can't imagine he could act convincingly carefree at one thrown by people who want to capture and/or kill him and his friends for money. But he compulsively sweeps the island with his haki every few minutes, just to make sure everyone is safe.

After a few hours of pacing and push-ups and pretending that this is fine, he feels Usopp go unconscious. Not violently, or anything— Koby felt him getting steadily more drunk and sleepy over the course of the party— but it's still unnerving.

Fifteen minutes later and the same happens to Sanji, then Zoro, then Luffy (though, his is less drifting off than turning off like a light switch, but that's normally how Luffy falls asleep). This leaves Nami as the only one still awake. Her voice thrums with anticipation, patience, and mischief, which he assumes is her pretending to be asleep.

Sure enough, the island goes from boisterous celebration to an eerily quiet ghost town in seconds. They've dropped the ruse.

On the one hand, he's grateful that none of them bothered to check the ship for loose ends. On the other hand, didno oneon this island of thousands of bounty hunters and assassins even notice he was unaccounted for? Are they bad at their jobs, or is Koby genuinely that forgettable?

…Whatever. It'll at least make it easier to find and wake the others. Nami's escape plan seemed to be mostly "let Zoro loose," whichmight'veworked, if Zoro was still conscious. Her haki suggests she isn't remotely bothered by the fact that heisn't, but Koby, frankly, just wants to leave as soon as possible. Waiting on the ship with nothing to do has only compounded his anxiety tenfold.

He leaves his glasses on the ship, next to Carp, and ties a solid black bandana like a kerchief over his hair, obscuring the only two elements of his bounty poster that are even recognizable. He changes clothes into a plain shirt and cargo shorts, too, in casesomeoneon this island was doing their job and saw him earlier. It's not exactly a disguise, but it isn't a massive neon sign for ten million belli, which is all he can ask for.

When he disembarks from the Merry, there isn't even a single guard posted outside. Now, Koby is in no room to judge these peoples' operation, considering at least half of his crew fell for it, but the Marine Captain in him is appalled by their poor organization and tactics. Not even the most lackluster marine base would leave a dock unattended, that's like asking someone to steal a ship.

Jeez, maybe Nami's flippancy is warranted. No wonder they've resorted to whale poaching.

Koby strolls openly through the streets. The few people around don't even spare him a glance. He starts to wonder if he's invisible.

That is, until he turns the corner and sees Zoro stumbling out into a random alleyway, cursing under his breath.

"Zoro?" Koby calls. He hadn't noticed he woke up.

"Koby? Is that my bandana?"

Huh. Actually, it might be. He just grabbed the most nondescript bandana from the crate of them next to the door. Sanji probably washed his new multipack and Zoro's spare in the same load.

"Whatever," Zoro moves on before he can respond. "Those idiots are in a pile through there." He jerks his thumb at a door he most certainly didn't come through, and is in factnotwhere Koby senses everyone else. "I'm gonna go kill everyone."

"Alright," Koby agrees, watching Zoro tie his own bandana over his head. "Do you want any help?"

"Fuck no," he says immediately. "Don't you dare interfere. I haven't had any real fun in ages. Wanna test out Kitetsu."

The cursed sword at his hip howls with mindless bloodlust. It's a tad concerning how perfectly Zoro's own soul matches it.

"Well, have fun, I suppose."

Zoro grunts and starts climbing a fire escape ladder, for some reason.

"Oh!" Koby perks up as a thought occurs to him. "If you see the blue-haired girl who was on our ship, please don't hurt her."

Zoro pauses, glancing down at him. "Eh? The one who tried to shank you?"

"Y-yeah."

Zoro makes a face, but turns back to keep climbing. "Fine. I won't steal a man's kill. But next time call dibs sooner."

"R-right. Dibs, yes."

Not exactly what he meant, but if it keeps Princess Vivi safe, it's good enough.

Koby finds Sanji and Usopp locked in a tiny closet, with Luffy in the room next to them. Luffy is… grotesquely large and round. The fact that this place could feed him faster than his crazy metabolism could process is admittedly impressive. It knocked him out cold, too, Koby can't shake him awake. Unfortunately, this means that there's no way for Koby to get his captain back to the ship without rolling him very obviously through the town.

Well, based on the sounds of screaming and the gleeful bloodlust emanating from Zoro's haki, Baroque Works has their hands full at the moment, so he'll be able to make a second trip without trouble. Though he does purposefully keep his observation as tight as possible, to block out the horrible sensation of so many people dying.

Koby throws Usopp and Sanji over his shoulders and hikes them back to the Going Merry. He passes by Zoro, covered in blood, cutting down twelve people at once and deflecting a bazooka with the sword in his mouth. It's nice to see him enjoying himself.

At the docks, he stops in his tracks. There's a new ship next to Merry that wasn't there before.

No one in their right mind would dock at this island right now, with Zoro's bloody rampage on full display and screams audible for a good mile. Whoever's just arrived, they're powerful enough to be unconcerned with the carnage.

Warily, Koby tosses the unconscious boys up onto the deck (as gently as possible!) and sweeps the area with his haki, filtering out the horrible sounds of death.

There. Two new people with stronger will than the footsoldiers, but still not very powerful. They're headed for… Zoro. Hm.

Even though Zoro can absolutely take these two, Koby has to head back that way anyway to retrieve Luffy. Might as well see who they are, and whether they're anyone important.

The scene he returns to is absolute chaos.

There's bodies strewn everywhere; countless Baroques Works agents, in various states of death, unconsciousness, and injury. This, Koby was expecting, but it makes for a wild set dressing to the rest of the scene.

The "mayor" from earlier is fighting against a man with sunglasses. The mayor fires mini cannonballs from his wig. The sunglasses guy dodges easily while he picks his nose deep enough to dig for gold and flicks the boogers away. The boogers explode.

Meanwhile, behind them, Zoro stands at the top of a building with a sword in one hand and Vivi's long ponytail in the other. He dangles her over the lip of the roof, while she struggles to keep a grip on his wrist to avoid being scalped. A woman in bright pastels and an umbrella stands at the foot of the building. She's smiling impossibly wide, but screaming up at Zoro, and he's irritably shouting back.

"Itoldyou, lady, Koby has dibs!"

"Who the fuck is Koby!?"

Suddenly a very large duck sprints across the rooftops and rams into Zoro with the force of a freight train. The duck, Zoro, and Vivi all vanish behind the lip of the roof. There is a lot of screaming and quacking.

The mayor gets hit in the face with a booger bomb and collapses. He does not get back up.

"What ishappening?" The umbrella lady asks sunglasses guy. She's still smiling.

"It doesn't matter," the guy replies, dusting himself off. "We have orders. After them, Miss Valentine."

He takes her arm in his and they jump up onto the roof in a single bound.

A hand grabs Koby's ankle. He startles.

"Please," the mayor rasps, having dragged himself to Koby's feet. "The princess, please protect her!"

Oh? Oh!

"You're with Princess Vivi?" Koby asks.

"Yes! Please, please escort her back to Alabasta! You'll be rewarded handsomely!"

"Oh, there's no need–"

A familiar voice interrupts. "Just how handsomely are we talking?"

Nami sits in the alleyway behind him. She's perched atop a huge sack of, presumably, stolen goods.

A few blocks away, there's a massive explosion and a scream of a young girl.

"I'll protect Princess Vivi," Koby promises the man, gently extracting his foot.

"What? No!" Nami shouts at him, but he's already running towards the explosion. "Koby, don't you dare help her before I can extort this guy!"

"Sorry!" He calls, picking up speed.

Koby has no idea how hard Zoro is willing to fight to preserve the sacred rule of "dibs," but hopefully it's hard enough that she's still alive.

Zoro and Luffy are fighting.

Violently. Seriously. Luffy– who apparently woke up at some point– is ringing with deep hurt and devastated betrayal as he screams and hurls Zoro through a building. Zoro, meanwhile, is annoyed and pissed, fighting all-out because Luffy isn't giving him any room for half-hearted attacks.

Koby has no clue what happened in the past thirty seconds to cause this, but he seriously does not have the time to figure it out. Those two will be in a stalemate for a while, and Vivi isn't here, which means she doesn't even have Zoro's misguided protection.

Another explosion, several blocks away. Koby mentally wishes them both the best of luck with not actually killing each other, and runs towards it.

The man is Mr. 5, who ate some sort of dynamite devil fruit, and the woman is Miss Valentine, who ate a fruit to control her weight. They announce this very loudly, when Koby steps between them and Vivi.

She and her duck are in rough shape; singed, bruised, and bleeding, but luckily still conscious.

"Y-you?" Vivi asks him, eyes welling with tears. "Why are you helping me? I tried to kill you!"

Because she's his friend. Just… not yet.

"The mayor asked," he says instead.

"You really should pay more attention to your opponents!" Miss Valentine trills overhead, closing her umbrella and plummeting.

Koby was paying attention, actually. He hops to the side right as she impacts, cratering the earth where he was standing.

"They're extremely strong!" Vivi warns, helping her duck to its feet. (Its flippers?) "The lower the number, the more dangerous."

Honestly, he appreciates the heads up, but aside from having powerful devil fruits, these guys aren't very strong. Miss Valentine isn't even using hers very creatively, just jumping high and trying to fall on him.

Mr. 5 is a bit of a challenge, but that's mostly because Koby doesn't have any ranged attacks. Though, if the projectiles are part of this man's body, Koby has an idea.

He closes his eyes and shifts into a defensive stance.

"Did he shut his eyes?" Miss Valentine asks, wrenching one foot out the rubble she created.

"Giving in to death so soon?" Mr. 5 asks.

Koby feels his opponents' souls, their killing intent. He feels the will that informs Mr. 5's movements and focuses on it as it flies from his fingers towards Koby.

With a deep breath, he opens his eyes, coats his palm in armament haki, and swats the projectile away.

Right into Miss Valentine.

"GAAAAAGH!" She shrieks as the explosion detonates against her. A single direct hit is enough to knock her out completely, and she collapses. All of her clothes are charred, her umbrella reduced to the metal skeleton. One strand of flyaway hair poking out from her hat is still burning with a tiny flame like the wick of a candle.

The clearing is silent. Mr. 5's jaw drops.

"H-how did you—?" He honestly looks a bit disturbed. "You have a devil fruit."

Koby blinks, confused. Then he realizes that from Mr. 5's perspective, the projectile should've detonated on contact with his skin. This man has just… never heard of haki before, so he has no other explanation for Koby's ability to successfully deflect him.

"Er, not a devil fruit, no."

"Impossible. You're lying," Mr. 5 insists.

"I'm not, I'm very bad at lying," Koby admits. "…Sorry?"

"Heisreally bad at lying," Vivi chimes in.

"Oh! Princess Vivi!" He forgot she was still here. "You should really run away now. Our ship is—"

"She's not going anywhere," Mr. 5 growls, "I'm going to finish the job."

Because he is not very smart, Mr. 5 flings another booger at them. Once again, Koby coats his palm with haki and swats it away. This time, returning to sender.

There's a massive explosion. Before the resulting smoke cloud can dissipate, Koby walks up, relying solely on haki to navigate, and punches Mr. 5 as hard as he can in the face. With no way to sense Koby coming, Mr. 5 is unconscious instantly.

Koby walks back towards Vivi as the cloud dissipates.

"Alright," he says to her, surveying the rumbling dust clouds of a fight in the distance. "Um, sorry to ask this, but Luffy and Zoro are fighting a few blocks away, and I need to make sure no one gets hurt. But I really shouldn't leave you alone, so do you mind…"

He trails off as he turns back to Vivi and sees the expression on her and the duck's face. The both of them are staring at him in a mix of fear and awe, like he's some sort of monster.

Koby coughs, awkwardly. "Erm, excuse me? Princess Vivi?"

"You… took down two officer agents…" she says, staring at him. "By yourself! You– how did you do that!?"

She pales suddenly. "Wait, you could have easily killed me in that bathroom! Why- why didn't you-?"

There's a loudBOOMin the distance.

"Princess Vivi, I am so sorry, but I really need to check on them before they hurt each other."

"R-right, yes," She says, mounting her giant duck. "Carue can give us a lift, hop on."

Nami had already managed to pry them apart by the time Koby gets there. Zoro still looks a bit put out, but Luffy is laughing uproariously about the whole thing.

When she notices Carue carrying them, she smiles and waves at them.

"Ah, perfect! Here comes our billion-belli package!" She coos, clasping her hands together sweetly.

"Hah?" Zoro asks from the ground. He perks up when he sees them. "Oi, Koby, I protected your dibs, and you're not even gonna fight her?"

"I'm sorry?" Vivi asks, eyeing Koby warily.

"Nevermind him, princess!" Nami says, throwing an arm around her. "We'll be escorting you to Alabasta and keeping you alive, for one easy payment of one billion belli."

Vivi chokes, eyes bulging out of her head. "WHAT?"

Koby sighs. "I suppose that means you–"

"–extorted that old man!" Nami finishes cheerily.

"–extorted the mayor," Koby finishes wearily.

"Wait, Igaram?" Vivi asks, suddenly concerned. "I don't know what he said, but I think there's been some misunderstanding. How much do you all know about Alabasta?"

Everyone fixes her with blank looks. Except for Koby, who turns his gaze literally anywhere else.

"Right," Vivi sighs. "Allow me to explain…"

The good news is that by the end of Vivi's explanation, the crew will definitely be escorting her to Alabasta and fighting Sir Crocodile.

The bad news is that they're doing it because Sir Crocodile has their names and faces and wants to kill them for knowing his secret identity as head of Baroque Works.

"I'M SORRY!" Vivi apologizes for the millionth time.

"WHY WOULD YOU TELL US?" Nami has her by the front of the blouse and shakes her violently.

"IT SLIPPED OUT! I'M SORRY!"

"We're on a Warlord's hitlist, then," Zoro summarizes, while Nami sobs and berates Vivi some more.

"How exciting!" Luffy claps his feet together gleefully.

Nami's wailing gets louder.

"Ahem,mimimiii, sorry to interrupt…"

Nami pauses in her assault. Everyone looks up at the mayor— rather, Igaram of Alabasta— dressed in Vivi's skimpy Miss Wednesday outfit, complete with wig and makeup, carrying three burlap dummies.

"Princess Vivi," he says gravely. "I need you to give me your eternal pose to Alabasta. I will go on ahead as a decoy."

Vivi says a heartfelt goodbye to her nursemaid, the man who raised her, and Koby tries not to tear up himself. To everyone else, he hardly knows this girl, but her genuine care for Igaram is the most familiar this young Vivi has been to the friend Koby made in the future. He only knew her for a few days, but it still makes something in his heart ache, to see the ghost of her kindness for the first time.

"Princess Vivi, it is up to you to save our kingdom," Igaram tells her as he pushes off. Vivi's eyes well with tears, but she refuses to cry, instead putting on a hopeful smile.

"I will see you again soon, when we're home!" She calls out after him.

It's the reassurance of a leader and the hope of a homesick child at the same time. Koby's heart aches in a new way.

"It won't be long," Koby assures her. "And this way, he'll warn your father in advance, so you can take your time to prepare—"

KA-BOOOM!

A massive explosion blows Igaram's boat into smithereens. So powerful that the wind and heat sear their faces all the way on the shore.

"No," Koby whispers, stunned.

Vivi stops breathing. Her entire body is rigid, and she bites down on her lower lip like it's the only thing that will keep it from betraying her by gasping for air.

"It can't be," Nami says, voice frightfully small. "They- THEY CAN'T HAVE GOT TO HIM ALREADY!"

She's hysterical, grabbing onto Koby just to stay upright, and it's startling enough that he returns to his senses, desperately reaching out with his observation haki for any sign of life.

The devastation rolling off of Vivi hits him in full force, and he lets out a strangled gasp. Nami's sadness and terror swirls in with Zoro's disbelief and Luffy—

Luffy's soul rings with a terrible indignant anger. The song of reckoning reverberates like a bell choir through the air, heralding the moment Luffy sets his mind to something and will see it through, no matter what he has to do.

"I liked that guy," Luffy says lowly.

He's pissed.

Koby forces himself to focus past his captain's voice, listening for any soul out on the sea.

What he finds punches the air clean out of his lungs.

"Nami, how is the log pose?" Luffy asks.

"I-it's all set."

"Then BRING IT ON!" His captain orders. "WE SET SAIL NOW!"

The command brings Koby back to himself.

"Princess Vivi," Nami is saying, tugging her arm. "We need to go now, before they get us too."

The princess is unresponsive. She's still not breathing, and has bit her lip so hard it's bleeding.

"Vivi." Koby uses her name without a title for the first time. "He's alive, but there's someone very powerful coming towards us. We need to move."

Her head snaps towards him and she finally breathes for the first time.

"What do you mean, he's alive?" She asks, eyes wild. "How-?"

"We don't have time!" Nami interrupts, grabbing her and dragging her away. "Prep the ship, Koby."

He clenches his fist, steeling himself.

"Right."

Koby takes off running, eventually catching up to Luffy and Zoro, who have a head start.

"-telling you it was that building!" Zoro snaps.

"No, they're in the one that looks like a pig face!" Luffy insists.

"The fuck does that even mean!?"

"I already took Sanji and Usopp back to the ship," Koby pipes up. Both of them look back over their shoulders in unison, clearly surprised to see him.

"Yay! Koby's the best!" Luffy cheers, and Koby only wishes the circumstances were better so he could enjoy the compliment.

When they reach the docks, two very groggy figures stumble down the Merry's gangplank.

"Where'd all th' ladies go?" Sanji slurs.

"How'd we get back on th' ship? Usopp asks, scratching his head.

"GET BACK ON THE SHIP!" Luffy shouts, sprinting up the little bridge with his arms out and clotheslining them both back onto the deck.

Koby and Zoro leap on behind him and start weighing anchor and hoisting the sails. They're ready to go in less than a minute, just as Carue streaks onto the ship with Nami and Vivi in tow.

"Sail the ship upriver! We can catch the current!" Vivi shouts as Nami pulls up the gangplank.

They shove off in record time.

"What the hell is going on!?" Sanji shouts.

"Why'd we set sail!?" Usopp agrees.

"We gotta stay one more night! The town is fun and the girls are cute!"

"Yeah! Let's go back!"

Luffy punches both of them so hard they collapse.

"You could have just told them we were in danger, Captain," Koby sighs, tying down the rigging. Now he'll have to check them both for concussions later.

"They were questioning my orders," Luffy grumbles, crossing his arms. But the pouting means he's more annoyed than actually mad.

Koby opens his mouth to reply that they didn'tknowabout his orders, when a familiar sensation freezes him in his tracks.

"We have company," he warns, head snapping to the tangerine grove atop the helm.

This was the strong person he felt approaching. He had his suspicions of their identity, because the soul was ever so slightly familiar, but it's so totally muted and strange that he couldn't be sure. Now, though...

The Devil Child Nico Robin steps coyly out of the tree cover and hops gracefully onto the upper deck. She sits on the railing, crossing one leg over the other like she's getting comfortable.

"My my, and here I thought I was being sneaky."

It's one thing to suspect, it's another to see the person, to assign the wrongness to a face you know.

Robin's aura is… hollow. He can tell her will is strong, but there's no intent in her actions. Like she's just going through the motions.

The few times Koby spoke with Robin as the Straw Hats' archaeologist, her soul reminded him of a pleasant breeze through a forest glade, gently rattling the leaves and blossoms. But the woman perched here on the railing feels like a harsh wind blowing through a forest of barren trees, straining the branches, ready to snap them.

She rests her chin on her hand and smiles down at them with a placid expression.

"Miss All-Sunday," Vivi whispers.

"I'm so glad you managed to escape~," Miss All-Sunday purrs. Koby can't tell if she's being genuine or not. He wonders if Robin can even tell for herself, with a soul like that.

He shivers.

"How'd you get on our ship!?" Luffy yells.

"All-Sunday? Is she the boss' partner?" Nami asks, eyes flitting nervously between Vivi and the woman in question.

"Yes," Vivi says, still staring Robin down. "She's the only one who knew his true identity, so we tailed her to find out for ourselves."

"Actually, I let you follow me," Miss All-Sunday says. Koby thinks that one was truthful, but he still can't tell how shefeelsabout it. Her motivations are so muted, despite Koby's hypersensitivity to emotion.

"That was nice," Luffy comments.

"Yeah, but then she told the boss that we knew!" Vivi cries.

"Oh. That'snotnice," Luffy huffs.

"What do youwant!?" Vivi shouts at her.

Miss All-Sunday shrugs.

"I'm curious. You were so earnest… I just had to help. A princess declaring war on Baroque Works to save her country?" She exhales a dry laugh. "Heh. How pathetic."

There. Koby felt… something. Something stirred in her. He just can't tellwhat.

"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE US!" Vivi snarls.

As she says it, Sanji and Usopp step out of the shadows on either side of her, where they'd been slinking into flank positions. Usopp draws his slingshot while Sanji… levels a shotgun at her? Has he even fired a gun before? Where did he get that?

"You know what you're doing, right?" Usopp asks him.

"Not really," Sanji admits, though he keeps the gun steady. "But it looked like my beloved Miss Wednesday was in danger."

Ah, it makes sense. Sanji won't actually hurt a woman, so he's bluffing, for Vivi's sake. The gun probably isn't even loaded.

Robin frowns.

"…Don't point those dangerous things at me," she says, and two arms sprout from the ground, hurl them both over the railing, and vanish in the blink of an eye. If Koby wasn't familiar with her powers, it might have looked like she flung them with her mind.

"What the hell?" Zoro yelps, eyes wide. Sanji and Usopp crash into the deck at his feet.

"She must have a devil fruit!" Vivi warns.

"Whoa!" Luffy gawks.

"What's her power?" Zoro asks, hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Hehe," Miss All-Sunday giggles behind her hand. "Don't get too excited. I'm not on an assignment, so I have no reason to fight you."

"From down here, she's a very beautiful woman," Sanji says deliriously. Koby can only imagine how his mind works that he's decided to mention thisnow.

Miss All-Sunday flicks her wrist and Luffy's beloved straw hat flies off his head. Koby catches the quickest flash of fingertips hidden in his hair before they vanish into nothing.

"So you're the captain of the Strawhats?" Robin asks, catching the hat and inspecting it. "Monkey D. Luffy."

"HEY!" He shouts, suddenly furious. "GIVE ME BACK MY HAT! THAT'S PICKING A FIGHT! YOU'RE MY ENEMY, NOW GET LOST!"

Miss All-Sunday smiles tightly and places it over her own cowboy hat.

"What rotten luck you all have, being hunted by Baroque Works," she says idly. "And the worst luck of all, you're headed for Little Garden. So I guess we don't need to bother killing you after all. You won't even reach Alabasta to see Sir Crocodile's face."

"WE'LL SHOW YOU!" Luffy shouts, pointing. "NOW GIVE MY HAT BACK YOU- you- DUMB HEAD!"

"You tell her, Captain," Koby and Zoro say at the same time. Koby meant it to be genuinely encouraging, but Zoro's flat delivery sounds sarcastic.

Miss All-Sunday flicks the brim of Luffy's hat and it launches off of her head, landing perfectly back on his.

"Sailing knowingly into mortal danger is just silly," she says, and tosses something to Vivi.

The princess catches it reflexively, and uncups her hands to reveal an eternal pose.

"You'll be able to bypass any difficulty with that," Robin nods at her. "It points to a nothing island, just before Alabasta. A route that even our agents don't know about, so no one will follow you."

Koby is surprised to discover she's telling the truth. He still can't pin down her motivations or exact emotions, but he can at least tell that she's being honest.

"So… she's on our side?" Nami asks. But Koby doesn't think that's quite right.

"It's probably a trap," Zoro shrugs. But that isn't it either.

"Who knows?" Miss All-Sunday asks with a glint in her eye. And Koby does, but he gets the feeling that Robin doesn't. That she's given them a log pose to a perfectly safe island and secret route, but she has no idea if she's going to betray them or not. It feels almost like she doesn't think it matters either way.

"Who needs that thing?" Luffy asks. He snatches the eternal pose from Vivi and crushes it in his fist.

"YOU DUMBASS!" Nami screeches, kicking him in the face. "She gave us an easy route! What if she was really helping us!?"

Luffy takes the hit like a champ, remaining upright. He clenches his fists and scowls.

"Shedoesn't decide what course we take!" Luffy declares, stamping his foot angrily.

Robin blinks. For the first time, Koby identifies a concrete emotion, a flicker of amusement.

"…I see. Well, that's too bad," she says, and for just a moment, that nothing smile becomes something genuine.

"I don't like her, she blew up the guy with the rollers," Luffy crosses his arms petulantly.

"Well, I don't have a problem with you," Robin replies. "We'll meet again. If you survive."

She hops off the railing, strolling towards the side of the ship.

"I hope not," Luffy says, sticking out his tongue at her back. Koby finds that sentiment a bit ironic, considering he will one day declare war on the World Government to rescue her.

"Let's go, Bunchi," Miss All-Sunday calls, and a giant turtle with a matching cowboy hat surfaces in the ocean next to the Merry. Robin hops into the palanquin on his back, and Bunchi departs.

"…Her turtle is really cool," Luffy admits as she goes, clearly reluctant to be impressed. "It's a really big one."

As soon as she's gone, Vivi collapses to her knees on the deck.

"I wish I knew what her game was," she laments.

Koby knows her game. It's a very lonely, very nihilistic game, that provides very little insight into Miss All-Sunday's actions. He thinks maybe Vivi is better off not knowing.

All he can do is wait to see Robin again, and be extremely grateful that Luffy will somehow convince that utterly hopeless woman to join his crew, and help her find the beautiful cherry blossom glade of a soul that Koby remembers.

"…Hey so can someone tell me what's going on?" Usopp asks. "I don't getanyof this."

Notes:

robin, my beloved!

if you're a fan of this fic and want to chat with a bunch of other cool people who also like one piece, consider joining the newKANGVCD Discord Server! i hang around there, so you can ask me questions and i'll give updates on chapters and hints about future plot points... but more importantly, it's a chance to get to know my readers as, like, real people! so if that sounds cool, come join the fun.

see y'all next week! cheers!

Chapter 15: Chapter 14

Summary:

Previously:Miss Wednesday and Koby had a chat in the bathroom about her identity, which ended in an assassination attempt. Luckily, Koby was able to cover it up by insisting that they were kissing. On Whiskey Peak, Koby and the crew saved the Princess Vivi from Baroque Works, and ran into Miss All-Sunday, who delivered a cryptic warning about their next stop, Little Garden.

Now:Nami makes Koby take a nap. Koby advises and gets some advice of his own. Little Garden is a low point.

Notes:

Heya! Thanks for being patient with me while I worked on this chapter, it means a lot! And a special thanks to these wonderful people who made ART for my silly lil fic!

-Koby's New Outfit Doodleby orange-artist
- Fic DoodlesOne,Two, andThreeby koby-lux
-Vivi's Assassination Attemptby peudopigeons
-Supportive Co-First-Matesby booburt

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

They sail away from Whiskey Peak in the wee hours of morning, just as the sun creeps over the waves to meet the shrinking outline of Miss All-Sunday's giant turtle.

Nami, Vivi, Carue, and Koby, as the four people who didn't sleep at all last night, trudge tiredly down to the bunks to nap until lunch. Though not before Nami instructs Usopp to follow the log pose's every little twitch exactly, on threat of violent death.

It's also worth noting that Koby planned to just go about his day normally, except that Nami drags him by the collar below deck and into the women's bunk room before he even knows what hit him.

"W-wait, Nami, I can't be in here!" Koby squeaks, going bright red and covering his eyes. There's not anything immodest about the cabin - it's literally just a perfectly tidy room with a desk and a bed - but Sanji would flay him alive just for being here, let alone looking at anything.

"We both know you won't sleep unless someone forces you, so you're stuck here until at least noon."

"B-but—"

"No arguing. Now keep your eyes closed while we change."

Koby lets out a distressed noise and screws his eyes shut even tighter, pulling his bandana down like a blindfold for good measure. Sanji is going to mutilate his corpse.

"Alright, we're done," Nami announces.

Koby opens his eyes. Nami and Vivi wear matching linen nightgowns, presumably Nami's, and are in the process of crawling under the covers. Carue is curled up at the foot of the bed like a pet, already dozing.

He turns towards the door.

"If you even think about leaving, the cannonball sleeps with the fishes."

Koby freezes. She wouldn't. Not really.

"I would," Nami says.

Koby backs away from the door.

"Change. Lay down. Go to sleep," Nami orders.

Sighing, Koby finds the most spacious area on the rug he can and lays down.

"…Is that comfortable?" Vivi asks.

"Koby, you dumbass, lay downin the bed," Nami groans.

No. Nope. There won't be any part of his body left to find if Sanji hears about this.

"The floor is fine, thank you," Koby says.

Nami sighs, beleaguered, and throws off the duvet, stomping towards him. Instead of crushing his head underfoot like she's clearly fantasizing, she grabs him by the ear.

"Take off your boots," she orders.

Which is how Koby ends up under the covers in nothing but his shirt and boxers, sandwiched by both girls to prevent escape, rigid as a board in pure terror. Everyone once in a while he realizes he's been holding his breath and forces himself to exhale.

Nami passes out almost instantly, snoring audibly. After almost an hour of silence from Vivi, Koby assumes she's asleep as well, until her quiet whisper startles him.

"When you said that Igaram was alive, you believed it was true."

It's not a question, but her voice conveys what she clearly wants to ask.

"Yes," Koby whispers. "I could feel him, injured but alive."

"…how?" She asks, barely audible.

"I have a sort of… extra sense," Koby admits. His eyes strain to trace the wood grain pattern of the ceiling beams in the dark. "Luffy calls it a mystery power, but it's technically called 'haki,' and while there's a few different kinds, mine makes me extra sensitive to emotions. I can, er, 'hear' souls."

Vivi is silent for a long moment. Koby doesn't dare look at her, lest he break the delicate control she has over her breathing. His eyes trace over the wood grain again.

"It's why being inside Laboon made me cry," he explains, because the silence makes his skin crawl. "And why I know you want to believe me, but you're worried having hope will only make it hurt worse if I'm wrong."

Vivi's soul reminds him a lot of a trumpet chorus. It's full and booming when she's fighting, defending her people. Currently, it croons low, like it's about to ramp up but stuck holding a lead-in.

"That is… unnervingly accurate," She says, clearly choosing her words.

Koby winces. "Sorry. My observation is, er, abnormally sensitive. I try not to listen into emotions all the time, since it's pretty invasive. But I've never been able to completely turn it off like I should, so stuff bleeds through."

"The way you talk about it… is this power common, where you're from?"

It's such an unusual and charming way to talk about haki that he can't stifle a surprised snort. He feels Vivi bristle beside him.

"Sorry!" He apologizes quickly. "It's not a cultural power, or anything. Technically, everyone has haki, and anyone can learn to use it with enough practice. Some people are naturally sensitive, and accidentally unlock observation haki without training. Like me, or Nami, for ex—"

"WHAT?"

Koby fully leaps out of his skin as Nami bolts upright in bed, shattering Koby's assumption that she was asleep. She smacks him frantically in the stomach.

"What are you talking about?" Nami demands. "I have powers? No I don't!"

Koby wheezes pathetically, bidding his terrified soul to return to his body.

"I would know if I could read minds!" Nami insists.

"P-please stop hitting him, Nami-san," Vivi pleads. She's got a hand clutched over her heart, clearly as startled as Koby was.

Thankfully, Nami stops assaulting him at her request.

"H-have you been awake the whole time?" Koby eventually manages.

"Of course. I love eavesdropping."

Koby hadn't even considered that sheintendedto listen in on them, but in hindsight, of course she did.

He sighs. "Well, I didn't want to say anything, because sometimes people have more trouble accessing observation haki once they're conscious of it."

Nami's flat look tells him she doesn't appreciate his reasoning.

"People can be emotionally intelligent without reading minds, Koby."

He sighs.

"Your observation is different than mine. I'm hyper-sensitive to others' haki, but you use yourownhaki to heighten your traditional perception. Like noticing weather changes before they happen."

Nami frowns. She still looks skeptical, but he can tell she's at least considering his explanation now.

"I just feel changing air pressure, that's science, not magic."

Koby sighs. "Okay, not magic,haki. And yes, you know what those changes mean because you're smart, but surely you've noticed other people can't feel them so acutely."

Nami blinks. "…I always thought other people were stupid."

Koby sighs again. "No, Nami, you're just exceptional."

She preens. "Well. Of course I am."

Vivi clears her throat politely. "You were saying that anyone can learn it?"

"Oh! Yes, sorry. With enough training, anyone can learn observation haki."

"Fascinating…" Vivi looks pensively into the middle distance. Then she turns to Koby, nodding decisively. "Please, Koby-san, teach me observation haki."

His eyes go comically wide.

"M-Me!? Nonono, I can't teach you!" He vehemently swipes his arms, like dissipating the idea.

Vivi flips away the covers and kneels on the mattress, dropping forward into a full kowtow.

"Please, for the sake of my people, I must utilize every tool available to stop Sir Crocodile."

"I- I understand that, truly! B-but I really can't teach you, Princess Vivi. I only ever learned how to control my own haki, I don't know how to teachusingit."

Koby's problem was always that he heardtoo much, after Marineford. Helmeppo spent some time with other officers learning to unlock his own observation haki, but Koby has no idea what it entails. Helmeppo never mentioned details aside from complaining that it was boring.

"Why not at least try?" Nami asks. "Worst case scenario, she just never gets the hang of it, but that's no worse than where she is now."

Koby fidgets with the hem of the bedsheets nervously. "Well, it's entirely possible that poor instruction could make it harder–"

"I don't care!" Vivi interrupts. "The ability to sense someone's intentions, that's the perfect way to beat Crocodile at his own game! I would do anything to detect his spies– it would mitigate his reach at every opportunity!"

"Oh, geez, those are… very high expectations…" Koby protests weakly. "Even if I do help you unlock your observation haki, it is very unlikely it would be that strong."

Sure, Koby can sense that sort of thing easily, but he's definitely not normal. Most people can't even feel emotions through haki without intense concentration.

"But you're going to try," Nami says expectantly. Vivi hits him with the most heart-wrenching tearful doe eyes he's ever seen, and he realizes he does not have enough backbone to deny them both.

"I, er, I suppose I can try to–"

"Thank you, Koby-san!" Vivi cheers, throwing her arms around him. "You are doing the kingdom of Alabasta a great service."

Koby's brain takes a moment to recognize he's being hugged, and that he should probably figure out what to do with his hands.

"Wonderful!" Nami coos, clasping her hands together. "We'll charge the lessons à la carte, I'm thinking 3,000 belli per lesson."

Every morning, Koby meets Vivi on the deck and tells her to meditate. He remembers hearing about something like that from Helmeppo, so he figures it's a good place to start.

Nami attempts to join on the first day, but the early hour, cold morning air, and general boringness of sitting around waiting turns her off pretty quickly. She goes back to sleep.

Koby tries describing how haki feels, its textbook definition, and the way it works mechanically. He flexes his own observation often, trying to notice some extra detail that might help it click for her. But nothing miraculous happens. He and Vivi just spend an hour every morning on the deck while she meditates and Koby beats himself up inside.

Vivi still thanks him genuinely for every session, so she doesn't hate him yet, at least.

It'll be at least another week before they hit Little Garden, realistically longer. Despite the dire circumstances and Vivi's general anxiety, the trip is kinda fun.

Or maybe it'sbecause ofthat. Sanji clearly wants to put her at ease, so he makes special drinks and snacks every day. The whole crew makes an effort to include her and Carue in the usual activities, too.

Luffy cajoles Usopp into making fishing rods, which leads to all the boys (plus Carue, substituting for Sanji, who flits in and out to wait on the ladies) sitting together in the afternoon sun, watching their rods and idly chatting. Nami and Vivi lounge nearby, sipping on daiquiris and reading pulp novels.

"Luffy! Truth or Dare?" Usopp asks.

"Both!" Luffy declares excitedly.

"No, Luffy, you have to pick one, remember?" Koby reminds him, as he does every time it's his turn.

"I want both," Luffy crosses his arms. "Why would I choose? That's dumb."

Koby needs to accept defeat on this one. Everyone has long since resolved to just give Luffy both.

"Truth first," Usopp says. "If you had to eat—"

"Yes."

"Let me finish!"

"I don't care, I would eat it."

"I'm askingwhoyou would eat—"

"Ducky."

"QUACK?!" Carue yelps, backing away warily.

"You answered way too quick!" Usopp cries. "I haven't even given context!"

"Ducky," Luffy repeats stubbornly. He might be drooling a little. Unfortunately, Koby knows he's thought extensively about eating the poor duck before. He sleep talks.

Tears well in Carue's eyes. He's shaking like a leaf.

"Usopp, maybe move on to a dare," Koby suggests, scooting over to Carue and petting him comfortingly.

"Fine. I dare you to go the rest of the day without touching the deck."

"Easy!"

Koby is immediately suffocated by his captain's entire body latching onto his face.

"MMPH!" Koby screams, desperately trying to peel him off.

"Ne, Koby, careful! Don't let me touch the ground!" Luffy scolds. "You gotta carry me the rest of the day."

Eventually, he manages to rotate Luffy enough without dropping him to free his mouth, and Koby gasps for air like a dying man.

"Why me?" Koby laments, but it's a token protest. He's already working with Luffy to situate him properly on his shoulders, hands gripping Koby's hair for balance like a toddler.

"Because Zoro is a meanie who would drop me on purpose," Luffy says. Zoro snorts in agreement.

Luffy grabs his own ankles, bending, folding, and twisting his legs unnaturally to tie them in loops around Koby's armpits, like straps of a truly disturbing backpack. Everyone except Zoro looks queasy at the sight of human limbs twisted like that.

It's truly a testament to Luffy's lack of boundaries that Koby is already resigned to carrying him around for the next nine hours. He just hopes his captain will agree to sit on the Merry's railings whenever Koby needs to use the toilet.

Wait. Is he gonna have to help Luffy use—

"Glasses," Sanji interrupts, walking over to the group and flicking a spent cigarette overboard. "Truth or dare."

"Truth," Koby says, as he has every time so far, because Zoro's dares are dangerous, Luffy's dares are grossordangerous, and Usopp is an evil genius when it comes down to it.

Sanji tightens his tie. "Do you intend to make an honest woman out of my dearest Vivi-sama?"

Vivi's book clatters to the deck.

"Um." Koby says eloquently, completely blindsided.

"Excuse me?" Vivi asks.

"Ah, forgive my bluntness in your presence, Vivi-sama," Sanji apologizes, bowing so deeply to her that he nearly folds in half. "It's just that he hasn't once offered you proper comfort since we departed, treating you like a stranger. If he intends to regard you with such disrespect after you graced him with such intimacy, I will kick his ass to protect your honor."

Vivi and Koby both gape like fish.

"Dude, I said besubtle,"Usopp hisses, because oh dear god heset Sanji upfor this.

"Sanji, that's absolutely insane," Nami says flatly.

"And crass!" Vivi agrees, regaining her mental faculties well before Koby. "We haven't— I was undercover!"

"Circumstances are irrelevant, my dear," Sanji insists, "It's simply disgusting for him to use you like this."

"Damn, Koby, I can't believe you'd do such a thing," Zoro chimes in, grinning.

"Um?" Koby tries to form words in his shock. Luffy is being a very unhelpful distraction, humming cheerfully and tying random chunks of Koby's hair into knots, presumably because he doesn't know how to braid.

"I— I haven't—" the words aren't working. Sanji is still scowling at him.

"Koby didn'tuseme or whatever you're trying to say!" Vivi cries.

"Even if you solicited him first, my angel, it is a man's duty to take care of any woman—"

"I was just trying to kill him!" Vivi interrupts. "We didn't actually makeout, he was covering up my attempted murder!"

Sanji goes silent. He blinks at her a few times.

"Wait, that's it?" He asks, looking between her and Koby questioningly.

"Yes," Vivi says testily.

"YES!" Koby shouts, nodding fervently. Luffy wobbles slightly with his agitated movements.

"Oh." Sanji says. Then, "that's great!"

He laughs, all animosity gone.

"Best news I've heard all week. How about tempura for dinner?" Sanji asks cheerfully.

"…Er, why are you so happy about me nearly dying?" Koby asks.

"I'd much rather you be dead than kissing my immaculate Vivi-sama," Sanji smiles down at him earnestly. To Koby's horror, Usopp is nodding in agreement.

"The universe makes sense again," Usopp concurs.

"This ship is full of morons," Nami sighs, putting her glasses back on and returning to her book.

As if she jinxed it, there's a sharp, painful tug at Koby's scalp. He hisses and reaches up reflexively.

"Oi, Koby, someone tied my fingers to your hair and got them stuck," Luffy says.

After several days of no progress with Vivi's haki training, Koby shuffles into his post-workout shower, particularly dejected. He warned her upfront that this likely wouldn't go well, so why does he feel like such a failure? It hasn't even been very long for something as challenging as haki.

Maybe it's because Vivi herself isn't frustrated in the slightest. She listens to Koby with the utmost patience and follows all of his advice, even when she clearly doesn't understand what he means by it. The princess is– by every definition– the perfect student, which only leaves Koby to assume it's a problem with him as the teacher.

He ponders this while he rinses his hair, frowning slightly as he turns the shower off and wraps himself in a towel. When he opens the curtain to the rest of the bathroom, he's startled to see another person there.

AnotherKoby.

But it's not the Ninja.

This version looks much more like the way Koby looked at nineteen, right before he went back in time, down to the marine uniform. The main difference is that his hair is longer, pulled back into a tight french braid, and his glasses are different— frameless— and actually worn on his face for a more professional look. He also has a Navy-issued saber in a scabbard on his hip, and the rank decoration on his uniform–

"You're a Fleet Admiral," Koby squeaks. He is standing here in a towel, dripping water onto floorboards still scuffed from his fight with Miss Wednesday. And there's a Fleet Admiral version of himself here, watching him.

"We– You–" Koby short-circuits. Fleet Admiral. He became a Fleet Admiral. His dream. The proof that it was possible is right before his eyes, leaning against the sink.

"Princess Vivi needs a more proactive approach," says Fleet Admiral Koby. "Try blindfold training, it should help her to have a tangible goal, instead of just description."

"I– You…Wha?" Koby asks.

"If she can unlock observation, it'll be through active pressure. Try the blindfold."

Before Koby's brain can catch up, the Fleet Admiral is no longer there. He's popped right out of existence.

"Wait–" Koby blinks, realizing the absence. "Wait! Come back!" he calls, stumbling forward to the spot where he was.

But he's fully gone, just as abruptly as he appeared.

"That was me?" He asks the damp air. "As a Fleet Admiral," he clarifies. "That was me as a Fleet Admiral."

Koby stands there alone in the bathroom for several moments, staring at himself in the cracked mirror. Sixteen and sopping wet. He missed a few suds in his hair.

"Maybe I've finally lost my mind," he suggests aloud.

Whether the messenger was time-travel related or a total hallucination, his advice is solid.

Blindfold training, as the name suggests, involves fitting a student with a blindfold and giving them something to dodge. With Garp, this was cannonballs, though he used it to train them in the Iron Body and Shave techniques, not haki. But arguably the method should work even better for cultivating observation haki.

That said, Koby can only imagine the thousand and one horrible punishments from Sanji for throwing stuff at a blindfolded princess, so he won't be doing it.

"Ow! Ah! Ow!"

He's havingNamido it.

"Sorry!" Koby calls out. "But you can do it!"

"Ow!"Vivi doubles over as a beanbag hits her square in the gut. Koby winces.

"Great resilience!" He encourages. Vivi shakily straightens back up.

"My hour is up," Nami announces, saving Koby from watching another round of this. "If you want me to keep going, the fee is time and a half."

"Ah, no, that's alright, Nami. Thanks again for your help."

She nods and walks over to Vivi, gingerly taking off her blindfold. For all the intensity that Nami puts into pelting Vivi with beanbags for money, she repays by being doubly gentle afterwards.

"Shower and pancakes?" She offers.

"Please," Vivi agrees, exhausted but relieved. Sanji isn't even awake yet, but Koby knows he won't hesitate to cook a pancake breakfast if the girls ask.

"Thank you for the lesson, Koby-san," Vivi says, giving him a bow. "I think I'm making progress. I even dodged a few today!"

She did, didn't she? It's only been three days, and Koby's been so busy feeling bad that he didn't even acknowledge her progress. What a horrible mentor he's been.

"You did great today, Vivi. Keep up the good work!"

She flashes a shining smile at him, then takes Nami's hand. They scurry off towards the girls' bunk together.

Once they're safely out of sight, Koby exhales and droops a little. He doesn't know the first thing about teaching, but he's Vivi's only option. Even if putting her through this makes him feel like a monster.

"Oi, Koby." Usopp's voice from above startles him to attention.

"O-oh! Usopp, I didn't know you were there."

His head peers down at Koby from the crow's nest. Usually Zoro takes night watch, since he naps half the day anyway, and if he hears their haki training, he's never commented on it.

"Zoro wanted to get drunk last night so I, er, agreed to take his shift," Usopp explains, in a tone that implies he did so out of fear of decapitation. "But is there a reason you're encouraging Nami to assault a princess? Is this some kind of revenge fantasy? Should I be concerned?"

Usopp pauses for a moment, and then his eyes widen in horror.

"This isn't, a-a sexual thing, right?"

"WHAT?No!" Koby cries, mortified. "We already established there's nothing going on with me and Vivi!"

"I know that!" Usopp holds his hands up defensively. "I thought maybe it was personal! Maybe it gets you going! I don't know!"

"Stop! Ahh! Don't say that!" Koby wishes he could unhear this conversation.

"I'm sorry!" Usopp wails, clearly equally traumatized. "I'm just asking why you're paying to watch girls hit each other for an hour! It's weird!"

"Oh," Koby says. When he says it like that, it makes more sense that this is strange behavior. "Right. Okay, this isn't for fun, I'm training Vivi to use haki. Er, the 'mystery sense' that Luffy talks about."

Usopp cocks his head. "…Okay? If you're training her, why is Nami getting paid?"

"I'm paying her to throw the beanbags for me."

"Oh."

Usopp lets the word hang awkwardly in the air. Why does he sound disappointed?

"Is… something wrong?" Koby asks.

"No," Usopp says too quickly, too casually. "Nooo no no no. Nothing wrong. Nothing at all."

Koby just stares up at him flatly, waiting for him to explain.

"It's just that— " There it is. "—if you needed someone to throw things for you– aim them, if you will— then wouldn't there be… other members of the crew who could… maybe not do itbetter, per se, but perhaps be better-suited for the task? Someone who had…experiencehitting targets with projectiles…"

It takes a moment for Koby to realize what Usopp is trying to imply with his roundabout stammering.

He's upset that Koby asked Nami over him.

"No, Usopp, I would have asked for your help! But if Sanji woke up early and saw one of the men shooting at a blindfolded woman…"

"Oh…" Usopp goes pale. "Oh god!I hadn't even thought of that. You were protecting my life!"

"That was the idea." Koby scratches the back of his head sheepishly.

"Nevermind, forget I even considered it!" Usopp insists. "Don't tell Sanji!"

"Don't tell Sanjiwhat,exactly?" Asks a voice from behind him.

A sleep-tousled Sanji pads out onto the deck in a t-shirt and sweatpants, unlit cigarette in his mouth.

"Nothing!" Usopp yelps, diving back into the safety of the crow's nest basket, out of sight.

Sanji raises an unimpressed eyebrow, and turns his gaze to Koby.

"Do I wanna know?" He asks tiredly. "Scratch that. Would it ruin my morning to know before breakfast?"

"Yes," Koby says, grateful for the out.

"Cool. Don't tell me then."

Sanji pulls out his lighter, flicking it a few times to catch in the damp morning air.

"Pancakes for breakfast," he calls up to the crow's nest. "Don't be late."

Little Garden is quite big, actually. And overgrown. The name "Large Jungle" would have been a much more apt choice, in Koby's opinion.

Unless it was meant to be ironic? Hm. It's probably meant to be ironic.

Everyone stands on the deck with their mouths hanging open in awe, except for Sanji, who is busy in the kitchen making Luffy the "pirate lunchbox" he demanded for exploring. (This is a lunchbox with all contents replaced by meat.)

"Can I come with you to explore?" Vivi asks Luffy.

"Sure, as long as you don't slow me down," he agrees.

Exploring an island of unique wilderness with Luffy sounds very fun. Koby is about to ask to join them, when Sanji grabs his arm.

"Glasses, got a job for you."

Luffy rockets off, Vivi in tow. Koby deflates slightly.

"What do you need?" He asks, trying not to let his disappointment color his voice.

"We're out of meat. Shitty rubber's stomach is an incinerator. You any good at hunting?"

"Oi," Zoro butts in. "Why are you asking him?"

Sanji bristles at the questioning.

"What's it to you?" He asks.

"Of all the people to ask about hunting experience, you choseKoby?He doesn't even have a weapon. Hell,Usoppwould be better at it than him."

"Nope, keep me out of this. I'm not stepping foot on the terrifying murder island."

This is great! Zoro can do the hunting, a Koby can catch up to-

"Are you saying you need weapons to hunt? Sounds like you're a shit hunter," Sanji scoffs.

"Yeah? Bet you've never caught game in your life, Mister Three-Piece Suit."

"Fuck off, I could kill the biggest thing on this island without relying on three toothpicks to compensate for my tiny dick."

"You have a tiny dick?"

Sanji launches at him. Steel meets shoe, and they're fighting so violently the entire Merry rocks.

Maybe Koby can just sneak away now, while they're busy. If he can just squeeze around them…

"BREAK IT UP!" Nami yells, dragging the two of them apart. "Are you both five? Go measure your dicks somewhere else!"

"My apologies, Nami-san!" Sanji grovels, bowing dramatically. Zoro rolls his eyes.

"Fine. We'll compete to bag the biggest game by sundown. And just so you don't bitch about it being unfair, I won't even use my swords."

Good to hear they resolved the issue. Koby is already halfway down the gangplank. Luffy's soul still sounds relatively close, so he might be able to catch up—

"Fine," Sanji spits. "But you have to take Glasses to verify you won't fuckin' cheat."

No! No, he was so close!

"Fine. Koby, with me," Zoro orders.

Koby closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

"Yeah, alright," he sighs.

Tailing Zoro while he can literallyfeelhow much fun Luffy is having nearby is absolutely torturous. Zoro has been going in circles for nearly forty-five minutes, while Luffy's soul a few dozen meters away chimes happily with freedom and excitement and joy as he rides a pterodactyl, probably.

"Is this forest fuckin' empty?" Zoro asks.

No, he's just been searching the same square kilometer of land the entire time.

"Tch," Zoro scowls. "I'm gonna climb a tree. Don't wander off."

Zoro scales the nearest trunk, vanishing into the canopy within seconds.

Koby stands alone on the forest floor. A minute passes. Two.

Luffy's distant laughter echoes through the trees. His soul sounds beautiful.

…Fuck it.

He takes off running towards it.

If Sanji finds out, he can say he lost track of Zoro in the foliage. It's not like Sanji won't be able to tell the difference between a sword cut and blunt force trauma, anyway. And Zoro is too stubborn to cheat.

He flies through the underbrush, leaping over roots and ducking branches as he follows his captain's voice like a compass. His excitement pumps Koby's heart a little faster, and he might as well be running across a layer of clouds.

That is, until his foot gets stuck.

Koby stumbles— no, not even a stumble, his feet are fully stuck in the ground. The loss of momentum is so abrupt and complete that he has to pinwheel his arms wildly to avoid face planting.

Once he's more or less stable, he notices a few things concurrently.

First, the smell. It's a cross of burnt hair and sulfur. Koby slams both hands over his mouth to avoid gagging.

Next is the fact that both his feet, up to his ankles, are fully stuck. No matter how hard he pulls, the suction tugs painfully and doesn't give.

Then he notices the strange color. He's in a large pool of black mud with a weird iridescent shimmer, like oil.

Finally, Koby discovers, he is sinking. Actively. And it gets faster the more he struggles.

He's stuck in a tar pit.

"Don't panic," Koby says immediately, to himself. Because he is panicking. Drowning slowly in tar sounds like a horrible way to die.

Branch. He needs to find a branch and drag himself out. There aren't many low-hanging branches in this forest, but there's a hanging vine just within reach, here. If he can just…

His fingers close around the vine and he pulls, slowly tugging himself out a quarter inch at a time.

CRACK!

The vine goes slack. Koby looks up just in time to see the branch it was growing on fall rapidly towards him before it slams him square in the face.

"OW!?" Koby yells, because it's more embarrassing than painful.

He rubs his forehead irritably, searching for a new plan. There's nothing else within reach to use as leverage. The branch itself is already sinking. All Koby's slow progress is erased, and in fact has only dug him deeper. The tar swallows him up to the middle of his shins.

"Okay," Koby says aloud. "I am stuck in a tar pit."

Once about twenty minutes of a useless panic attack is over, slowly drowning in a tar pit is actually pretty boring. More boring, one might say, than watching Zoro get lost for an hour. In a sort of karmic way.

At thirty minutes, he's sunk down to his knees. His voice is starting to go hoarse from all his shouts for help.

No one has come. Nami, Usopp, and Sanji are outside of his range, Zoro is still going in his circles, and Luffy and Vivi are still having a grand old time, somewhere that has good sound dampening.

At least he still has a few hours of keeping his head above the surface. Hopefully, someone can find him before sundown— but even if they do, he'll probably be unable to banish the phantom smell of tar from his nostrils for the next month.

Another half hour later, Koby feels his crew in danger.

Nami, Vivi, and Zoro are all in distress. Usopp and Carue are panicking. Luffy is furious. Two strangers are dying, and two more strangers are happy about it.

It's all happening at the very edge of his range, so it's unclear what exactly is going on and sapping a lot of his energy, but it's not like he has anything else to do.

Sanji is closer, and apparently unaware of any other people on the island. He's heading leisurely back to the Merry with a smug confidence that Koby assumes is due to whatever dinosaur he's killed.

He tries wrenching his legs free, and shouts desperately in Sanji's direction to no avail. Koby sinks steadily deeper. His friends grow more distressed.

During another bout of struggling, the Fleet Admiral Koby appears in front of him, standing on top of the tar.

"GAH!" Koby shouts, flailing wildly to avoid face-planting into tar.

"Ah, sorry," the Fleet Admiral apologizes. "I'm only bothering you because the situation seems… grim."

"P-please! Please bother me!" Koby stammers. "I-I mean, er, can you help?"

The Fleet Admiral frowns. "Can't say I have experience with tar pits. And I won't be able to pull you out—" He gestures to his own foot, which he lifts to reveal a lack of footprint. Or sinking. "—but I think I remember how to escape quicksand, if you want to try that?"

As if cosmically timed, a bubble nearbypopsand splatters tar on Koby's cheek.

"I will do anything to get out of this tar, sir."

The Fleet Admiral winces and pushes up his glasses.

"Right. First, you need to lie on your back, to redistribute your weight over a larger area."

Koby glances down at the disgusting, smelly, bubbling tar, and then back up at the Fleet Admiral, dubious.

"…Do you know if tar is toxic to the skin, sir?" Koby asks.

The Fleet Admiral doesn't reply for a concerningly long beat.

"I don't think it is?" He says eventually. Koby's brow furrows worriedly.

The Fleet Admiral sighs. "Look, we're the same person, I've just had a few extra years. We've never gotten stuck in atar pitbefore."

"…Fair point." Koby concedes. Besides, he did say he would doanythingto get out of here.

He holds his breath, trying not to inhale the horrible smell as he lets himself fall backwards. The thick oily surface squelches beneath him as it's displaced.

"Okay, now what?" He asks.

There is no answer.

"Hello?" Koby asks. He can't turn his head, so he's forced to stare up at the canopy above and wait for the answer.

"Koby?" Asks a new voice.

"Sanji?" Koby asks, shocked.

"The hell are you doing?" Sanji asks, approaching him.

"WAIT!" Koby cries. "Don't come any closer!"

"Gah! Why?!" Sanji asks, clearly startled. But he stops.

"I'm stuck in a tar pit! I need your help!"

"You're stuck in—" Sanji cuts off. He doesn't finish.

"…Sanji?" Koby asks. There is no reply. He starts to worry he knows why.

"Did you also get stuck in—?"

"—in the tar pit, yeah." Sanji finishes with a sigh.

The two of them are silent for a moment.

Well, there's only one thing to do now.

"HELP US!" Koby hollers at the sky. "WE'RE STUCK IN A TAR PIT!"

"So, did you fall out of a tree? How'd you end up on your back?"

Koby considers the broken branch above him, and how he has no good explanation for why he would have laid down in tar if he doesn't know how it's supposed to help him escape.

"Er, yes, I fell on my back. Ow."

"Tch, shitty Marimo. I bet he pushed you so he could run off and cheat the bet," Sanji mutters.

"Y-yeah, probably," Koby lies. If he survives this, he owes Zoro a bottle of sake. "Actually, how didyouend up here?"

"Had a chat with Crocodile, and then chased after a weird bird and an otter in sunglasses."

"...Wait, what?"

"How long has it been?" Sanji asks.

"Since you got here? Twenty minutes."

Sanji swears, loud and colorful.

"Yeah," Koby agrees.

"This is boring as shit. Let's play 'I Spy' or something until we bite it."

"I can only see leaves above me and I can't turn my head," Koby admits.

"Goddamn it. The fuck else are we supposed to do?" Sanji asks.

"—and that's when Patty walked in, carrying a huge tray of cream puffs."

Koby gasps. "Oh no!"

"Yup. Six dozen."

"NO!" Koby cries, he can tell what's coming, but he wants to believe it isn't so.

"So, he immediately trips over the unconscious guy. Cream puffs go up in the air. Some of them hit the ceiling. The rest fall to the floor in fuckin' slow motion. My life flashes before my eyes. Because the geezer gets back in twenty minutes, and not only do I have to clean everything up, but I gotta make another six dozen puffs."

Koby groans in sympathy.

"What did you do?" he asks.

"Well, what elsecouldI do?..."

"Did you ever think you'd die this young?" Koby asks. They've been sinking slowly together for two hours.

"Thought I'd be younger," Sanji replies. "...much younger."

There's a long silence. Koby opens his mouth to ask, but Sanji speaks first.

"You?"

"Uh. I think… same, actually?" He remembers his time with Alvida, where he was convinced he was just stalling until the day she inevitably hit him too hard and he never stood back up. "But…"

He thinks about risking his life to free Zoro, that first time around. About fighting for his life– for the life of his fellow men– at Marineford. About Luffy's brilliant smile, when Koby asked to join his crew.

"Luffy changed that for me, when he saved me. I don't think about dying much, anymore, except that I can't do it yet. Not when my dream and his are unfulfilled."

"Mm." Sanji hums. He's quiet for a while, then: "I get that. When you owe someone everything, you gotta live to make 'em proud. To pay 'em back."

Koby's brow furrows. "Not quite," he says. "It's more like… he gave me the freedom to live for something. Instead of just waiting to die. It's not that I owe him, it's that I want to help him in turn."

He considers this, then adds.

"Also, Luffy would never want me toowehim my life. That's messed up."

"...Fair enough."

They fall silent. It stretches on for a while, so much so that Koby assumes the conversation is over. Until Sanji speaks up again.

"But if someone sacrifices everything for you, and… loves you… even when you don't deserve it. You owe them your life."

"That's not true," Koby says automatically, and realizes a second too late that it might be insensitive, because Sanji is clearly speaking on a personal matter.

"It is," Sanji replies, voice flat.

"No, sorry, that's just not correct," Koby insists. "Kindness isn't a transaction. It's a gift. Kindness that demands a debt wouldn't be kindness, it'd be extortion."

"Watch your mouth," Sanji says testily.

"Sorry, but that's a horrible way to live. Expecting a return when you help someone in need is cruel."

"I didn't– that's not what I'm saying," Sanji argues.

"It is, though."

"No, it's not abouteverykindness, it's about– someone sacrificing his life, his body, his-hisdreamfor someone else when he hardly even knows them, when they don't even deserve it, even try to kill him. They- they owe everything to him, for being alive!"

Koby's growing increasingly concerned with how specific Sanji's explanation is. But he's not about to agree with his insane logic just to make him feel better.

"By that logic, you're saying that every civilian owes their entire life to every marine that protects them. That they should drop everything and live by the word of some random marine who liberated their town from pirates, or deflected a bullet."

"That's– no, this is different."

"But how?"

"Because those people have families, and friends, and- and- are good! I'm talking about if someone doesn'tdeserveit!"

"I think everyone who needs kindness deserves it," Koby says.

Sanji falls silent.

"Don't you?" Koby asks.

"Well, yeah, but…" Sanji trails off.

Koby reaches out, just a little, to read his haki. Sanji is a swirl of guilt and confusion and longing, searching for a reason to fight Koby on this. A stove burner emitting gas, unable to light.

"You're not an exception," Koby tells him.

Sanji inhales sharply.

"I FOUND YOU!" Luffy's nearby shout splits through the air, dissolving all the tension instantly.

"Luffy!" Koby shouts, startled and overjoyed.

"About time, shitty rubber!" Sanji snaps, whatever he was about to say, forgotten. "It's been ages."

"You guys just playing in weird mud?" Luffy asks, voice getting closer.

"DON'T STEP IN IT!" Koby and Sanji scream at the same time.

"Wha? Boo! You guys are so mean."

"Shut up and get us out of here, asshole!" Sanji shouts. "I think the fumes have started melting my brain."

"Please, Captain," Koby begs.

"Ne, fine, but only because it smells bad."

Before they even step foot on the ship, Zoro appears out of nowhere with his arms crossed and a smug grin on his face.

"Mine's bigger," he declares.

"Actuallygo fuck yourself," Sanji says, clearly exhausted.

"Not now, Zoro," Koby begs.

"I found them stuck in weird mud!" chirps Luffy.

"You guys got stuck inmud?" Zoro snickers.

"You're the one who ditched Koby in the damn tar pit, shithead!"

"Eh? The hell are you talking about?"

"Don't act like you don't know!"

Koby doesn't have the energy for this. He tunes out their argument and trudges up the gangplank.

"Finally, you're all ba-ACK!You smell awful!" Nami yelps, pinching her nose dramatically. Vivi and Usopp beside her look equally repulsed. Koby, who has had all his scent receptors bleached out at this point, only sighs.

"Thanks, Nami," he replies.

"You can take a shower before we set off," Vivi offers. "We're still talking to Dory and Broggy about the log pose situation."

Koby doesn't know who those people are, or what the situation is, but he decides he can figure it outafterhe isn't caked in tar.

It turns out, Dory and Broggy were the two dying people he sensed earlier. And they'regiants. They honestly seem like quite nice guys, based on how enthusiastically Luffy and Usopp describe their battles and hospitality. Koby politely introduces himself, and offers some rudimentary first aid, but they politely decline on account of wanting "commemorative battle scars."

Unfortunately, the nice giants also inform the crew that the log pose will take a full year to reset.

"So we're stuck here," Vivi summarizes glumly. She looks like she's about to cry.

"Why would we be stuck here?" Sanji asks, reaching into his breast pocket and pulling out a small glass sphere. "When we have this?"

"An eternal pose to Alabasta!?"Everyone cries.

"Thank you, Sanji!" Vivi yells, tackling him in a hug. "Oh, I'd nearly lost hope!"

Sanji melts instantly. "Oh, it was nothing, my dear," he insists, face bright red. "I didn't realize you'd be so happy…"

"GYAHAHA!" The giants cackle together.

"That's fantastic!" Broggy says. "Even if it's sad to see you all go."

"We won't stop ya, though!" Dory insists. "Best'a luck saving your kingdom, miss."

"Thank you!" Vivi bows to him.

Everyone says their farewells, and Luffy tells them not to kill each other, as the crew prepares to shove off.

As the Going Merry sails lazily out of the inlet where she docked, in the direction of the log pose, both giants flank the exit.

"You know," Broggy rumbles. "There's a big reason that little people…"

"...can't reach the next island," Dory finishes.

"Wh-what?" Nami asks, craning her neck up at them. Koby's gut sinks.

"You risked your lives to defend our honor," Broggy continues. "So we will allow no enemy to trample our friends' pride!"

Enemy? Koby instinctually sends his haki out.

"Have faith in us!" Dory shouts, "And sail straight ahead! No matter what happens, keep sailing straight ahead!"

His haki feels something in the water. A massive something. A creature.

"What're they talking about?" Zoro asks.

"Alright, straight ahead!" Luffy orders.

As he says it, the waves pick up. A massive head rises slowly from beneath the surface, and the part that's visible implies this thing is almost as big as Laboon.

"There it is," Dory rumbles. "The Island Eater."

"For the honor of Elbaf, you will give way," Broggy demands.

The Island Eater opens its eyes.

It's a massive goldfish.

"I… I feel like I've heard this somewhere before…" Usopp murmurs at the helm.

"Usopp! Turn the wheel!" Nami demands. "Hurry, or we'll be eaten!"

"N-no!" He says, to Koby's surprise. "We're going straight ahead! R-right, Luffy?"

"Right!" Luffy grins, and his soul lights up with pride, clearly overjoyed with Usopp's decision to stay the course despite the nervousness in his voice and the shaking in his knees. "Straight ahead!"

Nami, Sanji, and Vivi scream and panic and plead, but Usopp doesn't budge, and Luffy's orders don't change. They're trusting the giants.

Koby's own heart pounds, buthe'strusting Luffy, so there's nothing to fear, is there? The giants will come through.

The fish's jaw closes around the Merry. They're plunged into total darkness.

WHOOSH!

Light floods Koby's eyes as a wall of force slams into the Merry, propelling it forward, and suddenly the ship is flying through the air. Flying. The ship isflying.

"They blasted a hole straight through it," Usopp says, tears rolling down his face with a massive smile. "The power of the Warriors of Elbaf!"

"YAHOOOOO!" Luffy shouts, gripping the horns of the figurehead and holding onto his hat. "Straight ahead!"

Koby can't help but beam too, watching the pure infectious joy on his captain's face.

"Aye captain!" He hollers. "Straight ahead!"

Notes:

[pointing at the fleet adimral] He's Koby, you're Koby,I'mKoby! Are there any other Kobys I should know about?

Thank you to the coolguy Cy ( orange-artiston tumblr) for the illustrations this chapter! It's a new style for this fic, and honestly I really love it! If you want more of our collab efforts, checkout our KiddLawLu time travel fic,Walls Kept Tumbling Down.

Also... quit your job,join my fic discord.

Chapter 16: Chapter 15

Summary:

Previously:After Whiskey Peak, the gang followed the log pose to Little Garden. Koby started training Vivi in observation haki. And then he got stuck in a tar pit with Sanji until Luffy found them. Oops.

Now:Nami falls ill. Koby steps in as substitute navigator.

Notes:

hi everyone thank you for being patient with me while i write some more! the next chapter is already written, so there won't be nearly as long a gap next time. still! having more breathing room between chapters has really helped, so THANK YOU for being patient with me!

i also wanna highlight the positively fantastic art people have made for this fic since my last chapter! Take a look:
-Chapter 14 Doodlesby koby-lux
-A Beautiful Koby and Luffy Animation (!)by sadcat02
-"Don't Tell Sanji What?"by ace-past04
-Reacting to Koby's Top Ten Failsby thejoobiestnerd
-Previous Loop Koby MomentsandVarious Gorgeous Chapter Scenesby paper-lilypie (these made me feral, btw)
- And then a bunch from the talented 0rb1s, including:Koby with Carp,Fleet Admiral Koby,Hypothetical Angst, and aHypothetical Post-Timeskip Koby Design

Without further ado, it's chapter time!

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

The next morning, Nami is up bright and early, strangely intense about improving Vivi's haki training. She scolds them to start promptly on time, throws the beanbags faster and harder, and even offers to work overtime forfree. Koby can only assume that the encounter with Mr. 3 has thoroughly spooked her.

She also tries to get Koby to join in on throwing the beanbags, but he likes his head attached to his shoulders and not slow-cooking in a crockpot, so he respectfully shuts down the idea.

Despite her insistence, however, Nami starts to slow considerably halfway through the session. Koby notices her swaying slightly, and calls for a break.

"Are you alright, Nami?" He asks, handing her some water.

"I'm fine," Nami gives him a weak smile. "Just a little dizzy. Dehydrated."

Koby feels a strange unease he can't place, but Nami chugs the glass and pumps her fist in the air determinedly.

"Right, ready for more, Vivs?"

"More than ready!" Vivi calls, lowering her blindfold again.

By the end of the hour, Nami looks unnaturally pale, and Koby's unease grows into concern.

"Let's stop for today," he decides, because he can't in good conscience watch her try to throw another round when a stiff breeze could probably topple her. His fears are confirmed when Nami doesn't even complain about not getting her money's worth by ending early. Something is definitely wrong.

The girls shuffle off for their pre-breakfast showers, and Koby hunts down Sanji.

He's freshly awake, buttoning the cuffs of his dress shirt in the mirror, when Koby finds him in the men's bunk.

"Hey, Sanji, can I talk to you?" Koby asks.

Sanji immediately stiffens. In the corner of the room, Usopp, shirtless and in the middle of picking out clothes for the day, pretends to not be blatantly listening in.

"Not here," Sanji says brusquely. "Kitchen."

He shoves past Koby and into the galley, rather coldly, which is very strange. Koby shares a confused look with Usopp, who just shrugs helplessly. Maybe he had a rough night? Or… oh no, hopefully he hasn't found out about the blindfold training.

Koby hurries after him into the kitchen, taking a seat at one of the counter stools while Sanji pulls various ingredients out of the fridge.

"Before we have this conversation," Sanji says, pulling out a very sharp knife and chopping up some ham quite aggressively, "You should know that anything said in that tar pit was purely a result of toxic oil fumes inhibiting my brain functions, and it's in our best interest to pretend it never happened."

It takes Koby a moment to get his bearings.

"That is… not what I wanted to talk about."

Sanji's knife stills.

"...Oh."

They both stare at each other awkwardly.

"I did really like talking with you," Koby offers. "If you ever wanted to do it again? I know being vulnerable can be hard, but–"

Sanji coughs, face rapidly growing red.

"Shut up. No talking about the pit. Why the hell are you bothering me?" He asks, returning to his chopping with an intense focus to avoid looking at Koby.

"R-right. Well, this morning I noticed that Nami seems to be under the weather–"

Sanji drops his knife altogether, throwing himself over the counter to grab Koby by the collar.

"Nami-san is unwell?LEAD WITH THAT!"

"S-sorry! It's only a hunch–"

"I'll make chamomile tea immediately, and her favorite soup. Does she need a hot water bottle?"

"Uh—"

"I'll get her a hot water bottle. Why are you still standing around? Go grab the spare blankets for her!"

"R-right!"

Nami insists she's not sick, but Sanji insists she should lay down just in case, so now Nami is angry atKobyfor telling him anything.

"We're still several days from Alabasta, and the eternal pose shifts constantly! I can't afford to be stuck in my cabin all day. It's bad enough that he keeps pestering me every five minutes, I can hardly concentrate."

"I'm sorry," Koby apologizes for the tenth time this morning. "I only wanted him to make you tea, I didn't think—"

"Nami-swan, the soup is ready!"

Nami cringes and cradles her head.

"Just. Put it in a container, Sanji-kun," She calls back, clearly straining to sound polite.

Koby is much too afraid of angry women to say anything, but he agrees with Sanji that Nami should rest for the day. She's getting paler by the hour, and is obviously dizzy. Her white-knuckle grip on the railing suggests she's having trouble staying upright on her own.

"M-maybe if you t-took a quick nap—"

"I said I'mfine," Nami snaps, scowling at the eternal pose. "Shift heading 15 degrees starboard."

Koby flinches but follows her orders, slinking into the rudder room. What's he thinking, trying to tell her to rest? Nami knows her own body, and if she says she's fine, she's fine. Not everyone stubbornly ignores their limits like Koby does, after all.

With a sigh, he returns the rudder to even keel and heads back outside to apologize.

Nami has collapsed on the deck, unconscious.

"NAMI!"

Koby watches numbly as Sanji and Carue assist Nami to bed. The eternal pose is heavy in his hands. As the only one who can read it— albeit poorly— Koby is once again an unwilling navigator. Luffy couldn't convince Nami to lie down until Koby promised to keep them on course.

"Nami will be better soon," Luffy declares, a warm hand on Koby's shoulder. He smiles good-naturedly, but for once, Koby can't find it reassuring.

It's just a slight fever. With some rest and some medicine, she'll be recovered in a day or two.

All he can do is keep them on course until then.

Three hours later, Nami stumbles out of her room, followed by a sobbing Sanji and panicked Vivi.

"Change course!" Nami shouts, hysterical, body teetering with every step. "Air pressure, Koby, the– turn hard to port, we…"

She sways dramatically and her eyes roll back in her head. Sanji dives to catch her before she once again collapses on the deck.

Horrified, Koby does as she says. Sanji carries her delicately back to bed.

An hour later, there's a massive cyclone on the horizon that would have shredded the Merry to splinters. Without the course change, they would have been in its path. Koby wouldn't have even noticed until it was too late.

Nami's finely tuned navigational observation haki is the only thing keeping them alive on a sea where the weather is said to be impossible to predict. Koby can keep a course, but he can't dothat.

Hopefully, by tomorrow, Nami will be better.

The next morning, Nami's coughing only gets worse, and her temperature steadily climbs. He and Vivi silently agree to cancel haki practice until she recovers.

Sanji makes her a light but nutritious broth, spoon-feeding it to her along with the meager painkillers from the emergency med kit. Usopp changes out her ice pack every hour and tells her stories, so that she isn't tempted to leave bed. Luffy and Zoro watch over her in unspoken shifts.

Koby stays the course.

Vivi spends her time nervously flitting from Nami's side to the deck, where she bites her lip and stares guiltily at the pose on Koby's wrist.

"Nami showed me a newspaper," Vivi says out of the blue, on her fifth visit to the helm. "Half of the royal army has defected to the rebels. 300,000 soldiers."

Koby's stomach drops. That's amassivenumber. And military defectors bring weapons with them. That's why Nami was so weirdly insistent on training yesterday. On working through her illness.

"The kingdom is headed for a civil war," Vivi says, tears welling in her eyes. "My people are going to kill each other. Every second is another life in danger, I–"

Her breath hitches. Koby grips the steering wheel tighter, knuckles going white. He knows all too well how bloody political conflicts can get; how many civilians are caught in the crossfire. He's seen plenty of mothers hold the dead bodies of their children because he arrived a few minutes too late to stop it.

"I need to… to go think…" Vivi says, voice tight, and she disappears back into the girls' bunk.

The next morning, Nami can't sit up without assistance. Her temperature is dangerously high.

Koby spends the day alone at the helm, as time passes in heartbeats and in years. The Going Merry is eerily quiet. Luffy does not hum cheerily from the figurehead. Zoro does not snore loudly against the mast. Usopp does not boast colorfully over a tinkering project. Sanji does not whistle as a stir fry sizzles and crackles over the stove. Vivi does not titter with giggles every few minutes. Carue doesn't quack happily in encouragement. Nami does not shout over the waves to order a change in course.

There is only silence, and waves lapping at the hull.

Without their noise to tether him to reality, Koby reaches out with his haki, to hear their souls instead. They worry together below deck. Exhausted, frustrated, afraid. Everyone's voice is muted, but united by a note of fierce protectiveness towards their sick nakama.

Nami's voice isn't just muted, it's weak.

She's dying.

The realization guts him.

Nami had originally estimated two weeks to Alabasta. Assuming Koby hasn't made that estimation even longer in his time as her shoddy substitute, they won't see land for another ten days. With the rate her health is deteriorating, she won't survive half that long.

What can they do? They don't— the log pose is still pointing at Little Garden, and Koby hardly knows the tells of these waters well enough to navigatewithan eternal pose; he doesn't stand a chance trying to find an island blind. And there's no guarantee that any island hedidfind would be inhabited, or industrialized enough to have doctors. It easily could be another jungle with only enemies, dinosaurs, and friendly-but-not-medically-trained giants.

His friend is dying, and as Koby plays out a million and one possibilities in his head, he realizes that her odds of survival are only getting worse by the second.

Nami will die here, at sea, without even a diagnosis.

This can't… this can't be happening. Nami survives—thrives— for another two and a half years as a member of the Strawhats. She was there at the battle against Blackbeard. She can't die here, unless—

Unless he ruined the timeline.

Koby feels faint.

There's a million and one things that could have changed because of him, up to and including whether or not the Strawhats met Doctor Tony Tony Chopper. It's entirely reasonable that they just… missed him this time. That originally, he was able to treat Nami before her illness became fatal.

That would mean Nami is dying because of him.

Koby falls to his knees.

No. No, no, no no no, he didn't think— he didn't consider just how badly his presence could hurt them. He made a selfish choice to go with Luffy, and now Nami is going to die at the tender age of eighteen, free for a barely full month, her world map hardly started.

Koby collapses forward, a spineless heap on the deck, heaving for air that won't reach his lungs.

He killed Nami. He killed his friend. He killed his nakama. He killed her. He—

Hands grip under his armpits and hoist him into the air. Koby hiccups for air pathetically, staring into the expectant eyes of his Captain.

"Nami is gonna die," Koby gasps, voice cracking.

"No." Luffy's voice holds the gravity of an order. "Vivi agrees, we're gonna find a doctor. Koby's gonna change course to find a doctor."

"I don't– I don't know where to look! I don't know these waters, and there's no guarantee–"

Koby cuts off suddenly. Over Luffy's shoulder, standing quietly on the deck ishim. The same age as he is now, maybe even younger, in his seaman recruit marine uniform. His eyes are sunken and ringed from lack of sleep, but he is otherwise identical to how Koby looked right after joining Garp's command.

"South," says the other him. Luffy does not show any signs of hearing it. "There's an island to the south, called Drum." His voice is chillingly bitter.

"South," Koby repeats dumbly, staring at him. But he's already vanished. Luffy follows his gaze, craning his neck, but he sees nothing.

Luffy squints at Koby, placing him down. "Does Koby need a nap?"

"No!" Koby says quickly. His eyes dart to the sky to check the sun's position, and then he dashes to the helm, adjusting their heading. "We'll go south. there's gotta be an island to the south."

Luffy follows him into the steering room, head cocked.

"Is this mystery sense?" He asks.

"No," Koby replies automatically, but then pauses to consider. "Or, sorta? I don't know, I just know that we should go south. To find an island."

Luffy watches him for a long moment, expression blank. Koby checks the various navigational instruments on the wall, intent not to meet his eyes.

"Okay," His captain says finally, hands on his hips. "I trust Koby!"

He turns away and shouts: "We're gonna get a doctor for Nami!"

The next day, they enter the waters of a winter island. Powdery snow falls gently like cotton, and it's honestly upsetting how beautiful it is while Nami writhes in pain below deck.

The biting cold, at least, feels thematically appropriate. The fleece lining in his denim jacket helps, but no one else on the crew packed for the climate. Luffy and Zoro are oddly unbothered, but everyone else is shivering. Usopp has icicles growing off his nose.

Sanji, Vivi, and Carue wait on Nami below deck, while the rest of them keep lookout for any sign of land. The hallucinations of Koby's past lives have not given any further guidance beyond "south," so they're all keeping their eyes peeled.

"There's a guy standing on the water over there," Zoro calls out.

Admiral Aokiji is the only person Koby's heard of that walks on water, but he usually takes a bike, if he recalls correctly.

He follows Zoro's finger to the tiny figure in the distance, wearing… a jester's outfit? Complete with face paint and everything. He just stands there, perfectly still despite the waves buoying around him.

Unnerved, he does a quick scan of the stranger with his haki.

"Oh," Koby realizes. "He's a lure. There's a massive submersible of people beneath him, waiting to ambush."

"Tch, we don't have time for this shit," Zoro grumbles. A hand goes to his sword hilt. "Want me to take care of them quickly, Luffy?"

"W-we can't just go around?" Usopp asks.

Koby sighs. "They would likely chase us. Their ship is much bigger, and pirates with ambush tactics like this usually rely heavily on the few ships they come across, since it can be a long time between scores."

"HEY, FISHOOK!" Luffy cups his hands around his mouth to shout at the lure guy. "YOU GOT A DOCTOR IN THERE?"

"LUFFY!" Usopp cries, tackling him. Luffy doesn't even budge. "Don't interact with him!"

Oh. OH! Koby hadn't even thought of that! A ship that large, it'd be absurd if theydidn'thave a doctor! Even if this crew uses underhanded tactics, sometimes doctors take oaths to never turn down a patient— they might agree to help despite circumstances. Or better yet, some pirates kidnap civilian doctors because their training is so invaluable. That would befantastic.

Er, it would be really bad if a civilian was kidnapped, he just meant in terms of getting a doctor to cooperate, a civilian would be easier to—

Oh jeez, Koby is a monster. Navigating for so long has really brought out the worst in him. He mentally apologizes to the poor kidnapped civilian he fabricated.

"WE'RE REQUESTING MEDICAL AID!" Koby shouts. Usopp screeches at him to shut up too. "PLEASE, OUR NAKAMA—!"

Before he can finish, a massive iron sphere the size of a galleon bursts out of the water, the lure shoots straight up into the air, balancing primly on the tip of the tallest mast. The sudden water displacement rocks the Merry violently. Beneath the deck, he can hear indistinct shouting from Sanji and Vivi.

"They seek to steal your precious doctors, my liege!" Cries the jester.

The walls of the sphere peel away like segments of an orange, revealing a massive but otherwise totally normal pirate ship.

"WWWHAT?!" Shouts a gaudily-dressed man on the deck.

No way. Koby recognizes him.

"King Wapol?!" He asks incredulously, because this isanotherinvitee to the Reverie. What are the odds?

He suddenly wishes he spent more time reading up on the attendees that he didn't escort there. At the time, he was preparing for a mission during the actual Reverie itself, so he didn't learn anything about King Wapol beyond his face and name, in case they crossed paths. If Koby had spent a little more time looking through his file, maybe he would have additional insight to negotiate with the man now.

"Glad to see someone recognize my authority," King Wapol sneers, casually biting into a cut of meat skewered on a jewel-encrust–aGH!

"THAT GUY JUST ATE A KNIFE!" Luffy yells. Koby cringes reflexively, even if he can see, clearly, that Wapol is totally unbothered by chewing jagged metal.

"Blech! Gah, my mouth hurts just watching him!" Usopp cries, hitting the sentiment right on the head.

At this point, Sanji storms up onto the deck, angrily lighting up a cigarette. "What the hell is going on out here?"

"This guy attacked us and ate a knife!" Luffy says.

"What? The fuck?"

"Well, they technically haven't attacked usyet–" Koby clarifies, because maybe there's still some opportunity to negotiate.

"No, we're attacking you," Wapol interrupts, jumping off the railing of his own ship and landing heavily on the Merry. A good two-dozen men swing aboard after him. "Unless you hand over a log or eternal pose to the Drum Kingdom."

Luffy leans in and stage-whispers to Koby. "We don't have one of those," He confirms.

"Er, no, we don't, Captain." Koby mentally throws all hope of negotiation overboard.

Luffy nods and turns back to Wapol. "We don't have one of those!" he shouts. "So if you're done, go away!"

King Wapol sighs.

"Honestly, it's no good to rush through life. If you don't have either, then we'll just take your treasure and your ship, instead."

"WHAT!?" Usopp yelps as Wapol's crew fans out across the Merry, keeping at least four rifles aimed at each Strawhat on deck.

"Captain…" Zoro growls, glaring at the gunmen with irritation and bloodlust rolling off of him in waves.

A fight is imminent. Koby lets his haki bleed out, sizing up their opponents. Luckily, none of them save Wapol himself feel even remotely dangerous. They probably won't bother to fight once they're disarmed. Andthatcan be arranged.

He pushes his senses, reading the next moves of the entire ship, finding the best place to start. In the next two seconds–

"He's gonna eat the Merry!" Koby shouts, blurting it out of sheer surprise. He immediately ducks the hail of bullets aimed at him.

"What?" Sanji asks, kicking a gunman next to him off the side of the ship.

And then all hell breaks loose.

"We should've done this in the first place," Zoro says, drawing his sword and beheading two guys in one stroke.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Usopp screams, throwing a smoke bomb at his feet. His corner of the ship vanishes into fog and flashes with blind gunfire.

"Get lost!" yells Luffy, swiping an elongated limb across a group of people and clotheslining them all. Several guns clatter harmlessly onto the deck.

"Huh, weird that kid knew I was still hungry," Wapol muses, opening his mouth impossibly wide and taking a massive bite out of the wooden railing.

Koby dodges another round of bullets from the riflemen trained on him, then launches at them before they can rack again. All four go down to a punch apiece.

When he lifts his head again, it's just in time to watch Usopp crawl blindly out of his smokescreen, right into the path of Wapol's open gaping maw.

"NO!" Koby yells, scrambling towards them. But they're too far away.

Wapol's jaws snap shut around Usopp, swallowing him whole.

The entire ship freezes. It's like time itself has stopped. Even Wapol's eyes are wide in disbelief.

Koby falls to his knees. Usopp's voice is completely gone. The shrill notes of his piccolo cut off abruptly.

"USOPP!" Luffy screeches, launching himself at Wapol. "GIVE HIM BACK!"

Wapol quickly overcomes his surprise and straightens up, facing Luffy with a massive taunting grin. His lips peel back to reveal two rows of massive yellowing teeth, each one probably as tall as Koby.

It occurs to Koby that he has no clue what's happened to Usopp. Heassumesthis is a devil fruit power, and even if that's true, it tells him nothing about how it works. For all he knows, Usopp was dissolved the moment teeth closed. Haki is useless to help him discern— he knows from experience with Laboon that being inside someone smothers your own voice.

It felt an awful lot like hearing Usopp die.

Wapol sidesteps Luffy's reckless attack, giggling smugly around his bared teeth.

Luffy rounds on him, voice low and dangerous. His fury is deafening, a tower of massive bells ringing with rage. Koby feels his Conquerer's haki cresting— not quite strong enough to manifest, but near enough.

"Give. Him. Back." Luffy commands.

Wapol sneers, still showing off his teeth.

One of them wiggles.

" ᴸᵘᶠᶠʸˀ ᴴᵉˡᵖᵎ ᴵ'ᵐ ᵇˡᶦⁿᵈᵎ "

Wapol freezes. He instantly drops his lips back over his mouth.

Koby's heart soars.

Luffy doesn't waste a moment. One hand shoots out to grab Wapol's top lip, peeling it back. The other punches him in the mouth.

His fist breaks straight through Wapol's front tooth like punching a hole in paper. The rest of the tooth cracks, shatters, and falls away, creating a window to a squinting and bewildered Usopp.

"Wha-?" Usopp asks, just as Luffy grabs the bib of his overalls and yanks him forward, shattering the entire front cluster of Wapol's teeth.

Koby winces and shudders.

Luffy flings Usopp's ragdolling body at Sanji, who catches it reflexively in a bridal carry. The two of them blink at each other in confusion.

"Your eyes are beautiful up close," Usopp says.

Sanji drops him like a hot potato onto the deck.

"OW!"

Zoro cleans up the last of Wapol's soldiers. Koby has pulled himself together enough to help him. And Luffy—

"GUM GUM BAZOOKA!"

The overkill attack slams Wapol in the gut and launches him in a massive arc through the sky. Far off into the distance, there's a tiny splash.

It's the same way he defeated Alvida, Koby realizes. A warm smile spreads across his face at the connection.

"KING WAPOL!" Screams everyone on the galleon.

The injured survivors quickly leap off the Merry and return to their own ship as it sails full speed towards their sinking captain.

The Strawhats find themselves once again alone on the deck of the going Merry, just slightly more damaged and littered with shards of broken teeth and a few corpses.

"What a waste of time," Zoro mutters, disgustedly nudging one of the corpses overboard with his foot.

"Hold on!" Usopp yells, picking a jagged splinter of tooth out of his cheek and clearly panicking. "Did that guyeat me?!"

Footsteps pound beneath them, heralding the arrival of Vivi, slamming open the galley door.

"I heard gunshots! Is—AHHHH!" Vivi cuts off with a shrill scream as her eyes land on one of the men Zoro beheaded.

Usopp follows her gaze and spots the corpses for the first time. He joins in with an evenshrillerscream.

Sanji sighs and grabs Usopp by the collar, dragging him towards the door.

"Mossbrain is the one who got bloody,hegets to clean it up." Sanji flicks his cigarette overboard before he reaches Vivi and bows slightly. "Please, my dearest Vivi-chan, we must attend to Nami-san."

"R-right," Vivi stammers, composing herself impressively quick. Usopp is dragged along behind them, still screaming bloody murder.

…which isn't too far from what happened, Koby supposes.

"Holy— LAND! I SEE LAND!" Usopp shouts.

Koby's head jerks up from where he was nodding off standing up. He vaults over the railing, barely stopping himself short of crashing into Usopp, who wordlessly hands over his spyglass.

Through the flurries and fog, Koby can just barely make out a solid blot of white that isn't moving; land.

"Land," Koby breathes. A smile creeps slowly onto his face as he lowers the scope, turning to Usopp with incredulous glee.

"Land!" Usopp parrots back with a massive grin. "We're gonna save Nami!"

The entire deck erupts into cheers. Koby throws his arms around Usopp in a hug. Sanji runs downstairs to deliver the news to Luffy, Carue, and Nami.

Usopp squeezes him tighter in the hug. The two of them laugh and sob together for at least a full minute before Zoro calls out:

"Oi, Koby, you gotta steer us there."

"Oh!" Koby realizes, pulling away and wiping his face quickly. "Right, yes, sorry!"

Luffy hasn't left Merry's figurehead since he heard the news. He wiggles excitedly as the tall, flat peaks of the island come into view.

"It's so white! And there's Mountains! So cool! Wonder if we can climb them?"

Koby smiles fondly at him from the helm.

"We're not here to have an adventure," Sanji reminds him sternly. "We're getting medicine for Nami, and then leaving immediately."

"There's so much snow," Luffy babbles on, ignoring him. "I love snow! It's so pretty!"

"And cold," Usopp mutters. "How aren't you freezing?"

Luffy wears his usual shorts and open vest. With flip-flops, even.

"It's cold?" Luffy tilts his head. Then, as if suddenly realizing it, he starts shivering. "Brr! It's cold!"

"YOU ONLY JUST NOTICED?" Usopp cries.

Well, apparently cold resistance isn't a Luffyism, he just didn't realize he's supposed to be cold. Koby finds the stupidity ridiculously endearing.

"Luffy, did Nami get a winter coat for you on Syrup? Or at Loguetown?" Koby asks.

"Brrrrr," Luffy's teeth chatter and he rubs his arms frantically. "Iunno!"

Koby frowns.

"Well, if your devil fruit doesn't actually combat the cold, you shouldn't be out here without one. Maybe head back below deck for now? You could get frostbite, or windbur-"

Before he can finish, Luffy sprints across the ship, leaps at Koby, and wriggles into his jacket from the bottom like some kind of terrifying worm.Coldworm, mind you. It feels like someone is pressing an ice pack to his skin.

"No way!" Luffy scowls, shimmying up Koby's midsection. His head pops out of the collar, his nose touching Koby's. "I'm not gonna miss a new island! Koby'll just share his."

"Okay," Koby agrees hoarsely. Luffy's skin is cold, but his hot breath at this proximity fogs Koby's glasses. It's maybe for the best that he can't see him. He might pass out in shock.

His coat feels uncomfortably tight, because being oversized doesn't mean it was built for two, but Koby sure as hell won't protest.

"This is fun! I'll be your eyes. Go that way!" Luffy orders. His arm shifts and Koby can only assume he's pointing somewhere.

"Oi, Luffy, Koby's gotta get us there," Zoro says. "Bother the cook instead. He's not doing shit."

"Okay!" Luffy chirps, and immediately drops out of Koby's jacket.

"Wait, nO DON'T!" Sanji shouts. But it's too late, Luffy wriggles into his parka instead. And it's a long one, so getting him out is going to be like trying to shake a snake from a sleeping bag.

"Sanji's coat is extra warm," Luffy says, popping up into the hood with his chin on Sanji's shoulder so it looks like he has two heads. "Haha, look!"

Sanji's arms flail wildly while he cusses up a storm, stumbling around.

"Puppet Sanji!" Luffy cheers.

Usopp doubles over laughing.

"Make him hit himself," Zoro heckles.

"I fucking hate you bastards," Sanji snaps, still fighting for control of his arms as one stiltedly tries to slap him. But Koby can tell that evenheis slightly amused under the irritation.

Despite the dread and fear of the past few days, Koby can't help but smile at their shenanigans too. He watches everyone joke around on the deck, and is suddenly so very grateful for all of them.

In his old life as a naval captain, if one of his men was in Nami's position, Koby would have to be the strong one, the stoic one, the one who makes the tough calls. He would inspire them to stay strong in the face of adversity– maybe promise that they'd save their crewmate, even if he wasn't sure it was true– but ultimately remind everyone to focus on the mission.

The Strawhats don't have a mission. They care about Nami as their friend, not just their crewmate. Everyone aboard the Going Merry shares the emotional burden. They're allowed to cry, and be upset, and worry for Nami. Even Luffy, their captain, doesn't have to act untouchable. He openly worries, and more importantly, jokes around and acts silly with the crew. His job is to take care of his nakama, but not in the cold, practical way the navy teaches, where priorities are the mission first, human lives second, and any personal feelings last. He takes care of them as his friends. Aspeople, which is something the marines tried to actively discourage. They were good soldiers and bad soldiers, but never just people.

They're all people in this crew. And Koby never realized just howdifferentthat is until now, watching Luffy and Sanji stumble around the deck, with everyone cheering them on.

He loves them all. They're going to save Nami.

"I found more coats," Vivi calls, emerging from below deck. She hands a puffer jacket to Zoro, who looks at it distastefully but at least puts it on. "It's almost certainly winter-island winter, so we're going to need as many layers as possible."

Eventually, Sanji's able to drag Luffy out of his coat with Vivi's help. They even manage to shove him into a deerskin parka and mittens.

By the time their captain is dressed appropriately, they've reached the island proper. Koby spots an inlet and directs the ship to dock there. It has a gorgeous waterfall of melting snow that Luffy is very excited about.

"So, who's going to find a doctor?" Zoro asks. "We gotta find a settlement or something with people."

"I'll go!" Luffy raises his hand and bounces, much too excited.

"Me too," Sanji declares, clearly determined to get Nami help.

"And me," Koby adds, because there is no way he'd be able to sit around for the next hour, with nothing to do except listen to his anxiety guilt him about Nami's pain.

"That's a full party," Usopp says. "Guess I'll have to wait here and not go to the mysterious snow monster island. Oh well! That's the rub, I guess!"

"The rest of us can wait here and take care of Nami," Vivi suggests, resting a hand on Usopp's shoulder.

Koby suddenly feels like someone is watching him. No, multiple someones. There's an undercurrent of anxiety in the air that doesn't belong to the crew. Frowning, he turns his gaze warily to the surrounding snowbanks.

Just in time to watch a platoon's worth of men with guns step out of their cover.

"Stop right there, you pirates!" One of them calls in a deep masculine voice.

"Hey, there's people here," Luffy observes.

"They look pretty nasty…" Usopp notes, eyeing their guns. And maybe their weaponry and sheer numbers are dangerous, but Koby notes that very few of them seem to be military-trained. Most of them hold their rifles like hunters, not soldiers; optimized for precision and accuracy, rather than a combat rifle grip that allows for quick reload and steady aim while moving.

But there are definitely a few soldiers in the group– they stand out. The man parlaying with them stands and speaks like a commanding officer.

"Turn your vessel around and leave now!" The man continues. He's the only one not aiming a weapon at them, but there's a massive sword on his back, and Koby can feel from here that he's the only one they would have to actually worry about in a proper fight.

"We came here to find a doctor!" Luffy shouts up at him.

"We have a sick person aboard!" Vivi adds.

"Don't try your tricks on us, you dirty pirates!" One of the random riflemen spits. "This is our country, you ain't setting foot on it! So raise anchor and go or we'll blast you out of the water!"

"We only just met, and they already hate us," Sanji mutters. "New record?"

CRACK!A gunshot splits through the air, and Sanji pulls his foot back just in time to avoid having it blown off by a pellet that instead splinters the deck beneath him.

There's a wave of instant fear, shame, and regret from the guy who shot, but if there's one thing Koby has learned from the navy, it's that you can't un-fire a gun.

"THEY FIRED ON US!" Usopp cries. Zoro reaches for his sword.

"You motherfucker!" Sanji snarls, winding up like he's going tojump atthe two dozen gun barrels aimed at their ship.

It's a miracle that Vivi is quick enough to grab his arm and hold him back before he can do anything stupid.

"Wait, Sanji!" Vivi begs.

Sanji falters.

CRACK!

Vivi jerks forward. Blood blooms through the arm of her coat. She falls over.

Sanji stares down at her with wide eyes and mouth hanging open, frozen with terror. Koby rushes across the deck to her.

"VIVI!" Luffy screams.

Koby rolls Vivi over to her back. She's pale and trembling, likely in shock herself. He unzips her coat, extracting her arm to dress it.

"I-I'm fine," Vivi insists, shaking her head. But that's because the shock is likely numbing any pain.

Koby pulls off his bandana– it's white with blue stars the same shade as her hair, in some kind of sick irony– and fashions a quick tourniquet to staunch the bleeding.

Luffy's haki blares with righteous fury as he rounds on the shooters.

"YOU JERKS!" He snarls.

Zoro grabs the hilt of his blade. Usopp draws his slingshot. Sanji shakes with rage, cigarette mangled between his clenched teeth. Koby prepares to rush Vivi below deck so she doesn't get caught in the crossfire.

"TAKE AIM!" Someone on the cliff orders.

Koby grabs for Vivi, but she rolls out of reach and stumbles to her feet, only to throw herself at Luffy.

"STOP! WE CAN'T FIGHT THEM!" She screams, wild and desperate. "Don't worry about my wound, it's just a scratch!"

It's not. It's really not. "Vivi–!" Koby starts.

"We won't set foot on your island!" Vivi shouts, releasing him and dropping into a full kowtow. "But please, can you send a doctor!? Our navigator is very sick. Please help us!"

The entire ship stares at her in shock. Koby suddenly sees the Vivi he met in the future, who held herself with the diplomatic grace of a seasoned leader. Blood soaks through the bandana and trickles down her arm, but she pays it no mind.

"Vivi?" Luffy asks, confused and concerned.

"Luffy, you're a disgrace as a captain," Vivi says, blunt and harsh. "Impulsiveness won't solve anything. If you get us all killed, what will happen to Nami?"

Koby sees it now, the intersection of his friend Vivi on the Going Merry and the Princess Vivi of Alabasta he escorted to Reverie. Willing to do whatever it takes to protect her people– both her kingdomandher friends– even if it meansliterallybiting a bullet.

In his years as a marine captain, Koby always reserved fighting as a last resort, in an attempt to save as many lives as possible. But evenhewould have accepted there was no chance for peace and fought back after being shot.

And yet, Vivi kneels prostrate before the man who shot her, refusing to retaliate, because without their help, there is no hope for Nami. Winning this fight would only be a hollow victory.

"You're right. Forgive me." Luffy says, then turns to the man on the cliff who seems to be in charge. "I was wrong!"

Koby's captain falls to his knees beside Vivi, practically slamming his forehead into the deck with the force of his bow.

"Please call a doctor!" Luffy shouts. "Please help our friend!"

In the many years Koby has followed Luffy's adventures, he has never once imagined a scenario in which he would kowtow to someone. That's not how Luffyworks. He is straightforward and selfish. If he wants something, he takes it.

But for the life of his nakama, the future Pirate King would readily fall to his knees and beg.

Koby has never been prouder to call Luffy his captain.

"...I'll take you to the village," says the man with the sword. "Come with me."

Everyone on the ship exhales with relief.

"See?" Vivi asks Luffy quietly. "They understood us."

"Yeah," Luffy agrees. "You're really smart."

Zoro and Carue stay behind to guard the ship, while everyone else follows their welcoming party to the village. Sanji carries Nami on his back.

The trek is quiet and tense, the Strawhats surrounded at all times by the wary gunmen. At the very least, they all put their rifles away for the hike.

The spokesman of the group is a stern but cordial man, with a face that reminds Koby ofsomeone, though he can't remember who. The fact that it's barely visible under a fur hat and collar doesn't help, but he decides to just ignore it instead of staring creepily at the only person in this country who was willing to help them.

"I must warn you, we only have one doctor in this entire country," the man says. "And she's a witch."

Koby's heart sinks. He had hoped… well, a winter island, it would make sense for a reindeer mink to live here. There was a part of him holding out for the chance that Chopper would be the doctor to aid them, and that he would be joining the crew after all. But this country only has one doctor, and it's a witch woman, not a mink boy.

Guilt gnaws at his chest. This crew might have passed right by Chopper's island because of him. And none of them will ever know.

"Eh? A witch?" Luffy asks.

"Yeah. She's… a strange one," says the man. He does not elaborate.

"Strange? L-Like she lures children to her hut and eats them?" Usopp asks. "O-or turns people into frogs?"

The man looks over his shoulder and raises an eyebrow at him. "No, she's just weird. She's still adoctor."

"R-right," Usopp says. He does not sound convinced.

"The only one in this country," Vivi murmurs, brow furrowed in thought. "What country is this, exactly? Is it affiliated with the World Government?"

The man is quiet for a long moment. "This country… has no name," he says eventually.

"Wait, what?" Vivi asks. "I've never heard of such a thing."

Interesting. It's not entirely unheard of for small islands to be independent of the World Government, especially if they're small and not very… lucrative, in terms of exports. But the fact that he specifically calls it acountryis strange; it implies the people here are populous enough to have some sort of leadership and united identity. But no name? That's weird.

Koby can't help but notice that he didn't actually comment about the World Government.

"Well what's your name?" Luffy asks idly. He jabs at his face with a mitten and scowls before plucking it off and picking his nose. (Gross. Really, Luffy?)

"Dalton."

Koby stops walking.

"King Dalton, of the Sakura Kingdom!" he exclaims. Because holy shit,that'swhere he knows the face from! The Reverie dossier!

Dalton also stops walking.

"That's… awfully presumptuous." He says, very clearly baffled. "My name is just Dalton. I'm a ranger, of sorts. In a country that doesn't have a name. Or a king."

Koby flushes bright red in mortified embarrassment. He- he knows he's notwrong, because he remembers Princess Vivi was excited to meet a "Dalton" again at the Reverie. Which means this encounter—or something like it— definitely happened last time! Just… Dalton's not royalty in this timeline for some reason.

Also, everyone is currently staring at Koby like he's lost his marbles. And he doesn't have an explanation for them.

"Koby, this is the third time you've addressed a random antagonistic stranger as royalty," Usopp says. "Do you just do that to everyone you meet to get on their good side? Have you just been weirdly lucky the first two times?"

Koby's face is so warm he thinks it might melt the snow in a 5-foot radius around him.

"N-no?" Koby says, hoping that his nervous stutter will be misconstrued as a bad lie.

"I knew it!" Usopp declares.

"…Right." Dalton sighs, apparently content to dismiss his insane comment as a really weird and specific quirk. He turns back around and jerks his head for the hiking party to continue on.

Thankgod.

As they trudge onward, Usopp catches up to walk beside Koby.

"That's areallyweird go-to bluff, but it's kinda impressive that it's been working so far," Usopp says. "First Vivi, who isactuallyroyalty, then the crazy eating pirate with the throne."

"Y-yeah," Koby says. Despite the cold, he's sweating buckets.

"Honestly, it works so well, you should call Sanji a prince to get out of drinking protein shakes," Usopp jokes.

"W-Well, I mean, he…" Koby shoots Sanji a glance. He doesn't know all the details, just that right before the big battle with Blackbeard, Sanji's bounty poster was updated with his family name. He's a member of the Vinsmoke family, who are, in fact, royalty. Royalty on a political probation, but still royalty.

Sanji, apparently listening, meets Koby's eyes and goes deathly pale. His haki blazes with panic and terror like a destructive grease fire.

Alright. Sanji's clearly keeping his lineage secret for a reason. Koby isn't about to ruin that for him.

"Good idea. I'll, er, have to try that next time, haha," Koby says, forcing a smile. "P-Prince Sanji! S-so absurd!"

Usopp snickers.

"You know, if you weren't so bad at outright lying, you'd getwaymore mileage out of pretending to be royalty yourself. It works every time! Once, I found myself captured in a jungle by an army of hostile warriors! But when they were about to execute me, I convinced them I was a descendant of–"

Usopp rambles on, talking about his fake ruse, apparently oblivious. Behind his back, Sanji eyes Koby with newfound wariness. All Koby can do within Usopp's line of sight is shoot him a meaningful glance, trying to convey that he won't be bringing it up again.

Sanji rolls his eyes and pulls out a cigarette with a performative scoff. But Koby can see his hand shaking when he strikes the lighter. Can feel the anxiety flickering across his soul like a faulty stove burner. He's well and fully spooked.

Koby really needs to learn to keep his mouth shut about stuff he shouldn't know.

When they reach the settlement of Big Horn, Luffy and Usopp are helplessly starstruck by "a real winter village." They gawk at the various pull animals they've never seen and scamper off to build snow sculptures.

Dalton dismisses the escort party (Koby was right, they're all civilians) and offers up his cabin as a place to talk. On the walk there, it seems like every single member of the village stops to ask Dalton a question, which he answers with utmost patience, practicality, and generosity.

Dalton, Dalton, so-and-so's kid found dangerous animal tracks close to the village! "Ah, thank you for telling me, I'll investigate in the morning. For now, let everyone know the area's off-limits."

Hey, Dalton, a roof collapsed from snow weight. "Concerning. Move the family in with whoever has room, and we can make repairs once the blizzard passes. Have every family inspect their support beams for bowing."

Y'know, Dalton, the mayoral election is coming up this week! "Yes, we can talk about logistics tonight, after I help our guests."

No, Dalton, you should run for mayor! "Ah, no, I'm really not suited for leadership."

By the time they all make it to his front door, it's terribly obvious that Dalton is already the leader of this town in everything but the title.

Koby has stars in his eyes. This is exactly what he aspired to become when he joined the marines; the kind of person that everyone immediately looks to when they need help, with the ability and composure to assist without hesitation, the strength to protect them if trouble ever came to their door.

This is what a real hero looks like! Koby wants to knoweverythingabout this man. Every last detail. How did he become the de facto leader around here? How does he choose what problems to delegate vs. see to personally? How does he balance scouting for threats and assisting the villagers? Why won't he run for mayor? What is his exercise regiment like? Are his muscles as big as his frame implies under that winter coat? Can Koby see his muscl—

No. Nope. Focus. Nami, sick, doctor.

Vivi calls Luffy and Usopp inside as soon as Dalton gets the water boiling for tea. Nami is deposited safely in Dalton's bed.

"So, where can we find the doc?" Sanji asks, watching the thermometer in Nami's mouth rise well over 106 Fahrenheit.

Dalton's frown isn't very encouraging.

"It doesn't matter how much they charge," Koby adds quickly. "We'll find a way to pay." The only doctor in an entire country probably costs a fortune, but they can figure something out. Nami stole plenty from Whiskey Peak, and if it's not enough, Luffy tends to be very persuasive.

…Not in a threatening way, Koby just meant he's so naturally charismatic and genuine that most people immediately like him. Though, Luffy probably wouldn't hesitate to beat up a doctor if she refused to help.

Dalton would probably be disappointed in Koby if they beat up the country's only doctor. Hopefully Luffy doesn't have to do that.

"Money isn't the issue. At least, not upfront," Dalton says grimly. "We don't have any way to contact her. She doesn't live in any of our towns, and she doesn't follow any sort of schedule."

"What? How does she operate?" Vivi asks.

"There's a reason people call her a witch. Dr. Kureha lives in the castle at the top of the highest peak in the Drum Rockies. When shedoesdescend, it's according to her whims, on a sleigh pulled by a strange beast. She treats anyone she comes across, and after they're cured, she takes whatever she wants from them as payment."

"Like theirsouls," Usopp whispers ominously. He shudders.

"She's just like a pirate," Luffy notes, sipping his tea.

"What the hell kind of woman is she?" Sanji mutters.

"Let's see… she's 140 years old," Dalton says thoughtfully, apparently unaware that the question was rhetorical. "Despite the eccentricities, her skills as a doctor are undeniable. And she enjoys umeboshi."

"Huh. Asked and answered, I guess," Sanji says. "140? Seriously?"

Dalton shrugs. "She's our only doctor, but we don't like to get involved with her if we can help it. It's best to wait until she comes down from the mountain."

"But–" Koby starts

"Oi, Nami," Luffy says. He stands over the bed, repeatedly slapping her cheeks. "Nami, can you hear me?"

"Don't slap her!" Sanji, Vivi, and Usopp yell at him.

"Unh?" Nami asks, eyes fluttering opening weakly. They struggle to focus on Luffy's face.

"Listen, the only doctor around here lives at the top of a mountain. So we're gonna climb it."

"Don't be ridiculous! You can't do that to Nami-san!" Sanji argues.

"It's okay, I'll carry her on my back," Luffy says simply.

"That'll only make her worse!" Vivi cries, "Don't you see how steep that mountain is?"

"I can make it," Luffy replies.

"Even ifyoucan, it's too much for Nami!" Sanji insists.

"A fall from that height would kill a healthy person!" Vivi adds.

"We don't have any other choice." Koby stands, putting on the mask of the marine captain who makes the hard decisions. "Her fever is 107 degrees. Nami won't survive the night without treatment."

Sanji grabs him by the front of the shirt and snarls in his face. "Don't you dare say that!"

Koby closes his eyes, accepting the anger. Sanji isn't actually mad at him, he's just lashing out because he's frustrated about the situation.

"Heh."

Everyone freezes.

"Nami!" Usopp exclaims. This is the first time she's been conscious in nearly thirty hours.

"I have to get better right away," Nami croaks, a shaky smile pulling at her lips. "I'm counting on you."

She raises her hand out weakly from under the blankets.

"ATTA GIRL, NAMI!" Luffy cheers, smacking her hand for a high-five. "Leave everything to me!"

Notes:

love you all 3 if you enjoyed, please leave a kind comment!

also, if you like this fic and wanna meet other people who like this fic, checkout theKANGVCD discord!

Chapter 17: Chapter 16

Summary:

Previously:Nami fell gravely ill, so the crew took a detour from Alabasta and landed on a nameless island. A man named Dalton- who Koby recognized was a king in his previous timeline- informed them that the only doctor in the country is a witch who lives at the top of the Drum Peaks.

Now:Luffy, Koby, and Sanji set out to carry Nami to the doctor's house.

Notes:

Everyone give a huge thanks to the KANGVCD discord server for this chapter coming a day early ;P

More art in just the past five days? You people are so talented.
-Luffy Invading Koby's Coatby s-melda
- there are so many cool pieces fromclumsybunnystufon instagram, and my two faves areKoby Saving Luffy from DrowningandThe Hug after Koby and Luffy's Talk(TM)

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

Vivi secures Nami to Luffy's back as tightly as possible. She double-knots everything, and then triple knots them just in case. She and Usopp are staying behind, because they're not great climbers, but Koby can tell they'll be holding vigil until Nami returns, fully healed.

"If you're serious about this, I won't stop you," Dalton says. "But at least start the climb on the other side. The side facing us is Lapin territory. They're vicious flesh-eating rabbits, and if you encounter a pack of them, it's certain death."

"Ne, we're in a hurry," Luffy says. "We can take a couple of rabbits."

"I'll kick 'em," Sanji agrees.

Koby nods in agreement. He might feel bad about beating up a bunch of fluffy bunnies, but if they try to eat Nami's flesh, he'll do what he has to.

"LET'S GO GUYS!" Luffy yells, running off. "BEFORE NAMI DIES!" His flip flops slap loudly as he kicks up snow behind him.

"DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT, IDIOT!" Sanji shouts, taking off after him.

"Bye, guys!" Koby waves at the trio with a reassuring smile, and hurries to catch up.

The trek is long and cold, but Koby has learned that traveling with Luffy never has a moment to be boring.

"Did you guys know that people who live in snow countries never sleep?" asks Luffy, apropos of nothing.

"Huh? Why not?" Sanji asks.

"U-um, I don't think that's true, Luffy," Koby says.

"No it's true, because if they fall asleep they die," he insists.

Sanji scoffs. "That's ridiculous, everyone needs to sleep!"

Koby hears growling nearby. Close, but not very loud or deep, implying something small. He tunes out of the conversation for a moment, listening for the source.

"It's true. I heard it a long time ago from someone."

Nearby, snow kicks up dramatically, and a rabbit with rows of shark-like teeth leaps out at them, going for Sanji's legs. He simply jumps, letting the rabbit crash into the snow instead, and continues running.

"Did Usopp tell you that?" Sanji asks, not even acknowledging the snarling, enraged lapin chasing after them.

"Nope! I heard it in a village tavern!"

"Then why did Dalton have a bed in his house?"

"Oh…" Luffy frowns. "Must have been his deathbed, then."

"L-Luffy, no," Koby says. "I really don't think that's correct."

The lapin has caught up again, this time going for Luffy, who nimbly dodges out of the way without issue. The rabbit careens into another snowbank.

"Well, I bet you guys didn't know that snow country women have very smooth skin!" Sanji says.

"Wha? How come?" Luffy asks.

"Because when it's cold, you rub your skin to warm up, which makes it soft and smooth. And they're doing it all the time!"

"But if that were true, why would it only be the women?" Koby asks. "Why wouldn't everyone in snow country have super smooth skin?"

Sanji scowls. "Because women are built differently. They're beautiful and mysterious creatures."

"I'm pretty sure they have the same skin, though?" Koby hedges.

"Shishishi, Sanji's pretty dumb," Luffy snickers.

"Oi!Youdon't get to callmedumb!"

The lapin attacks again. This time, aiming at him. Koby doesn't want to hurt the animal, but he doesn't want to spend the next two hour hike dodging it, so he does the only thing he can think of.

He snatches the rabbit right out of the air, mid-leap.

The poor creature seems pretty confused, thrashing and snapping its jaws at nothing. But Koby has two hands around its midsection, so it has nowhere to go.

"Oh, it's… kinda cute?" Koby realizes. Aside from the teeth, it looks like a totally normal rabbit. Soft white fluff bunches up under its neck, making it look chubby.

"The fuck? Youcaughtthat thing?" Sanji asks, eyes wide.

"Looks tasty!" Luffy says.

The lapin goes completely still in his arms, eyes darting nervously between him and Luffy.

"You can't eat him," Koby says, apologetic. "We don't have time to cook the meat." The rabbit wiggles in his arms and he holds it tighter. "I'm only holding him so he doesn't keep attacking us."

The lapin's sharp teeth chomp down on his arm, but the thick denim of his coat keeps them from doing any damage.

"...Okay, he is pretty cute," Sanji admits reluctantly.

"Cute things are tastiest," Luffy grumbles. "Fine, but you gotta find me other meat when Nami is safe."

"Aye, captain!" Koby agrees.

The lapin eventually gives up trying to escape Koby's grasp, and instead sulks in his arms, gnawing idly on his sleeves. The way his neck scruff pillows out under his chin makes him look extra pouty.

He carries it with them as they hike, since it settles in pretty quick, and doesn't immediately dash off once he stops holding it. It seems content to stick around and chew Koby's arm.

About an hour later, they discover why.

The snow starts to pick up into a proper blizzard, making it harder to see. They're fighting the wind, too, pushing against the ice it kicks up from the ground. The terrain starts to get steep, from a slight incline to at least a forty degree slope and increasing exponentially. It won't be long now until the hike becomes a climb.

A dozen large shapes block their path. Round, fluffy, bear-sized shapes.

"Shit." Sanji summarizes.

The lapin in Koby's arms suddenly kicks off of him and bounds for the shapes. One shape bends down and lifts it to perch on a massive shoulder. One by one, all of the shapes reveal their pairs of long rabbit-like ears. Their eyes glow red.

"Koby," Sanji hisses at him, "Did you kidnap their goddamn baby?"

"I think I kidnapped their baby," Koby whispers back with muted horror.

The wind dies down for a moment, allowing them to see further. This reveals that there isn't just a dozen lapins, but a pack of well over forty.

"Fuck." Sanji summarizes again.

The lapins growl in unison. A terrifying chorus, all determined to rip Koby's throat out specifically.

"Luffy, you need to run ahead while Sanji and I fight them," Koby says slowly.

"WHAT? No!" Luffy yells.

The sound triggers the predators. Several lapins launch at them, swiping bear-sized claws with the agility and speed of rabbits.

Koby sharpens his haki, dodging swipes and landing hits where he can, but it's taking all he has to keep them away from Luffy while he does. There's at least seven focused on him.

"Don't try to fight them!" Sanji barks at Luffy.

"But–!"

"If you take a hit, so does Nami! She won't survive it!"

Luffy lets out a distressed whine. "O-Okay."

Koby narrowly ducks a swipe that would have taken his head off.

"Luffy, run!" Koby shouts. "Dodge them and run!"

He doesn't hear an answer, but he can't spare a glance to check, so he can only hope that Luffy has listened.

Somewhere nearby, Sanji lets loose a string of curses. Koby doesn't blame him; they're knee-deep in thick powder, it's a testament to his skill that he can fight at all. Koby himself has been restricted to punches only.

The curses grow louder as Sanji gets closer, eventually getting back-to-back with Koby in the little hole he's made for himself in the melee.

"I can't kick properly in this snow," Sanji admits, panting heavily.

Wordlessly, Koby laces his fingers in front of himself for a foothold. Sanji doesn't miss a beat, he steps into it and pushes off as Koby throws, launching him into the air with impressive height. Not a half second later, Koby dodges a flurry of slashes.

Sanji's back arches and he flips midair to land on a lapin's shoulder. It swipes at him, but he kicks easily off its skull, downing it, and using the blow as a springboard to land atop another lapin nearby.

"Better," Sanji admits, hopping from beast to beast like stepping stones. "But taking down this many will take hours."

He's right. They're dropping at a decent rate now that Sanji can attack properly, but they just keep coming. And Koby's mobility is still limited.

Like a jinx, a lapin's blows snags Koby's arm, shredding his jacket and tearing open a shallow but gory slash in his bicep.

"We need to retreat," Koby agrees. "If we can lead them far enough away from Luffy and Nami–"

"GUUUUUUUYS!" Luffy's voice rings out in the distance. "I FOUND A WAY UP!"

A handful of the lapins turn their heads towards the sound, and bound off towards him.

"Shit," he and Sanji say at the same time.

Sanji takes down one last lapin and drops off to run alongside Koby. Together, they chase after the runners. But they're just too fast to catch in the snow. Unless—

"Sanji!" Koby orders, getting his attention. Sanji's eyes meet his and he nods in assent. Koby pushes himself to run up ahead, turns, and gets as low as possible. He laces his fingers together.

Sanji dashes, using the path Koby cleared as a runway. Just like before, he steps into the hands like a stirrup, but this time, Koby enforces the throw with a little haki, launching him twice as high, and three times as far. He rockets through the air like a missile, and lands squarely on a lapin's back in a drop-kick

Bullseye.

As Sanji takes out the ones targeting Luffy, Koby focuses on holding off the ones swarming him.

"Koby! C'mon! Hurry!" Luffy shouts.

It's just not going to work, is it? Luffy just won't leave any of them behind, even if he can't afford to protect them himself.

Koby prepares to give another explanation for why Luffy should go on ahead when a familiar snake-like appendage wraps around his torso from above. Before he can react, the extended arm reels him in to his captain on the cliff like a hooked fish.

Sanji and Luffy are already running, the latter dragging Koby along behind. He's being keelhauled through the snow, half-drowning in it.

Eventually, Luffy stops moving, and Koby bursts free of his coiled grip.

"BWAH!" Koby gasps for air. He coughs up plenty of snow, pine needles, and part of a pinecone.

"They stopped chasing us?" Sanji asks, looking curiously beyond Koby. Koby shakes the snow chunks out of his scarf and follows his gaze. Sure enough, there's no sign of lapin pursuit.

"Guess they gave up?" Luffy says.

That isextremelyunlikely. But before he can say as much, Nami gives a weak cough from Luffy's back, reminding them all of the grave reason for this expedition.

"Lucky break," Sanji decides gruffly, "We gotta keep moving."

"Right," Koby agrees.

A mile later, they see the lapins again. They did not, in fact, give up.

A horde blocks the path above them, just as many as the last time. Except they don't attack. Instead, they all start… jumping. In unison.

"Eh? Are they hungry or something?" Luffy asks.

Koby squints, trying to figure out what their game is. Animals' emotions aren't as acute as humans, and all he's getting is the same general bloodthirst as before.

"Oh…?" Sanji murmurs, tilting his head. "Oh, shit!" He yells, turning heel and sprinting. "They're starting an avalanche! Run!"

"WHAT?" Koby and Luffy scream, but they both start running down the mountain after him.

The ground rumbles and shifts like an earthquake, and then there's a sound like a rushing waterfall, but a hundred times as loud and growing steadily louder, tinged with the cracking of entire tree trunks as they snap like twigs beneath the weight of the cascading snow.

Koby dares a glance over his shoulder, and it's just a massive white tsunami of destruction, growing rapidly closer.

"There! to the cliff!" Sanji yells, pointing at a rock jutting out of the mountainside. It even has a tree they can shelter behind.

They start running parallel to the descending doomsday cloud. Just barely reaching the cliff before it hits.

Except–

"We're not high enough!" Luffy yelps. The avalanche hits, and they're swept in.

It feels like getting hit by a sea train at full speed. Koby's body crumples, and he's blind, except everything is white. Nothing but snow, pulling him along like a plastic bag in river current. Like Luffy did earlier, but a hundred times worse.

He loses track of which way is up or down. Once in a while there's a blur of blue that he thinks might be the sky, but he's buried again before he can be sure.

That is, until a hand grabs his ankle and pulls him up from out of the rushing snow.

"LUFFY!" Koby cries, unspeakably happy to be fished up for a second time today.

Luffy has both arms outstretched, yanking Koby and Sanji onto the felled tree he's riding like a toboggan.

"We're going the wrong way," Luffy laments.

"At this rate we'll be back at the bottom and have to start over," Koby realizes.

Four hours of progress, wasted. Nami won't survive out in the cold long enough to do it all again.

To rub salt in the wound, two lapins on tree bark snowboards pull up alongside them, boxing them in. Just as a cliff appears directly in their path.

"WE'RE GONNA CRASH!" Luffy screams, eyes bugging out of his head.

"You better not!" Sanji snaps. "Nami's life is your number one priority! Second is Nami's life, followed by Nami's life in third, got it?"

"We are still very much going to crash!" Koby cries. The cliff rushes up to meet them.

"Nah, you'll be okay," Sanji says.

The trunk of the tree sails off the cliff, and Sanji kicks Koby square in the stomach, knocking him hard into Luffy and sending both of them into the air.

"SANJI!" Koby screams, watching the log hit the avalanche and snap, dragging Sanji under the cresting wave of snow. In a blink, he's gone.

As they fall, Luffy stretches out to grab a handhold on the cliff and drags himself close to hug the face of it, safe from the onslaught. His other arm shoots out towards Koby, who reaches back.

The arm is just a second too slow.

Koby's foot catches on the top of the cresting avalanche, and it rips him away. There's a horrible cracking sound that might be his ankle, and then everything is a mess of white.

Miraculously, he stays conscious the entire time.

It takes a few minutes, but the rushing snow eventually slows to a stop, and Koby is close enough to the top that he's able to wiggle his way out. It's pretty obvious that his ankle's broken based on the pain, but his leather steel-toed boots are laced tight enough that he can walk on it with only a slight limp.

The first thing he does is send out his observation haki.

Luffy is worried but safe, with Nami's faint– but still alive– voice nearby. They're a ways up the mountain, but only about a half hour ahead. Knowing Luffy, he's going to be searching the avalanche for them, which will lose a lot of precious time they can't afford.

So he immediately hones in on Sanji. His voice is muted, suggesting he's unconscious, but he's luckily very close. It only takes Koby fifteen minutes to find and dig him out.

His broken ankle throbs in pain with every step, but he rigs his denim jacket up as a sort of sling to make carrying Sanji easier. This means that Koby is now jacketless in a winter blizzard on a winter island, but he can't easily fireman-carry Sanji through waist-deep snow with a broken ankle, so what's a little extra chill gonna do at this point?

Using observation haki like a compass, Koby follows the sound of his captain's worry. It's so strange to hear Luffy feel so… fragile. The bells of his soul now ring low and long, like a death knell.

When Koby crests a snowbank, he spots Luffy combing the snow further ahead, and calls out, "Captain!"

Luffy's head whips to him, and his soul chimes with relief and joy.

"Koby! Sanji!" He cries, half-running half-falling down the slope towards them. Koby notices he's missing his coat, his hat,andNami. Which is only as alarming as the fact that Luffy has given up all pretense of running for tumbling ass-over-teakettle at top speed.

"Careful! Don't hurt yourse–!"

Luffy tackles him in a hug, and Koby realizes he can hear tearful sniffling in his ear. His heart immediately melts, and he hugs back, holding his captain as tight as he can.

"Sanji is okay too?" He asks.

"He's alive," Koby assures. "He won't wake up, but from what I can tell he'll be okay if we get to the doctor." Hopefully.

"Okay." Luffy pulls away, and wipes the tears from his eyes. With a fist pump, he replaces any lingering sadness with determination. "I left Nami on the safe cliff with my hat. Let's go save them."

"Aye, Captain."

They hike onward together, each carrying an unconscious nakama. Koby limps noticeably, but instantly shuts down Luffy's offer to carry both people. While his hobbling is slow, Luffy carrying two people will only slow them down further. They can't afford that.

Luffy, of course, doesn't even question Koby's choice to push through it. He's Luffy.

Still, it hurts.Everythinghurts. The exposed skin of his face and arms burn in the whipping winds of the blizzard. Moving his fingers is a concentrated effort, and they sting with pain at every minor twitch. A sharp lance of pain shoots up his leg with every step.

But he pushes on. And when it gets even colder, he reminds himself that this is his fault, anyway. His presence in the crew endangered Nami, it wounded Sanji, and the pain is nothing compared to the guilt he'll feel if they don't make it to a doctor in time to save them.

"Koby," Luffy says suddenly, and it startles him.

"Y-yes?" Koby asks.

"I'm glad you're here," says Luffy. "So I'm not alone."

Despite the windburn numbing his cheeks, Koby can still feel the blush heating them.

"I'm glad to be here for you, Captain."

Luffy doesn't turn around, but Koby can feel his smile anyway. It warms him, like much-needed sunshine on his cold skin.

They pass by the lapin cub from earlier, crying and clawing at the ground. As they get even closer, it starts growling and barking at them, standing protectively over a mound of snow.

But as they get closer, it's clear this mound is actually the body of an adult lapin, buried in the avalanche. The snow around it is pink where the cub shredded the skin of its paws attempting to dig it free.

Luffy approaches them, ignoring the snarling of the cub. As soon as it realizes Luffy isn't afraid, it shies away from his looming figure, whimpering and crying in fear.

For a moment, Koby isn't sure what his captain is doing. These lapins purposely caused the avalanche that injured Sanji and endangered Nami further. Luffy has every reason in the world to hate them. You could even argue this adult lapin is reaping what it sowed, struck down by its own method of mass destruction.

Instead, Luffy grabs the lapin's ankle in one hand and pulls it out of the snow. He drops the creature in front of the cub and continues walking.

Fate decides they haven't dealt with enough obstacles today. Their path is blocked by King Wapol, his hippo(?), and two of his lackeys. Koby can feel the dread welling up inside him at the prospect of fighting them with a broken ankle while protecting an injured noncombatant. They still have the entire drum peak to climb.

"Strawhat pirates! You will pay for causing that avalanche!" declares Wapol.

"Koby," Luffy says, stepping in front of him. "Take Nami and go ahead."

He's so relieved he could cry. He grabs Nami's sling from Luffy and starts hobbling a wide berth around the three weirdos that Luffy is about to turn into paste.

"Uh uh uh, I don't think so!" Wapol sneers. "Men, target the injured ones first."

Koby's inner monologue becomes an unhelpful string of filthy curses. The two lackeys beeline for him. There's no way he can dodge, slowed down by two people and the snow.

Luffy's hakihowlswith anger. An arm extends and clotheslines the two attackers, knocking them away.

"DON'T TOUCH THEM!" Luffy snarls, sounding like a wild animal. "YOU'RE FIGHTING ME!"

Koby hobbles as fast as his 1.5 legs can carry him. But unfortunately, it's not fast enough. Luffy's temporarily restrained by some kind of hairball from a devil fruit, and the man in the jester costume is closing the gap too quickly.

They're not gonna make it.

GRAHHHHHHHH!A deafening roar splits the air, and Koby reflexively covers his ears. A massive white blur bodily tackles the jester into the snow.

A lapin.

Koby does not question their help, he just runs. He runs past the small army of more lapins that have come to help with the fight. He runs until he can't hear the din of combat, until the pain in his ankle is too acute to continue. And even then, he slows down to a limp, but he doesn't stop moving.

Eventually, he's relieved to feel Luffy's victory via haki. The three assholes are unconscious, and Luffy is running after him.

He catches up just as Koby reaches the base of a sheer cliff that he realizes with mounting dread is, in fact, the drum peak they need to climb. Which…how?There's not even any footholds or–

"Thanks for taking them, Koby!" Luffy says, not even acknowledging the impossible obstacle looming over them. He just grabs Nami's sling and starts fitting it securely on his back again. "Ready?"

Before Koby gets a chance to question what the hell he's talking about, Luffy turns to the ninety-degree cliff of sheer rock, kicks off his flip-flops, and starts free-climbing.

His jawdrops. There wasn't even a flicker of hesitation. This impossible cliff is between their nakama and a doctor? Time to climb the cliff.

This is why Luffy is his favorite person in the world.

Koby follows him.

The pain shooting up his leg throbs terribly, the cold air sears his lungs, his fingers are slippery from blood where they've been lacerated digging into the rocks.

Together, they climb.

Koby has no idea how long they've been climbing. He doesn't dare look down, because it only tells him how certain death will be if they fall. Instead, he keeps his eyes trained upward, watching Luffy, watching for a top it feels like they'll never reach.

He's achieved some kind of flow state, mindlessly crawling upwards, only interrupted by harrowing, heart-stopping moments where his foothold breaks, or Luffy slips, dangling above him with one arm before he regains stability. In those moments, he's sure they're dead this time, but they manage to cling to life this time. Until the next mistake.

At the start, he coated his fingertips in haki to chip out tiny fingerholds in the rock, but he quickly ran out of stamina for that. There's hardly enough energy left to keep himself moving, let alone use armament. So instead he grips the miniscule divots in the cliff face with his bloody fingertips.

"Doctor…" Luffy murmurs again. He's picked it up as a mantra, repeating the word over and over with every inch they climb. Koby's not entirely sure he knows that he's saying it aloud, but he doesn't have a spare breath to ask. "Doctor… Doctor…"

There is nothing but blinding snowy winds, and continuing the climb. Up, up, up. To find the doctor. They need to find that doctor. Get to the top, and the doctor will take it from there. Save Nami. Save Sanji. Save their nakama.

"Doctor!" Luffy yells, louder than before. He suddenly picks up speed. "Doctor! Doctor!"

Then he vanishes.

Koby is hallucinating. Or the wind is blinding him with snow, or–

Luffy reappears. But just his head.

He didn't vanish,he's at the top.

"DOCTOR!" Luffy screams, stretching his arm down the rest of the way and wrapping it around Koby. His skin is unnaturally blue, coiling around pulling him up the rest of the way.

Luffy drops him in a massive pile of snow and collapses beside him. Weakly, Koby cranes his neck upwards to see a towering white castle fit for a hundred people, glistening in the snow. It's maybe the most beautiful thing he's ever seen, a rude contrast to the bloody snowdrift he currently rests in.

From the huge double doors to the castle, a humanoid shape emerges. Koby is so relieved he drops his head back into the snow and lets out a broken, primal wail of relief.

"DOCTOR!" He screams, letting the word tear at his throat until it tastes like blood.

His body is completely numb, now, no more pain. His eyes roll back in his head and he finally passes out.

When he wakes up, his entire body aches, his skin is raw, and his nerve endings burn. It feels like he's been flayed alive.

Hot breath hits his face. Koby forces his eyes open. There's a glistening wet snout half an inch from his face. As his brain comes back to life, he realizes the nose is blue, attached to familiar tawny fur and big round eyes.

"Chopper," Koby whispers, and his vision blurs with tears. They found him.

Chopper's eyes widen and he recoils, but Koby doesn't care. He throws his arms around Chopper's neck and pulls him in for a hug.

"Nami's gonna be okay, Sanji's gonna–" he sobs, burying his face in Chopper's fur. His body shakes, unable to stop now that he's started. He can only breathe in hitched gasps, wailing into Chopper's shoulder. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you—"

The gratitude tumbles out, and he couldn't stop if he wanted to. Because theymade it.Chopper is here, and he won't let their nakama die. They did it.

"How-?" Chopper squeaks, squirming in his grasp. "This doesn't make me happy, h-human bastard!"

Koby doesn't know what he's talking about, but he doesn't care. He just laughs, letting his relieved giggles mix hysterically with his tears.

"I'mhappy!" He declares, half out of his mind. "I'm so happy we found you!"

Chopper makes another confused noise. "Y-you're in shock, stupid!"

"Yeah!" Koby agrees, smiling like an idiot, wiping snot and tears into his fur. "I think I am!"

"J-just… don't move too much!" Chopper finally says. "I need to keep our body heat in the blankets, to combat your hypothermia."

"Anything you say, Doctor," he agrees easily, body already melting into exhaustion.

"I-I'm not excited to be called that, asshole!"

Koby hums in sleepy agreement, eyes already drooping. Now that his nakama is safe, there's no reason to stay awake any longer. He lets himself drift peacefully back to sleep.

Notes:

Chopper my beloved!

Chapter 18: Chapter 17

Summary:

Previously:After a grueling climb, Luffy and Koby finally reached the top of the Drum Peak, with Nami and Sanji in tow.

Now:Koby wakes up, and discovers there's a second doctor on this island after all.

Notes:

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for being patient these past few weeks, I hope this chapter is worth the wait! And thanks to everyone who leaves such lovely comments, they really inspire me to keep this fic going!

Time for my favorite part, highlighting the amazing fanart from the last month:
-Longingby paper-lilypie
-Various Adorable Scenesby bagofcitrus
-Koby Slips from Luffy's Graspby s-melda
-Luffy's Tackle Hugby princyvish
-Koby Hugging Small Animalsby ace-past04
-Luffy Wriggling into Koby's Jacketby marzbarsjupiter

Without further ado, enjoy the chapter!

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

Koby lifts his head drowsily. A line of drool trails from his mouth down to a puddle where his head rested, on Zoro's bare chest.

The realization that he is half-naked, snuggled up with a half-naked Zoro, startles him into full consciousness faster than anything ever has.

"AH!" Koby shouts, scrambling away until his back hits a wall, and he squeaks in mortified confusion.

Zoro, for his part, just gives a lazy, jaw-clicking yawn.

"Hey," he says casually.

Koby's face is burning. He must be tomato-red.

"Zoro?" He asks, voice two octaves higher than normal. He does not recognize this bed, or the room, orwhy he's cuddling with Zoro in his skivvies.

"Don't worry, Carue's with the ship."

"Okay?" Koby squeaks, not sure what that has to do with anything.

"Get back under the covers before you die, dumbass," Zoro says flatly. "Everyone's fine."

It's at those words that his memory catches up to him. Nami's illness, the town, the blizzard, the avalanche, the climb. The pain. Relief, though he can't remember why.

"Nami—"

"Fine," Zoro repeats. "Relax."

"Sanji? Luffy?"

"Fine. I fuckin' told you. Chill out."

Koby finally accepts that he almost certainly has hypothermia after all of that, and settles back into the blankets. Though he is extremely conscious of all the places his skin is touching Zoro's.

"Wh-where are we, exactly?" Koby asks. They're definitely on land, but beyond that he's not sure what's going on. Hopefully, this is the doctor's office and Zoro didn't crawl into a random bed with him.

"Some castle," Zoro says. "I dunno what's happening, a monster thing just told me to take off my shirt and spoon you or you'll die. Which… sounds like a prank now that I say it out loud."

Koby stares at him.

"A monster?"

"Yeah."

Koby waits for him to elaborate. He does not.

"…How long ago was this?"

"I dunno, an hour maybe?"

"And how long haveIbeen here?"

Zoro considers for a moment.

"At least an hour."

Great. That's not helpful. He casts a glance around the room.

His left leg is wrapped professionally in a hard cast, and elevated on a stack of pillows. It doesn't hurt, so he must be on some sort of painkiller.

The rest of the room is set up like some kind of laboratory, with long tables full of beakers, tongs, and plenty of other science equipment that Koby is not smart enough to identify. There's a big fireplace lit up across the room, providing much-needed heat in a room with stone walls and floors.

"Everyone else is awake?" Koby asks. "Even Nami?"

Zoro sighs. "The cook was asleep, last I checked. The witch was still in bed but she's well enough to nag me so she's fine. Luffy isdefinitelyawake."

"Okay," Koby says, nodding. "Good. That's good to know…"

He trails off and stares at the ceiling. The silence lingers for a few beats. Koby is painfully aware of how much he hates doing nothing.

He fidgets restlessly.

"…I should go check on them," Koby decides, trying to crawl over Zoro.

"Don't— are you serious?!" Zoro snaps, grabbing him. "I told you to relax! That was the most you've slept since I met you."

"I can rest more after I see Nami and the others," Koby insists. "I just gotta see for myself."

He manages to wriggle out of Zoro's grip and hop out of reach, trying to keep weight off his cast.

"I'm starting to think you enjoy finding new ways to stress yourself out," Zoro grumbles, as he pushes himself to his feet. "Well, if you can get out of bed you're probably not gonna keel over, so I'll just take you there."

The logic is not at all sound, but Koby isn't going to point that out now, while it benefits him.

Zoro hauls Koby onto his back and carries him through the halls of a massive castle. Even from the inside, it'shuge, with vaulted ceilings so tall that Zoro's every step reverberates around the main chamber like echoes of a phantom army.

By the time he admires the carved archways for the third time, he realizes they've been walking for a while.

"Uh… how far away is Nami's room exactly?" Koby asks.

"Shut up," Zoro says, suspiciously fast. "It's only taking so long because carrying you slows me down. We're here, anyway."

He opens a door to his left. The room is dark and completely empty.

"…I don't think this is-"

"I KNOW IT'S NOT HER ROOM!" Zoro snaps, slamming the door and stomping to the next one.

They end up checking every single door on two different floors before they finally open one that leads right back into the room Koby woke up in.

Koby sighs.

"Shut up!" Zoro growls, moving onto the next door. "This is the one, I know it."

Koby has already accepted that they're going to have to do another loop of this floor before he finally moves on to a new one. So imagine his surprise when Zoro opens the next door to reveal Nami and Luffy sitting on a quilted bed.

"Her room was NEXT TO MINE?" Koby cries.

"SHUT UP!" Zoro yells back.

"KOBY!" Luffy shouts, leaping off the mattress with a massive smile.

"Luffy!" Koby shouts back. "Nami! You're okay!"

Their captain tackles the two of them in a hug, arms stretching to reach around both of them.

"Yeah!" Luffy cheers. "Sanji too!"

"He's in surgery now," Nami croaks. Despite the roughness in her voice, talking doesn't seem to hurt, and she's already a much better color than she was this morning. The improvement is miraculous. "The doctor says he had a slipped disc, but he'll be fine."

Luffy gives Koby and Zoro one more bone-crushing (pun not intended) squeeze before dropping them.

"Hurry up and bring Koby over here, Zoro," Nami rasps, waving them in. "I need to give him a thank-you hug before Sanji-kun returns or he might ask me for one too."

Apparently, Vivi, Usopp, Dalton, and Zoro all came up in a railcar as soon as the blizzard ended. Koby is devastated to learn that there's a railcar onlyafterhe made that frankly hellish climb. He's at least comforted by the fact that it wouldn't have functionedduringthe blizzard, and Nami almost certainly could not have waited another four hours for that. So it's not like the ordeal was pointless.

All of them, except for Zoro, went back down to grab supplies after confirming Nami made it safely. This castle doesn't have enough food for all of them, and Dalton suggested it would be wise to bring Doctor Kureha something of a down payment for treating so many people at once.

The four of them— Koby, Luffy, Nami, and Zoro— sit on and around Nami's bed, updating each other on what they missed. Despite being half in the grave only five hours ago, Nami smiles and laughs like her old self, and Koby feels giddy with relief every time he sees it.

Luffy's describing their climb, with some… creative liberties (such as confusing the lapins for bears) when Koby feels a new presence outside the room, watching them. A familiar soul, chiming like gentle sleigh bells.

Koby turns towards it. A furry shape peeks into the room from the doorway, but the wrong way, hiding half his face while the rest of him is clearly visible.

Tony Tony Chopper.

Koby's mouth falls open, staring at the doorway in shock. This– what– Dalton said the witch was the only doctor in country, how–?

Luffy keeps talking, but Nami follows Koby's gaze to the doorway.

"Oh, hello there," she says, waving.

Luffy and Zoro both turn towards the door. Chopper squeaks and vanishes, the sound of clopping hooves retreating echoes off the stone walls.

"Guess he's shy," Nami rasps. "He was here earlier to give me medicine, and ran away as soon as he put down the tray."

"There was a person? I didn't see!" Luffy whines.

Nami's face twists up into a pinched expression, like she doesn't quite know if "person" is the right term, but doesn't understand enough to correct him, either.

"Eh, you'll see him again," Zoro assures Luffy. "This castle is big and confusing, but every fuckin' room is empty except ours."

Koby sighs. "He checked personally, too."

"Oi!" Zoro protests, trying to swat him in the back of the head. Koby manages to dodge him at the last second, but not the follow-up flick to his forehead.

"Don't fight in my bed while I'm sick!" Nami scolds, as Luffy latches onto Zoro's neck in a bite for some reason, and they all get caught up in a three-way scuffle with Nami shouting for a ceasefire in the background.

Koby's surprise at seeing Chopper is lost in the chaos, but not entirely forgotten.

About an hour later, Koby meets the witch, Doctor Kureha. A tall, spindly old woman in low-rise jeans and a crop top rolls an unconscious Sanji in on a wheelbarrow and literally dumps him into the bed across the room. Even though he's in a back brace that probably prevents any damage, Koby can't help but wince.

The doctor drops the wheelbarrow and dusts off her hands, then turns to see the crew piled on Nami's bed for the first time. She squints.

"You," she points at Koby, "shouldn't be out of bed. And you," she points at Luffy, "should be in your own room, not disturbing my patients. And you," she points at Zoro, "Shirtless kid, who the fuck are you? Get out of my house!"

"Huh?" Zoro grunts. "Who the fuck areyou?"

"You're asking for the secret of my eternal youth, eh?" Doctor Kureha asks, a complete non-sequitor.

"No?" Zoro says.

"Well, I won't tell you! Leave!"

"I didn't want to know!" Zoro yells. "And I'm not leaving!"

"CHOPPER!" Doctor Kureha hollers, and Koby can't help perking up at the name. "GET IN HERE!"

"This is really a misunderstanding," Nami tries to assure her.

"Zip it, girlie! You and yours haven't even paid yet, and I'm not a damn animal shelter."

"Oi!" Zoro barks. "I'll show you an animal!"

"Don't fuckin' talk like that to a lady, mossbrain!" Sanji shouts from across the room, apparently having woken up. "If you even think about touching her I'll kick your ass!"

"Stay out of it, shitcook!"

"Zoro, if you're going to cost us extra, just wait outside."

"In the SNOW? Hell no, you witch!"

"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK LIKE THAT TO NAMI-SWAN!"

While everyone continues screaming, Luffy leans in close to Koby.

"I don't know what's going on," he says, while his eyes jump dutifully between each speaker like he's spectating a tennis match.

"I think Doctor Kureha wants us to pay a pet boarding fee for Zoro?" Koby whispers back.

That's when Chopper careens in through the doorway. His eyes dart around the room frantically, sweeping for danger.

"About time!" Doctor Kureha hollers. "The green one isn't sick, toss him out."

Next to Koby, Luffy perks up. "Food?"

"Wait, what?" Koby glances between his captain and Chopper.

It's at this point that Koby realizes exactly what's going through Luffy's mind: Chopper, with an apple in his mouth, roasting on a spit.

"Hey, Luffy, if you catch it, I can cook it for dinner," Sanji says.

Unmitigated horror washes over Koby, and apparently Chopper, too, who has frozen up in fear.

"Wait–" Koby starts, but he's drowned out by Luffy yelling, "YES!"

Koby's battle instincts kick in; his haki sharpens, letting him see a moment ahead. Luffy is going to tackle Chopper, who doesn't react quickly enough to run. Because it would be really bad for Luffy to kill the guy who is supposed to become his crew's doctor (and also just bad to kill an innocent person in general), Koby does what he must.

When Luffy leaps, Koby snatches his ankle and drags him back onto the bed. Koby foresees him fighting back, so he grabs the spare blanket beside him and throws it over his captain's head. Luffy flails blindly under the blankets, tangling himself further like an animal caught in a snare.

This all happens in a split second, before anyone can react, but Koby is still in the future, and he knows the room is about to erupt in chaos, and Luffy is about break free.

He really,reallycan't let them get Chopper.

Koby palms his captain's face through the blanket and shoves it into the mattress, using the movement to push himself off the bed onto his feet. One of them is in a cast, but he hardly cares; he needs to protect Chopper.

In two unbalanced strides he crosses the room, scooping Chopper under his arm like a football and darting out of the room.

Run, he just has to run. Escape first, plan later.

He tears down the hall with Chopper in tow, his socked foot and cast alternatingthud, clunk, thud, clunk,against the stone. He has no idea where he's going, only that he needs to get as much distance between Chopper and Luffy as possible.

"Ne, Koby, don't take all the meat for yourself!" Luffy shouts, his voice distant but getting closer as he gives chase.

In his arms, Chopper squeaks with terror.

"You can't eat him, Luffy!" Koby shouts. But he already knows it won't work; running from Luffy is like running from a dog. It only excites him, and he won't stop until he successfully runs you down. And the fact that Koby is in a cast means that's bound to happen sooner rather than later.

Since he can't outspeed, his only choice is to outsmart.

At the end of the hall is a massive window. Koby beelines towards it and throws open the shutters, letting a cold gust of wind pour inside. He deliberately hesitates for a moment, giving just enough time for Luffy to catch up.

"Gotchya!" Luffy shouts, and jumps.

Koby steps to the side, and Luffy sails out the window.

"I'm sorry, captain!" Koby cries, but he doesn't have time to stick around and make sure he's okay. Luffy is made of rubber, and the drop is only two stories onto fresh snow; he'll be fine. Hopefully. Koby is still going to apologize for two straight days once Chopper is safe, though.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," he murmurs under his breath as he runs through the halls again.

Unfortunately, his trick doesn't buy much time. Luffy grapples himself back up through the balcony window, coated with a layer of snow like a powdered donut, but otherwise unharmed and undeterred.

"MEAT!" Luffy yells, with a determined edge that wasn't there before. It's clear that this just went from a chase to a game, for him.

"AHHHH!" He and Chopper shout at the same time.

"Wait, you're injured!" Chopper says suddenly. "I should be carrying you!"

"Wha-?" Koby starts to ask, as Chopper starts to grow, too big to be carried. Koby is forced to drop him.

Now the size of two grown men combined, Chopper grabs Koby like a football instead.

It's a full five minutes of chase, Chopper running through the castle and only finally managing to escape Luffy by turning a corner and ducking out a servant's entrance to the back of the castle. The two of them hold their breath and wait, and when Luffy never bursts through the door, they both exhale in relief, wisps of their breath curling in the brisk winter air.

They sit in the snow together for a moment, letting their heart rates slow. Koby leans against the castle wall and closes his eyes, tracking Luffy with his observation haki. He's still wandering around the halls, but hasn't found the discreet servant entrance. In fact, he's movingawayfrom it. They're safe.

"Wait a second," Chopper says suddenly, and Koby opens his eyes. Chopper has shrunk back down to his usual form, and he's eyeing Koby suspiciously. "He's your captain! Why wereyourunning?"

"I wasn't gonna let himeatyou!" Koby replies, horrified.

"Why not?" Chopper asks, eyes narrowed.

"Because you're a person?" Koby says, confused by the question. "Luffy tends to eat first and ask questions later, I don't think he realizes you're not an animal."

Chopper's brow furrows. "But I am? I'm— well, a monster, I guess— but I'm also a reindeer."

"A reindeer… mink," Koby clarifies.

"N-no? What's a mink?"

Koby stares at him.

"Wait. You'renota mink?"

"I don't… know? What's a mink?"

Koby is definitely being rude with his staring, but he feels extremely out of his depth. He assumed Chopper was a reindeer mink with some sort of zoan or paramecia devil fruit. But now he's not so sure.

"I- um, okay." How on earth does he ask this politely? "Were you… born with antlers?"

Chopper puts his hands on his hips. "I don't have to tell you anything, asshole!" He snaps.

Koby cowers back, ducking his head in apology. "Sorry! I'm sorry, that was rude! Sorry!"

Chopper doesn't immediately reply. Koby can feel his eyes on him, but is too embarrassed to meet his gaze.

"Hmph," Chopper huffs, crossing his arms and plopping down against the wall next to Koby. "I wasn't born with antlers, you jerk. They grew in when I reached maturity."

Oh. Ohduh. That's how deer work.

Unfortunately, this still doesn't clarify whether he is a mink or something else. But it doesn't really matter, does it? It's not like that changes anything about how Koby would treat him. There's no point in upsetting him about it.

"Right, of course," Koby says. "Sorry, that was really rude of me. But the sentiment still applies; you're a person and I wasn't going to let Luffy eat you."

Chopper doesn't reply, but he narrows his eyes, suspiciously. Koby squirms in the silence.

"I'm Koby, by the way." Because he just now realizes he never introduced himself.

Chopper looks down at his lap, fidgeting with his hooves.

"…Chopper," he says finally. "But you already knew that."

The words stop his heart.

"I— what? N-no I didn't!" Koby's voice cracks on the lie.

Chopper looks up at him with a furrowed brow.

"I know you overheard Doctorine address me while you were half-conscious. You used it when you woke up, briefly."

"YEAH!" Koby agrees loudly. "That is— yep, overheard her!" Despite the snow, he feels extremely sweaty. He doesn't remember waking up like that at all. Whatelsedid he say? The thought makes him sick with anxiety.

There's a long, awkward silence while Koby falls into a thought spiral.

"…Thanks for saving me," Chopper eventually mumbles, before peeking up and donning a stern expression. "But that's no excuse for running on your injury like that! You probably made the fracture worse! Not to mention I'll have to redo the cast in case the structural integrity is compromised!"

Koby ducks his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Doctor. I wasn't thinking about anything except protecting you."

Chopper squirms in place. "That doesn't make me happy, asshole!"

The obvious joy is infectious. Koby can't help the grin tugging at his lips.

"Well isn't thissweet," a new voice derides.

Koby and Chopper jolt to their feet (well, hooves, one foot, and a cast).

A horribly bruised and intimidatingly tall man looms over them, sneering. A veryfamiliarsneer, missing four front teeth.

"K-king Wapol!" Koby and Chopper stammer. Surprised, they both turn to each other. "You know him?" They both ask.

"Shut up!" Wapol snaps. Without his front teeth, spittle flies from his mouth and flecks across Koby and Chopper's faces. They wipe it away, disgustedly. "Everyone knows me! I'm the rightful King of this land, which means you're trespassing onmyproperty!"

"What?" Koby asks.

"You're no king!" Chopper yells. "You're an unforgivable, cruel tyrant!"

"Yeah!" Wapol agrees. "That's what a king is!"

Alright, Koby is missing some serious context.Wapolis king here? Then how didDaltonget into the Reverie? And—

"Didn't you have two other guys and a hippo beast thing?" Koby asks, looking around.

Wapol grits his (remaining) teeth.

"Your honorless littlefriendganged up on them with those savage beasts! I had to leave my best council to die by his hands!"

Koby's fists clench.

"Luffy is the most honorable captain in all the Blues!" He spits. "Unlikeyou, he would never abandon his crew!"

"Then he sounds like a real moron," Wapol says flatly. "The point of subordinates is to die for you."

Koby can feel his face flushing with anger. A vein bulges on his forehead.

"So are you going to flee, or am I going to eat you?" Wapol asks, rolling his jaw.

"SHUT UP, DROOL-FACE!"

Luffy jumps down from somewhere above, landing in front of them with a small explosion of snow. Koby's heart soars with giddy excitement.

"I won't let you eat my friends! They're mine!"

Ignoring the fact that it sounds like Luffy wants to eat them instead, the declaration fills him with pride.

"Friends? Plural?" Chopper asks, quiet enough that he seems to be asking himself.

"Yeah! You're my friend!" Luffy declares.

Koby grins and pats Chopper on the shoulder. Luffy's ability to befriend just about anyone is admirable. Two minutes ago, he was hunting Chopper for food, and now they're friends. That's just the kind of guy he is.

Wapol scowls. "You wanna know what I ate as a hiking snack on my way here?" he asks.

They all tilt their heads, bewildered.

"...Trailmix?" Luffy asks.

"NO!" Wapol snaps. "A gun!"

Suddenly his entire hand morphs, becoming shiny and tube-like, until it resembles a hunting rifle. He aims the barrel, not at them, but at the top of the castle, and with a loudBOOMit fires.

Koby assumes this is a warning shot and also maybe an intimidation tactic with the body horror– it doesn't work, Luffy's body does much more disturbing things every day– until Chopper's breath hitches beside him.

"The pirate flag…" Luffy murmurs, looking up at the small explosion on the roof.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THE DOCTOR'S PIRATE FLAG?" Chopper roars.

"That quack's flag is defacing my castle," Wapol replies, leveling the gun arm at him.

Chopper is trembling, but not out of fear; he's shaking withrage. His body grows, towering in that muscle-y humanoid form, and he lunges recklessly at Wapol.

"The doctor– HE EVEN TRIED TO SAVE YOU!"

Chopper body-tackles him. The two of them tussle in the snow, with more gun barrels rapidly sprouting out of random parts on Wapol's torso, firing at Chopper but missing every time as he shifts out of the way at the last second. Koby instinctively wants to jump in to help, but there's no room in the fight, and he ends up diving into a snowbank for cover from the stray bullets as theyBANG! plink! BANG! plink! BANG! plink–firing and ricocheting off the stone walls behind him.

He reaches up to pull his captain down with him, but there's only air where his wrist should be. Koby glances up to see Luffy scaling the side of the castle like a human lizard.

When did–? What is he–?

BANG!

No plink.

A spray of crimson in his peripheral drags his eyes away from Luffy. Chopper has finally been hit. His shock provides an opening for Wapol to finally shove him off. He lands heavily in the snow, bleeding from a bullet wound on the side of his ribcage.

"Chopper!" Koby yelps. He tries to jump to his feet, but forgets about his cast and immediately trips over himself. Pathetically, he crawls over on his elbows instead.

"A-Are you okay?" Koby asks, looking him over. He doesn't know how exactly he can help if the answer is 'no,' except maybe stall until Luffy dives from the roof again or whatever it is he has planned.

Turns out, he doesn't have to do that.

"HEY! ANNOYING GUY!" Luffy hollers.

At the top of the tallest parapet, Luffy ties the pirate flag back onto its rightful pole with a piece of rope that he must've found…somewhere.

"YOU'RE A FRAUD PRETENDING TO BE A PIRATE!" Luffy yells. "YOU DON'T KNOW THE MEANING OF THIS FLAG!"

"You nasty little nuisance!" Wapol aims his arm gun at the flag again. "There's not even meaning in a damn pirate rag!"

For the second time, Chopper's breath hitches at the sight of the flag. Only, this time, the tears welling in his eyes are ones of angry determination. Koby has to leap back as he suddenly sits up.

"Three minutes," Chopper says, pushing himself up shakily. A small golden ball that looks like hard candy glints in the sun where he flashes it between his fingers.

Wapol pays him no mind, he continues to unload his gun at the tower, and Luffy doesn't budge.

"Isaid," Chopper repeats, stepping up into Wapol's face and swatting the gun off target. A spray of snow flies up where the bullet lodges harmlessly in the ground. "Three minutes. That's how long you have left."

Chopper swallows the ball.

Wapol doesn't last the full three minutes. He was already beaten up pretty badly by Luffy last night, and this time, he doesn't have his entourage to order around.

"THAT WAS SO AWESOME!" Luffy yells, stars in his eyes as he dismounts from the roof and bounces excitedly in front of Chopper. "Seven forms! So cool!"

"You- bwah-" Chopper shuffles awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. He's in a form called 'arm point' which has comically large biceps, so it looks quite funny. "I didn't even need to use them all, I shouldn't have wasted a rumble ball. I got a little carried away…"

"Show me the rest, then!" Luffy insists, literally vibrating with excitement. "I wanna see them all! How big can you get? Can you turn into a kaiju and shoot lasers from your mouth?"

"Why would he be able to shoot lasers?" Koby asks.

"Cuz it'd be cool!" Luffy replies.

Chopper coughs. "Um, n-no, I can't shoot lasers…"

It's clear the sudden positive attention has caught him extremely off-guard. He's slowly inching backward and shooting nervous glances at Koby.

Koby shrugs and offers a sympathetic smile. Maybe he should step in and save him, but there's not much that can distract Luffy from something cool, except something even cooler or freshly roasted meat. Neither of which Koby has on him.

Plus, he maybe selfishly wants the two of them to get along, because they need Chopper on the crew. Koby's almost certain that it'll take ten minutes tops for Luffy to invite him aboard, after witnessing the way Chopper defended that flag. The main goal now is to acclimate Chopper to Luffy's energy as fast as possible, so that he'll say yes.

Hm, that's awfully manipulative, isn't it? Maybe Nami is rubbing off on him…

Regardless, it seems to be working. Chopper cycles rapidly between seven different forms (Seven! Unheard of for a Zoan! Those Rumble Balls are fascinating!) while Luffy whoops and cheers him on. The ringing bell tower of Luffy's soul sings in a beautiful harmony with Chopper's sleigh bells.

Koby chimes in with the occasional question about each form, but otherwise lets them hit it off. Chopper grows slowly more and more confident as he displays his powers.

"A-and this one is Run Point! Well, I call it that, but it's really just what I look like without any Zoan transformation. Humans can only run up to twenty-five miles per hour, but as a reindeer, I can easily run forty or even forty-five!"

Wait,thisis his true form? Koby assumed his Brain Point was the true form, since that's his usual presentation. But this— this is a normal reindeer! Chopper is aliteralreindeer! As much as he entertained the thought earlier, he didn't actually give the theory too much credit. There's been quite a few cases of animals with devil fruits, but it's very rare for them to display intelligence beyond species-typical behaviors.

But Chopper can not only talk, he's a practicing doctor and pharmaceutical engineer! If the world government caught wind of this, his bounty wouldn't be the measly 50 belli it was in the future. They'd be hunting him down and throwing him at Vegapunk for testing.

"Er, Chopper, whatisyour devil fruit?" Koby asks. If he wasn't already certain it was a Zoan fruit, he'd assume it must be a lesser-known model of the Brain-Brain fruit.

"The Human-Human fruit!" Chopper replies.

All the color drains from Koby's face.

"Chopper! Chopper! Let's race!" Luffy says, completely oblivious to Koby's entire world shattering.

"I don't think you can outrun me like this…"

"I will! C'mon, to that tree and back! Ready set go!"

Luffy takes off with an illegal head start, and Chopper bounds after him. Koby stands in their dust cloud, ears still ringing from shock.

The Human-Human fruit.TheHuman-Human fruit. Every marine officer ranked captain and above has standing orders to procure that fruit and any of its models for the government at any cost, if they ever make an appearance.

There's a chill running down his spine, and it's not the snowy air.

He never understoodwhyit would be so valuable, right up there on the list with the Shadow-Shadow fruit and the Lang-Lang fruit. The former he's seen in action personally, witnessing Blackbeard take Whitebeard's power and… countless others. The latter is less obvious, but considering the New World power struggle for the poneglyphs in about three years from now, it makes sense that a fruit allowing someone to understand any language would be dangerous in the wrong hands.

But the Human-Human fruit?Why?What would it even do for a normal person to eat it? As miraculously brilliant as Chopper is, it's not exactly the kind of power the world government would consider as dangerous asBlackbeard's—

"OI! KOBY!" Luffy screams, he's waving his hand in front of Koby's face. He blinks, startled.

"Who won?" Luffy asks. "It was super close, you gotta tell Chopper I won!"

Chopper taps his hooves together nervously. "But, um, it wasn't very close, I finished a few seconds—"

"Koby saw it, right? I won?"

Koby did not, in fact, see it. He was too busy reconciling with the fact that Tony Tony Chopper is technically on the World Government's secret Most Wanted list and they gave him afifty-belli bounty. How did nobody notice? How didKobynot notice?!

"Uhhhh," Koby says, unable to think straight.

Luckily, he's saved by the sound of the railcarclunk-ing to a stop a few yards away. The door swings open to reveal Usopp, sweeping out of the gondola dramatically, waving like a Princess in a royal parade.

"Yes, it's true, I did single-handedly save the village from the evil king and his army! I'm sure you've all heard the tale by now. There we were, the village already snowed; in a dozen– no–twodozen feet deep! King Wapol and his men—"

"You mean this guy?" Luffy interrupts, pointing at Wapol's prone body.

Usopp blinks; once, twice. "…Luffy, that is a pile of bloody snow."

Koby, Luffy, and Chopper all turn to look at it. Where Wapol was crumpled after his defeat is instead a rudimentary pink snow sculpture in his likeness, complete with two rocks for eyes.

Chopper is the first one to process this.

"WHERE DID HE GO?"

"KOBY WAS SUPPOSED TO WATCH HIM!" Luffy accuses, shamelessly pointing at him.

"N-NO ONE TOLD ME THAT!" Koby cries, frantically scanning the area for Wapol. His stomach drops when he notices the footprints lead into—

"The castle," Koby whispers, horrified. Nami and Sanji are inside, too weak to move.

"We brought food!" Vivi sing-songs, stepping out of the gondola with several stuffed canvas bags looped around her arms. "It's reallyheavy," she adds, shooting a pointed look at Usopp's back.

Dalton steps out behind her with an entire yak carcass slung over his back.

"I even found some fresh meat, as Luffy requested."

"WAPOL IS IN THE CASTLE!" Chopper shrieks, running after the trail of blood. "DOCTORINE!"

Luffy dithers, clearly torn between following Chopper and securing the meat that has just arrived.

"Captain, our nakama is in there!" Koby reminds him.

Luffy makes a conflicted whine.

"Chopper is really strong—"

"Luffy!"

"FINE! But Koby isn't allowed to steal it this time!"

He finally darts off.

This leaves Koby standing awkwardly in the snow, getting ice down his cast, while Usopp, Vivi, and Dalton approach.

"Sorry, did he sayWapol?" Dalton asks.

Koby sighs. "Yeah, he managed to—"

Before he can finish, Dalton drops the half-ton bison, transforms into a bison himself, and rushes into the castle on all-fours.

Koby's jaw drops.

"What?!" He yelps, a full octave higher than normal.

"Oh, you didn't notice? Dalton is a bison Zoan, we all totally knew that," Usopp says haughtily, waving a hand dismissively.

"Yes, a completely mundane fact that did not scare any of us at all, earlier," Vivi agrees, waving her hand as well.

"Yes yes, an absolutely normal revelation that doesn't warrant screaming," Usopp agrees. "Nor an extremely awkward conversation questioning the ethics around him eating bison meat. Because we all knew this."

Vivi nods solemnly in agreement.

"…Okay," Koby concedes, even though he was not screaming and did not ask.

He has a million more questions, but a particularly strong gust of wind reminds him that he's outside in the snow without a jacket for the second time in as many days, and whatever painkillers he was on are starting to wear off, because his ankle definitely didnothurt this badly before, and actually his whole body aches— now that he thinks about it, wasn't Zoro helping treat hypothermia?

Ah, his fingers and toes are numb.

"Usopp, y'might have to carry me back upstairs," Koby slurs. Why is he slurring? And swaying, the ground is tipping…

"Wait, what?" Usopp asks, right as Koby collapses onto him.

For the record, Koby doesn't actually pass out. He's extremely dizzy, but he stays conscious, for once.

It's Vivi who ends up carrying him, because apparently all the grocery bags combined weigh more than him, and Usopp is determined to get everything up in a single trip (aside from the yak, they're leaving that one to Luffy and Dalton).

Doctor Kureha has Vivi shove Koby into bed next to Nami, since she has a lingering fever anyway. He acts as her ice pack while she acts as his hot water bottle. It's very clever. Sanji does curse him out from across the room for snuggling with a woman, but it's not like either of them can actually stand up to do anything about it.

Eventually, Luffy, Chopper, and Dalton appear, having actually definitively taken care of Wapol this time.

"I smacked him into the sun!" Luffy announces cheerfully.

"It was… truly terrifying," Dalton agrees, eyeing him warily. Luffy either doesn't notice or doesn't care.

"And guys! I met a really cool friend!" Luffy continues, stretching an arm out to drag Chopper into the room from his hiding spot in the hallway. "He's gonna join our crew!"

"HUH?" everyone asks, aside from Koby and Zoro. Even Chopper's eyes bug out of his head in surprise

"M-me?" He stammers. Luffy is still palming on his head like a basketball, and Chopper dangles in his grasp, staring up at him with hopeful yet wary eyes.

"Shishishi! Duh!" Luffy laughs, "Who else? Chopper, come be pirates with me!"

Koby's heart swells in his chest for the second time that day. His captain is as happy as a clam, smiling at their new nakama. Chopper is going to slot right into their little crew, just like he's meant to–

"I CAN'T!" Chopper wails, dropping out of Luffy's grip and running out of the room, sobbing.

"CHOPPER, COME BACK!" Luffy shouts, sprinting after him.

The rest of the room is left in stunned silence. Koby in particular, feels hollow and cold.

This isn't how it's supposed to go.

Notes:

Hm. This must be Koby's fault.

Chapter 19: Chapter 18

Summary:

Previously:Koby woke up on a bed in the Drum Peak's castle with a broken leg and a shirtless Zoro. The entire crew is safe! After saving Chopper from death by Luffy's appetite, Chopper and Luffy played together, and then took down Wapol once and for all (for real this time, definitely). But when Luffy invited Chopper to join the crew, he rejected the offer and ran off crying.

Now:Koby worries about Chopper, and has a long talk with Dalton.

Notes:

Hi everyone! A little bit shorter chapter, because the pacing felt right. (Funny enough, the world count is totally average at 5.4k-ish, but its just a less-actiony plot.) I hope that you still find it worth the wait, because I quite like how it turned out.

Before anything else, enjoy some lovely fanart:

-Koby Expressionsby glucoseguardian
-Totally Normal and Not At All Sinister Fanartby miamibice
-Adorable Kobylu as Tombo and Kiki redrawby computerizedclown
-What's Luffy Taste Like?by glitch47

Okie doke, please enjoy the chapter! And if you want to chat with me and others about this fic between chapters, consider joining ourKANGVCD discord!I'll put an invite link in the chapter end notes as well.

(See the end of the chapter formore notes.)

Chapter Text

Luffy is gone for hours. Even as night falls and everyone else falls asleep, Koby remains painfully awake, staring up at the ceiling and wondering where, exactly, he went wrong.

He really thought they hit it off, despite the rocky start. Chopper seemed to be enjoying himself, showing off his rumble ball forms and playing games with Luffy.

Until he refused to join the crew.

Surely, Koby's actions couldn't have changed his mindthatmuch, right? Unless… was it the antler question? Stupid! He should have apologized more, that was so invasive. No wonder Chopper refuses to sail with them, he probably thinks they're all horrible, terrible, rude jerks like Koby.

Alright, it's okay, he can fix this. He'll just have to talk to Chopper alone and beg for forgiveness. Ask if there's anything he can do to prove that his crew will treat him much better if he joins. Maybe Sanji can walk Koby through baking an apology cake. He's never cooked before, but baking is supposed to just be following instructions, it should be fine. Because it needs to be fine. Because Chopperhasto join the Strawhats, he's their nakama, and if they leave here without him, then Koby will have fully erased that beautiful, rich relationship. It will forever be something they lack, and it's extra terribly cruel because none of them will even realize they lost a friend except for Koby, all because he selfishly chose to follow Luffy and mess up the timeline and—

As he ponders what flavor of apology cake he'll bake (Can reindeer have chocolate? Would it be rude to ask? Yes. Yes, it'd be very rude. But it'd be ruder to accidentallypoisonhim, surely?) the door to the room creaks open, and Dalton enters, carrying a snoring Luffy over his shoulder.

Immediately, Dalton's eyes catch Koby's, his tapetum lucidum giving them an eerie glow in the dark. There's a weird intensity between them that Koby can't describe; the odd kinship that comes with being the last two awake after a fight, maybe.

Dalton breaks the gaze first and sets Luffy down on the other bed, next to Sanji. He even tucks him in with one of the quilts at the foot of the bed. As he pads over to the door and slips outside, he gives Koby a beckoning nod, inviting him to follow.

Koby, now alone, gives a quick glance around the room. Nami is asleep beside him in this bed, Usopp and Vivi are curled up in sleeping bags on the floor, Sanji and Luffy snore on the opposite bed. Zoro is asleep in a chair in the corner.

Except he's not. When Koby's eyes settle on him, he opens one eye. Raises an eyebrow curiously.

Koby waves him off and slips quietly out of bed, careful not to disturb Nami. As he heads to the door, he glances back at Zoro who nods, just once, affirmatively. Oddly enough, Koby understands it– he's gotten weirdly good at communicating with Zoro on an instinctive level these past few months, the same way he's learned to read Luffy's indirect orders. Figure out what Dalton wants; Zoro's trusting him to handle it.

Koby smiles warmly and nods back. He grabs a crutch leaning against the wall and slips out the door.

Dalton waits patiently for him down the hall. There's a little sitting nook with some armchairs and a table for the candelabra. Like the rest of the atrium, they're a bit frosted-over— thanks to a bird nest in the entryway, the front door is always open to preserve it. This means that most of the castle is as cold as the mountain peak outside.

But this doesn't seem to be a problem for Dalton, who sits in one armchair, so Koby hobbles his way over to the other one, and leans his crutch carefully against the wall.

"I found your captain on one of the parapets outside." Dalton keeps his voice hushed, and jerks his chin at the room they just came from. "He's been hunting the reindeer all day, and he fell asleep while shouting for him. Doctor Kureha assured me that he was impressively resistant to hypothermia, likely thanks to his devil fruit, but seeing it in action is still…"

Stressful, Koby thinks.

"...Strange," Dalton decides on.

That's another good word for it. After all, his resistance comes from the fact that his blood is literally rubber.

"Thank you for bringing him inside," Koby replies. He can't quite bring himself to apologize on his captain's behalf– not when he whole-heartedly agrees with that persistence– so he hopes his gratitude will suffice.

"Is your crew that desperate for a doctor?" Dalton asks, brow furrowed in concern.

"Ah, sort of, yes," Koby admits with a blush, rubbing the back of his neck. "Though, honestly, Luffy just wants Chopper, specifically. He's never been wrong when he says someone belongs on his crew, and he won't drop it without a proper reason."

Emphasis onproper. Sanji and Nami both gave plenty of reasons why they couldn't join, but Luffy downright refused to accept them. He has an uncanny intuition for the truth in someone's heart. It's one of the reasons Koby adores Luffy so much; he's always stubborn when you need it the most.

"Mm," Dalton muses, stroking his chin. "I suppose I understand. That reindeer has a brave soul and a good heart. Anyone would be lucky to have him on their side."

Koby nods along instinctively, but then he realizes that Dalton didn't witness Chopper beat Wapol. And Luffy was the one who took care of him the second time, after which, Chopper vanished. So how would he know–?

Dalton must read the confusion on his face.

"We met once before, briefly," he explains. "We fought, actually, back when I was still under Wapol's command. Chopper was the one who convinced me to finally leave."

Koby jolts. "Youworked forWapol?"

There's no way! Dalton is one of the kindest, most upright people he's ever met, and Wapol is a slimy coward and a cruel man. Dalton being affiliated with him at all is unfathomable, let alone taking his orders.

"I did," Dalton admits, hanging his head. "Not a day goes by that I'm not ashamed of my actions under his banner. This country has no doctors because I helped Wapol collect or kill them all. And Chopper's father was the last one to fall."

Today's battle surfaces in his mind. Things that Wapol and Chopper said that he didn't fully understand.

"That quack's flag is defacing my castle!"

"The doctor– HE EVEN TRIED TO SAVE YOU!"

That flag holds so much more weight than he realized. Koby always knew, objectively, that a Jolly Roger was symbolic of a crew's ideals, and revered and protected as a physical manifestation of such. But that flag was Chopper's physical connection to his late father, who died at the hands of a man who sought to destroy it.

No wonder Luffy saving it brought him to tears.

"And Chopper convinced you to leave?" Koby asks, cautiously. He doesn't want to pry into Dalton's shameful past, but he's painfully curious.

"He was brave," Dalton says simply. "Doctor Hiriluk's last words were a request to let his son live. I fought Chopper only to keep him from throwing his life away in his grief. In allowing him to flee, I committed treason, but my only regret is not committing it sooner. Maybe if I had, I could've saved my country."

Koby inspects Dalton in a brand new light. The most upstanding man he's ever met committedtreason, and he considers it to be the most important decision of his life.

"You didn't want to betray your country," Koby says, sympathetic. Treason of such a degree is no laughing matter. Koby is a pirate now, but when he was in the marines, there's very little that would make him consider desertion, let alone treason.

"I betrayed it by letting it rot," Dalton says, venom in his tone, "No, Ispreadthe rot. Every single one of those soldiers under Wapol's command, I personally trained and appointed. When I was young, the king we served was reasonable, but his son did not inherit his compassion. For a long time, I believed that through my service, I could at least mitigate the damage; that I could change the system from the inside, gradually return the monarchy back into what it was supposed to be."

Koby nods along emphatically.

Dalton sighs, scrubbing a hand down his face.

"I realized too late that I was doing more harm than good."

Koby's heart twists.

"You were trying," Koby insists, not willing to sit here and let Dalton pile on his own guilt. "You wanted to save it, and you did your best! The person in charge was corrupt, not you. How would you make any meaningful change if you were expelled or executed?"

Koby tolerated a lot of horrible orders for the sake of changing the navy from the top-down; it'd be worth it when he made Fleet Admiral, so he could change it all. Make the navy the force for good that itshouldbe.

Dalton offers him a rueful smile.

"Eventually, I have to accept that I could never change the system from the inside. Because Iwasthe system. I trained ten dozen knights, and they're all loyal to Wapol, because to be a knight is to serve the king; that's what I taught my men, and that's what they learned."

No, that's not true. Koby dedicated his life to changing the marines from the inside, he did his best to be good, to be kind.

"It's only because the king was unjust," Koby insists. "If he was fair, like his father, they would be good knights. They– they just need a better leader."

Dalton shrugs. "If not Wapol, then it would be his son. Or his grandson. If one man determines the morals of a system with power over innocent people's lives, then maybe the system shouldn't exist at all."

Koby feels some unplaceable, simmering emotion building in him, and he can't help but feel defensive. To be a marine is to serve the World Government, technically, but Koby's goal was to make itmorethan that; about protecting the weak, not serving the strong. To be the bastion of goodness he sorely needed under Alvida's club.

"People rely on the government to- to protect them from pirates and- and lend aid during disasters," he argues, a bit more heated than is maybe polite. "We can't just let people fend for themselves."

"I never said that," Dalton replies carefully, eyeing him.

"But without a system like the government in place–!"

"I never said anarchy is the answer," Dalton interrupts, polite but firm. "I just said a system that values obedience to a ruler above all elseisn't."

"Bu- Because it isn't!" Koby insists. "It should exist to serve the citizens and protect them!"

"I agree," Dalton says mildly.

"The marines have their flaws, and there are plenty who abuse their power, but leaving innocent people defenseless against pirates and marauders is cruel, and–"

Koby cuts off, finally processing what Dalton said. "...you agree."

"Yes, I agree," Dalton says, stifling a smile.

Koby's cheeks burn with shame. Of courseDalton, of all people, isn't advocating for survival of the fittest– Koby personally witnessed him helping the entirety of this country with his own two hands. Insinuating that he would be that heartless was completely out of line. How could he insult this man who has been nothing but kind and giving to his crew?

"My sincere apologies," Koby says. He pushes himself up to stand, most of the weight on his good foot, and bows deeply. "I- I got carried away."

"It's quite alright," Dalton assures, waving him at ease. "I got the sense that this is a matter personal to you."

Koby ducks his head sheepishly, unable to deny it. There's a beat of silence between them, Koby dying from embarrassment and trying to sink into his chair, while Dalton looks him over with a bemused fondness.

"You were in the marines, then?" Dalton asks.

"Wh-What? N-no!" Koby stammers. "I'm not– I'm a pirate!"

Dalton raises an eyebrow. "I know a soldier when I see one."

"That's… Well…" Koby doesn't have a great rebuttal to that one. He clocked Dalton and the few ex-military members of his militia the moment they met. Of course Dalton, who has trained dozens of knights, would be able to recognize him in return.

"You also mentioned the marines in your rant," Dalton adds.

Koby buries his face in his hands. He needs to learn to think before he speaks.

"I'd never guess that a marine-turned-pirate would have such an… idealistic perspective on the matter. Nor such a fresh face."

It probably doesn't help that Koby looks too young to evenjointhe marines.

"I quit pretty recently," Koby admits. "And I'm, uh, older than I look."

Dalton smiles warmly and nods.

"I figured as much. The way you talk, it's clear you're not just a recruit. Officer?"

Koby blushes.

"Y-yeah," He admits.

Dalton's eyes flick over him, assessing, but not in a cold way. Just like he's looking for some kind of insight.

"You miss it."

Koby flinches.

"N-no!" He says, much too quickly. "I-I'm a pirate! I wouldn't— that's— that'd be absurd, haha!"

"It's not a bad thing," Dalton assures him.

Despite his words, a heavy guilt washes over Koby.

"I— I love my friends," he insists. "I've dedicated my life to Luffy and to my crew, and I don't regret it. Not for a moment!"

And this istrue.He loves sparring with Zoro every morning, and chatting long into the night with Nami. He loves listening to Usopp's stories to get through chores he used to dislike, and the way Sanji always makes potatoes with breakfast after nights when Koby hardly sleeps. He loves haki training with Vivi, and quiet mornings watching the sunrise off the bow of the Going Merry. He loves his captain. Every moment with Luffy fills him with giddy excitement and warmth that never seems to fade, no matter how mundane the activity, from exploring new places to silently fishing together for hours.

Dalton hums, rubbing his beard thoughtfully.

"I miss my days as a knight too, sometimes. What we were doing was abhorrent, but my comrades, we fought together. I spent every day with them, training them, practically raising some of them. Leaving doesn't erase those memories."

Koby feels tears pressing at the back of his eyes.

He's been trying so hard not to think about the people he left behind. They don't evenexistanymore. To this Helmeppo, Koby is just the guy who beat him up one time. Vice-Admiral Garp only knows his name from a wanted poster related to his grandson. Vice-Admiral Prince, X-Drake, Hibari, and the rest of SWORD might never know his name at all.

Dalton says that leaving doesn't erase the memories, but in Koby's case, it quite literally did. When he chose to join Luffy, he forfeited his chance to see them all again. And if Koby loves the life he has now so much, it's just selfish and downright hypocritical for him to miss them.

Mutely, Koby shakes his head, unable to form words lest they break the dam of his composure.

Dalton reaches across the table and puts a hand on Koby's shoulder

"In these past few years— past few days, even— I've had to fight my former comrades. Some of them likely died from their wounds, and yet I don't regret that, because it kept these people safe."

His eyes meet Koby's, terribly earnest.

"Still, it doesn't erase fond memories. To pretend that I never cared for them would be dishonest. If I deny my connection with them, then my treason would be laughably frivolous. It was hard for me to leave them, and that makes my decision to protect the people of this land all the more important to me, personally."

Koby swallows, but it feels unbearably tight. Dalton's hand squeezes his shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about them?" Dalton asks.

Koby's breath hitches.

"I– Ican't," he whispers.

"You can. One former soldier to another, I won't tell anyone."

It's getting harder to swallow around the emotions in his throat.

"It won't make sense. The timing, the… the way I left…"

"Don't worry about that. Just tell me what you want to tell me. I don't need an explanation."

He fails to keep the feeling down. It crawls its way out of his throat, past his lips, frantic and vulnerable.

"Okay," Koby says, voice cracking. "I– I joined up with a friend named Helmeppo. Though he wasn't my friend at the start…"

He talks with Dalton for another three hours. Admittedly, Koby does most of the talking, but Dalton is the perfect listener, nodding along, coaxing him to continue when the emotions clam him up, giving him time to breathe between each memory. When he does chime in, it's to share a related story or reminisce about a similar friend. It's… it's sonice, to talk with someone who understands. Not just about the military environment but about the aches of leaving it despite the intimate knowledge of its flaws.

There will always be a part of Koby that wishes he had stuck around to achieve his goal. The part of him that yearns to see the marines become what itshouldbe: help for the vulnerable and protection for the weak. But Luffy was right, as he always is about these things; Koby's dream is really just tohelppeople, and the higher he rose in the ranks, the harder it became to do. So the best he can do now, in this new life as a Strawhat Pirate, is to give that goal something of a eulogy, by talking with Dalton about everything he loved about the marines, and more importantly, the people he truly wishes he didn't have to leave behind.

He's very careful to only refer to Garp as "the Vice Admiral," and to keep any significant events vague, but Dalton doesn't pry. Not even when Koby– all of sixteen years old and 110 pounds in this body– describes his promotion to Captain and taking on the mantle of a senior officer in the New World. Whether Dalton somehow believes him or is simply humoring him, he responds to every story with all the understanding and openness Koby could ask for.

By the time he gets towards the end of the story (his sworn rival becoming a major threat in the New World, and sudden aggression from an ex-warlord forcing the navy to grant Koby a temporary truce with his rival's fleet and allies), Koby is so exhausted that he starts to nod off mid-sentence. He doesn't even notice until a hand on his shoulder startles him, and he realizes Dalton is standing over him, shaking him awake.

"Sorry to wake you," Dalton apologizes quietly. "But the Witch Doctor will have my head if I let you sleep out here. Should I help you back to the recovery room?"

That is a very nice way of saying "the room your crew commandeered."

"Mm." Koby nods drowsily, fumbling for his crutches behind him before he realizes Dalton already has them, and is holding them out in offering. With his assistance, Koby manages to hobble his way down the hall.

"Thank you," Koby says when they arrive, bowing as low as his crutches allow. "I didn't realize how much I missed them. I feel… lighter."

Dalton smiles warmly. "You are very welcome. I'm glad to help. I must confess, knowing that there is someone else out there with similar aches fills me with a great deal of comfort. I think, perhaps, I often forget I'm human underneath my penance."

Koby gazes up at him, a man he already admired for his selfless leadership, who spent hours listening to a story that probably doesn't even sound plausible, and never once complained.

"I hope you can learn to forgive yourself, Dalton. It's clear that your community already has, and I think everyone deserves to feel human, no matter what they might have done."

Sheepishly, Dalton dips his head.

"I will… consider that. Good night, Koby."

"Good night, Dalton."

While Dalton takes his leave, Koby hesitates for a moment at the threshold. His observation haki picks up another person awake at this hour, just around the corner in the other direction.

The voice is turbulent, but stifled, like someone is actively suppressing their gut reactions. Quashing curiosity and longing down with bleak sadness as they come, hasty and messy. The haki itself is quite familiar, a resonance like the ball-bearing of a small bell muffled by a harsh fist.

Chopper.

Was he listening in? Koby was so engrossed in reliving his memories that it's possible he wouldn't have noticed Chopper lingering there the whole time, undetected.

Now that he's aired out the lingering wounds of losing his old friends, Koby realizes that, perhaps, a portion of his anxieties around Chopper's refusal were… projection. He already sacrificed so many of his own relationships to live this life, and the thought ofeven morecasualties from that decision— the crew'sdoctor—made him sort of… irrationally upset.

"Chopper?" He calls out.

His emotions flare in surprise and fear, and then flee as far away as possible.

Koby's first instinct is to chase after him, ask if he's okay and why he keeps running off. But he's exhausted from baring his heart and crying all night, his cast won't let him run very fast, and frankly, he's not as worried about it as he was a few hours ago. If Chopper is meant to be a Strawhat Pirate– as Koby knows he is– then Luffy will not leave the island without him. Even if Koby's presence has made Chopper resistant, his captain has already extended the invitation. Perhaps he just needs to have a little more faith that if Chopper made his way onto the crew once before, then surely, he will make it to them again.

The thought doesn't eradicate his anxiety, but it certainly quiets it for the time being, enough for Koby to take a deep breath, open the door, and crawl back into bed.

By the next morning, Nami is down to only the slightest fever, and she's ready to get going to Alabasta. Koby doesn't blame her; the article from the newspaper she hid away has been weighing on him, too. They're no longer just stopping a political coup, they're trying to prevent mass civil war.

As such, Nami has spent the entire morning haggling with Dr. Kureha for an early release. Unfortunately, while Nami is veryverygood at haggling, the doctor is somehow even more mulish.

"I feel completely fine! I'll rest up and take the rest of the medicine on the way there. Frankly, it sounds like you're only keeping me here to wring more money out of us. Which I will not tolerate! The food, plus Luffy's free ass-kicking,andthe lockpicking! That's more than square."

Koby wouldn't call Zoro breaking the armory door off its hinges "lockpicking," but considering she wasn't allowed to leave the room toactuallypick the lock, it's close enough.

"For the millionth time, it ain't about payment, girlie. You're under observation for a week and a half, no less."

Nami scoffs and folds her arms. "Everything is about payment," she sniffs.

"It sure is," Kureha concurs, and for a moment Nami perks up, mistaking the agreement for acquiescence. "Except when I decide it's not."

Nami scowls, half a second away from full-on growling. Koby presses his body further into the corner. Having two women arguing in the same room is a bit of a stress on his nerves, and this has been theentire morning.

Koby isn't sure whose side he's even on. They'rebothright. They really can't afford to wait another week and some with Alabasta devolving into civil war, but theyalsocan't just leave if Nami is at risk for sudden and dangerous complications.

The solution, in Koby's opinion, would be to bring along a doctor with knowledge of this disease. Perhaps someone that already gets along with the crew, and has already been invited to join. Someone like Chopper, maybe.

Seems like the perfect solution! If only Chopper didn't break down crying at the suggestion.

He's at his wits' end, stuck in the bed doing nothing about it. Usopp very pointedly hid Koby's crutches after he tried to take a walk this morning, so all he can do is lay here and "heal."

To distract himself, he practices armament haki, chats with Nami about their estimated location based on his lackluster navigation, and prods Sanji into explaining the pros and cons of every frosting type, in alphabetical order. It's no substitute for being able todosomething, but their company makes the day bearable.

By the time evening falls, Sanji has only just started listing his personal grievances with Royal Icing, when Doctor Kureha bursts in with a giant sack, tailed by a particularly confused-looking Dalton.

"Now you listen here, girlie!" She says, and doesn't even leave a moment's pause for Nami to respond. "I'm leaving all your prescriptions for the next two weeks on this table right here, clearly labeled, organized, and sealed in temperature-safe, easily-pocketable bottles! And I'm also leaving a bag of warm winter coats, mittens, hats, and boots right here by the door, as well as a pair of crutches!"

"Uh-"

"Now, I need to spend the next two hours in the basement, and I won't be coming back at all until then! You kids better not, under any circumstances, sneak away! You got that?"

Then she vanishes as quick as she appeared, leaving Nami, Sanji, Koby, and Dalton staring at each other dumbstruck in her wake.

"Did— did she just tell us we can leave?" Koby asks.

"I… think so?" says Dalton.

"Seems like it," Sanji concurs.

"Huh," Nami replies, staring at the sack of clothes. "Would it kill her to just admit I was right?"

Dalton has to drag Sanji into the wheelbarrow like someone might drag a feral cat into the bath ("I'm a man! I can walk!"), so Koby and Nami walk down ahead of them. There are a few close calls with his crutches slipping on the icy stairs, but they make it down in one piece. As they approach the grand entrance, voices drift in from outside.

"It's not impossible! It'll be FUN!" Luffy shouts.

Koby crutches out of the castle and is both surprised and delighted to realize that Chopper is here, talking to his crew. Until he realizes what he's saying.

"I'm grateful to all of you… But I'm a reindeer! With hooves! And a blue nose!"

"Oh, Chopper," Koby whispers. With haki, he can feel the pain in his heart, the way that he truly believes that all these neutral facts are something to be ashamed of. It's not that Koby offended him or changed the timeline in some way– Chopper refused to join because he'sscared.

"Of course I want to be a pirate! But I'm not human, like you are! I'm amonster!I can never be part of your group! But–!" Chopper's voice breaks, and he stops shouting, eyes screwed shut. The rest of his words are barely audible as he chokes down a sob. "–But thank you for asking me."

Nami looks at Chopper with pity, but also sympathy. Koby wonders how much of herself she sees in Chopper, the way he so vehemently rejects Luffy's offer, despite so clearlywantingit.

"S-So I'm staying here, but maybe someday… please, come back to visit me… if it's not too much trouble…"

Koby feels exactly what his captain is going to say, the moment before he even says it. At this point, he's memorized the way Luffy's heart chimes and sings with the song of a new friend. He finds himself yelling out with him:

"JUST SHUT UP AND COME WITH US!"

The rest of the crew grins, as Chopper's eyes begin to well with tears. The way his heart opens with hope and relief and pure joy is so unspeakably beautiful, Koby will never forget the sound of it as long as he lives.

"OKAY!" Agrees their newest crew member.

One minute, Koby is sitting around in the snow, chatting with Dalton and Sanji while Chopper says goodbye to Dr. Kureha. Nearby, Zoro drinks, Vivi huddles with Nami for warmth, and Luffy and Usopp prepare the cablecar.

The next minute, kitchen knives whiz past his head, everyone is screaming, and Koby is in a pile of limbs on the floor of a wooden sleigh with Sanji's knee pressing into his ribs.

By this point, Koby has also joined in on the screaming, as he feels the familiarswoopin his stomach that indicates terminal velocity.

Terrified, he grabs onto whatever he can reach, which just so happens to be Sanji. Sanji, also screaming, grabs back, and they hold each other on the floor of the sleigh, screaming together.

When the sleighTHUNKSheavily onto the snow, Koby yelps at the sudden jolt to his ankle. This is nothing compared to the way Sanjihowlsin pain.

"Sanji!" Koby cries, frantically checking him over for injury, as if there is anything he could realistically do about a spinal problem in the back of a moving sleigh.

His fussing seems to bring Sanji back to himself, at least, because he palms Koby's face and shoves him as far away as possible.

"Stop that! Only women are allowed to touch me!"

Nevermind that they were literally just hugging onto each other for dear life, then. Right.

"WAHOO! That was awesome! Do it again!" Luffy shouts, standing on the back railing of the sleigh with both fists in the air.

"Idiot, we have to set sail!" Zoro scolds, dragging him back into the carriage proper.

Nami and Vivi are both pale white and clinging to each other so tightly they're in danger of merging into one body.

Then there's Chopper, who is actually pulling the sleigh himself in Run Point. Whatimpressivestrength.

"We… we aren't dead?" Usopp asks, faintly. He's gripping the walls of the sleigh with white knuckles. "I thought we were going to die."

As if the universe itches to prove him wrong, there's a huge unmistakeable BOOM of cannon fire.

Koby startles, reflexively pulling Sanji down to bodily shield him from the incoming volley.

Except the impact never hits. Because the cannons aren't firing at them.

"Get off of me!" Sanji snaps. "I have to protect Nami-san and Vivi-chan!"

"And me!" Usopp tacks on.

"And Uso— NOT YOU!" Sanji catches himself before he accidentally agrees.

Chopper slows down, bringing the sleigh to a halt. His neck cranes upward, staring at the sky where the cannons fired, and he suddenly shifts into brain point, ducking out of the pull harness.

"Why would she…?" His voice trails off.

It's not a cloud of smoke from a burning, ravished city, like Koby might expect, but rather a beautiful halo of pink around the top of the highest drum mountain. It's gorgeous in the golden hour of twilight, backlighting the pigment cloud so brightly that it looksalive, with stained snow dappling the mass like rustling leaves, falling gently on the mountain ranges below. The tall, vertical drum peak beneath, it looks an awful lot like a tree trunk.

It's a sakura tree. A very beautiful, impossiblymassivesakura tree.

"D-Doctor… Kureha…" Chopper whispers, eyes welling with tears.

Then he falls to his knees andwails.

Koby is startled, for a moment, before he recognizes Chopper's crying out not in distress, but in relief. His haki feels like beautiful sleigh bells, shaking violently and joyously, like can hardly make enough noise to convey the properpowerbehind the emotions.

There were cherry blossom petals on his father's flag, weren't there?

The sight had already been beautiful, but the connection causes tears to well up in his eyes.

Slowly, the rest of them all climb out of the carriage, eyes transfixed on the gorgeous display. From the massive, proud smile on Luffy's face, it's clear that he's made the connection to the flag too. But none of them dare speak, overcome with a hushed awe at the beauty.

"What a lovely dream," Koby whispers, so quiet that no one else can hear. "I promise we'll take good care of your son."