Coby caught up with the trio in time to see them arrive before the marine base's large gates ''Oh…of course they'd be shut. What do we do? Lure them out and sneak in?''

''Why? You know I can get in real easy.'' Luffy's claim came as a surprise but the pink haired boy understood.

''But what if you jump right in the middle of enemies?''

''No need to worry about that.'' Miguel raised a hand, the door suddenly creaked in response. In seconds, it began to twist and shrink. With one wave of his hand, the door went flying off the handles, flying right inside with the force of a bullet.

''Awesome!'' Luffy cried.

Coby tried to pick his jaw off the ground ''M-Miguel-san, did you eat a Devil Fruit too?''

His eyes traveling between Luffy and Miguel, Zoro watched as he smiled ''How about I just leave that to your imagination? Come on.''

A number of marines had been attracted due to all the noise, gawking at the quartet making their entrance.

''Wait, it's just kids?''

''There are ones who stood up to Helmeppo-san…''

''What do they want?''

''Who cares? They're attacking us!''

''Look at that, a welcoming committee.'' Zoro drawled.

Luffy sniggered ''Let's get 'em!''

Both ducked as a pair of attackers rushed their way, Zoro punching one in the jaw while Luffy's kick sent the other one flying. The first waved a hand ''Well, I don't fight unarmed too often but this should be a cinch.''

Coby started as others crowded around him, Miguel calmly walking forward ''You know, you could always just stand aside. If you think about it, we're doing you a favor.'' A few of them looked uncertain at this, more than a little confused. One grimaced before charging forward, lashing out with a scimitar.

A sigh ''…Well, I tried.'' Miguel ducked as he swiped, elbowing the man's side before grabbing his arm and throwing him over his shoulder. Idly picking up the sword, he looked at Zoro while he knocked out two other enemies, grabbing the sword strapped to his belt. ''Zoro, you interested?''

''Hm…what the heck, let's see them both.'' He examined the scimitar. The quality was actually decent but he could tell the owner didn't really maintain the blade well, what a waste.

Miguel's sword on the other hand was interesting. The green hilt and pommel had a wavy design, the blade clearly in excellent shape and very well cared for. ''I'll be borrowing this!''

A few of the marines decided to take aim at the pair, realizing they were very much underestimated. Miguel looked over and their weapons soon floated out of their grasp before being reduced to useless bits of junk in seconds.

Looking back from the marine he knocked out with his own staff, Coby addressed the flabbergasted crowd ''…You do realize Miguel-san's the reason you don't have a door anymore, right?''

By the looks of their faces, the answer was no.

Most of them had immediately been on guard the moment they recognized Zoro but his friend was clearly just as dangerous.

''Those guys are lame.'' Luffy punctuated the statement by knocking another marine out. He did find it satisfying that Coby was doing well. The pink haired boy didn't have their power or experience but he clearly knew his way around a staff and had shaken off all his trepidation to focus on the matter at hand.

''You'd think the fact that we're actually doing their job for them makes that pretty clear.'' Zoro reminded.

''Shishishi, true!''

''So, what kind of Devil Fruit power do you even have?''

Luffy was about to respond, only to be distracted at the sight of Helmeppo on a higher floor, peering tentatively through a window ''Hey, he's over there!''

Before anyone quite knew it, he reached out and grabbed a ledge on the building. His arm stretched quite far before propelling him ahead. Zoro gawked, barely even acknowledging Helmeppo running off ''What the hell was that?!''

Coby could only commiserate; it was pretty much how he felt when he saw this.

Both realized how they spaced out when a few cries reached their ears, noticing the enemies nearby being levitated in mid-air, a few being made to slam one another while others crashed down on the ground.

''Head in the game, guys, we're still just getting started.'' Miguel chided lightly.

''Sorry…''

''My bad.'' The two nodded, acknowledging the point. Zoro shaking himself before levelling his current blades and slashing two marines. Coby stared; the blades knocked them down even while they were sheathed. How strong was Zoro?

Noting the enemy numbers, he looked back at Miguel ''We can handle this part, any chance you can go help Luffy? He looks like the type who'd jump right into trouble.''

Coby immediately agreed ''Would you please? He's strong but there's no telling what might happen in there.''

''Right, we'll see you both soon.'' With that, Miguel headed towards the HQ building.

Luffy had expected to come across a few surprises here and there, but this one certainly took the cake.

An orange haired girl was digging around a safe, before grabbing a bag and hefting it over her shoulder. She didn't so much as blink at the sight of Luffy ''Oh, you're already here. Thanks for causing that mess, it made my job so much easier!''

''So, you're a thief?''

''I was looking for a map but this was a dud, those guys captured a pirate I knocked out and they took his treasure before I could. Like hell I'd just let that slide.'' She sniffed. ''Out of curiosity, what do you even want with this place?''

''We're trying to get Zoro's swords from that bastard son back.'' Surprise flickered in her eyes. ''Shishi, maybe then I'd get him to join my crew!''

''Crew?'' The girl scowled ''Don't tell me you're a pirate…''

''Yup!'' Luffy didn't even notice her glare as he carried on ''That captain and his lousy son think they own people, they'll even force them to work under them if they don't get what they want. Those assholes are ruining Coby's dream, think they can make people their slaves-as if I'd let them get away with this!''

Her disgust faded in favor of surprise, his anger seemed genuine and the disgust at Morgan's attitude was something she certainly understood.

After all, she knew what it was like to be oppressed because of a tyrant far too well…

''…That actually explains a lot…''

Luffy was about to leave when she called out to him ''You'll want to find Morgan's son-he was clearly the one involved in this whole mess with your friend. The brat sure likes the sound of his own voice, it was impossible not to learn what he's really like. I bet you anything he'd know where they are.''

''Thanks!''

As the girl headed off, she saw a particularly tall marine attack Luffy with a big club. She could only stare at the strike seemed to do nothing, Luffy seemed to practically bounce it off. ''That won't work, I'm a rubber man! Gum Gum Whip!''

Rubber? Did he mean he ate a Devil Fruit? She'd hardly seen any fruit users in her travels so she'd practically dismissed them as a myth.

Devil fruits were mystic treasures of the sea, known to give those who ate them a number of powers. The tradeoff was that the devil fruit users would become unable to swim. But if one learns to use their power well, they would surely find it advantageous. Anything was possible, but there was too little known about their powers for the people here since most devil fruits were from the Grand Line.

Well, you learn something new every day…

When Miguel caught up to Luffy, it was to find him throwing an enemy into two others with enough force to knock them all down. ''Oh, hey!'' The teen waved with a grin. ''I'm looking for that bratty son, he…''

The boy didn't get any further, for one of the enemies he'd just beaten had managed to press a switch hidden in the walls. A metal wall descended to close the corridor from both sides, then a hatch opened in the ceiling, releasing a number of axes that rained down on them. Luffy yelped as he jumped away, only to be started when the weapons froze in a mid-air before being sent flying in a number of directions. His eyes shone as the metal wall up ahead was suddenly dented further before being reduced to scrap much like with the door, the marines behind it frozen in shock.

''That was so cool! Can you teach me how to do it?'' Luffy enthused.

''W-who are they?''

''What are they?!''

The present marines could barely even muster up the will to fight anymore, clearly aware that they were outmatched. Picking up on this, Luffy crossed his arms ''Where's the bastard son and his lousy old man?''

Helmeppo couldn't believe this was happening to him.

First, Roronoa getting in his way and then his strange friend who was able to beat all his soldiers without even drawing his sword. And they kept undermining him at every turn, those weak soldiers kept insisting that they couldn't arrest either of them without justifiable cause and they really hadn't committed a crime. It was as if they were saying this was all his own fault!

He wondered why his dad hadn't done anything about Roronoa before but it turned out he didn't even care. He'd thought Helmeppo was useless for allowing this to happen in the first place. It felt so good to be the one in power and lord it over others. All this time, he'd been gloating about his dad's power and sure of the fact that Morgan must be wanting to help him, he couldn't have been more wrong. And that sure stung. Then those two bastards interfering pissed him off so much that he wanted to get even in anyway so he decided to go ahead and raise the taxes, thinking Morgan would like that. He was Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan's son, surely that meant he was as great as his father. But that lousy baker had the gall to yell at him instead of falling in line like he should have all along.

Why was everyone looking down on him?!

The sound of his room's door opening jolted him out of his thoughts, only to freeze at the sight of Luffy and Miguel. ''No…no…! Why are you here?!''

''You know why, you jerk!''

The blond was sent flying via one rubber fist, Luffy letting out a satisfied breath. Looking at his room, the boy did a double take. ''…That's just gross.''

Miguel had to agree. One thing that immediately stood about the area was the overwhelming number of pink things-which may not be so bad if the colour wasn't such a garish shade. There were a number of similarly garish suits visible in the half open closet as well as a big box of make up and a couple of plates with kittens on them. And it looked like that curtain was bedecked in sparkles…

He idly wondered if the boy was an okama but honestly, it seemed that okama would have better taste.

The two soon spotted the three blades near the window ''Are they all Zoro's?'' Luffy wondered.

''He did say he used three swords, let's just take them all.''

Nodding, Luffy picked them up, then spotting the commotion outside. ''Miguel, we better go. There's trouble!''

Around the same time…

Zoro and Coby had the situation under control, sure that the opposition was next to minimal at this point when a new voice rang out.

''I wondered what was going on…'' A burly pale haired man, his expression twisting in a sneer at the soldiers ''…and this is the lot giving you trouble? You really are worse than useless.''

''B-but Captain, they…!'' The attempt at protest was put to a swift halt with the gunshot, the speaker dropping and never moving again. Zoro grimaced while Coby was appalled. He killed the man just for that?!

''I thought you knew better than to backtalk to me!'' He spat, hefting the hand that gave him his epithet. ''You brats caused enough trouble and it's time to take out the trash!''

He jumped, thrusting his axe down only for Zoro to block the attack with his swords. The green haired man then spotted a number of marines arriving on the scene, rifles aimed at him and an alarmed Coby. ''So much for the 'great captain Morgan', you can't even fight us by yourself?''

''Why would I waste my time on you pests?'' was the instant response. Lifting his axe-hand again, Morgan made a wide swipe which Zoro fended off. Zoro suspected this wouldn't be easy since he was really at his best with three swords. It was definitely something he needed to work on.

If they got past this…

But he squashed the thought as soon as it came, no! He couldn't die here; he hadn't even had a chance to pursue his dream…how could he be the world's best if he fell now?!

Zoro grimaced as Miguel's sword was sent flying out of his hand with Morgan's next move, the man seizing the opportunity to kick him to the ground. Coby tried to help but the man was already telling his man to fire…

But just as the bullets were coming closer, Luffy landed between the two, shielding them with his own body. Zoro's eyes went wide as the bullets seemed to sink into his body, elongating at the area of impact before being sent flying. Morgan's jaw dropped as the teen met his gaze with a grin. Coby looked relieved ''Of course…his rubber powers mean bullets wouldn't do a thing…''

''Rubber?! So then…'' Zoro scowled as Morgan called for his men to attack again, the few who managed to do so were immediately blown away by a strong gust of wind.

The source became clear as a newly arrived Miguel made his way over, Luffy perking up as Morgan scowled ''Another one!?''

''I'm Monkey D. Luffy! I'm going to be Pirate King!''

The captain was practically gnashing his teeth ''So you're another filthy pirate, I should've known! Well, you're not getting out of here alive!''

Challenge was clear in his gaze even before he spoke ''Let's see you stop me!''

Morgan attacked just as his men followed suit, Luffy jumping away from his axe with ease. Ducking to avoid the rubber teen's counter strike, he swiped his blade once again but Luffy was long gone.

A good amount of the enemies had gathered to attack the others, focusing on the now unarmed Zoro and Coby. The riflemen all decided to attack again, seeing that Luffy was preoccupied and assuming it would work this time. This was soon proven to be a mistake as Miguel made a point of sending all their weapons away just as the last of the enemy numbers arrived.

Morgan nearly broke a tooth from how hard he was clenching his jaw ''If you can't even handle this much, you scum are as good as dead!''

''Maybe start running that mouth when you handle your fight.'' Zoro shot back.

What he mistook as a taunt was in fact a valid point, as he found the hard way with Luffy's oncoming punch being just an inch away from his face. The teen swiftly changed tack, his fist nearly dislocating his shoulder. ''D-damn you! You defiant brats…kill them all right now or you'll suffer the consequences!''

The marines began their charge, Luffy addressing Zoro while their companions fought back ''Here, Miguel said you use three swords.''

''Thanks…'' With one swift motion, Zoro took his offered weapon and held back a good number of the enemies. None of them could really move despite their attempts to push forward, Zoro clearly holding them back with little trouble.

Luffy grinned widely, he really was tough as his reputation said. Exactly what he'd hoped for.

''You got things covered, right?''

''Sure, it's in the bag!'' The rubber teen chirped.

Snarling at the implication, Morgan attacked once more. The teen backflipped before kicking his back, making him splutter. Both didn't fail to see Miguel to find him disarming a couple of marines before striking them down and jumping back in time to dodge another strike coming his way. He knocked the attacker out with a hit to the head with his sheath, then using that same sheath to block another attack and kick the attacker hard enough to stun him before taking him out. Soon enough, all his attackers were defeated.

''Wow!'' Luffy grinned.

Likewise, Zoro watched with interest ''Not bad at all...''

''That was great!'' Coby's smile was wide as an enemy was sent past him, down and out.

''Don't go celebrant yet, as if I'm losing here!'' Morgan spat ''And you! Just when I thought you imbeciles were enough of a disappointment you lose to those pests, shoot yourselves now and spare me the trouble. You're as good as dead anyway!''

Just when Coby thought this couldn't get any worse ''How could he say that?!''

The orange haired thief, who had also been watching the battle from afar, stared at Morgan in just as much as disgust as the quartet. She'd seen her fair share of rotten people but this guy really was deplorable. Who in their right mind thought he could be a captain?

She fought back a smirk as Luffy punched him for the remark, trying to remind herself that this was a pirate.

''You're a big sham of a marine. You're ruining Coby's dream!'' He growled ''And who the hell do you think you are, acting like you get to control everyone? You don't get to steal people's freedom!''

''Luffy-san…'' Coby almost smiled. He'd already known the teen took freedom very seriously, but he clearly held dreams in similar regard. That he'd been willing to stand up for Coby and help him so much really made him glad to have Luffy as a friend.

''Gum Gum Pistol!'' Luffy's swift fist ploughed through the few marines trying to help Morgan, almost reaching the man himself had their intervention not given a chance to side step the attempt. He was quick to attempt a counterstrike only to find his axe blocked by a set of three blades. Zoro's gaze sharpened as he pushed back, throwing Morgan off and knocking him out with a single slash. ''Shishi, thanks!''

A smirk ''Nothing worth mentioning. I just felt like taking out the trash."

It wasn't long before Rika discovered what happened, the enthusiastic girl quickly deciding to spread the word in her jubilation. Luffy chuckling as she took off ''We sure made her happy.''

Coby nodded ''Hopefully, this is the last everyone sees of Morgan.''

''If this doesn't light a fire under the marines' asses, I don't know what would.'' Both immediately agreed that Zoro summed it up perfectly.

''Anyway…'' Luffy faced his three friends. ''…Zoro, join my crew!'' The green haired young man looked taken aback ''it'd be great to have you come!''

Arching an eye, the latter crossed his arms ''Why did you set out to sail anyway? You really think you can be King of the Pirates?''

''You bet!'' The immediate response may have come as naïve but the sheer determination in his gaze left no room for doubt. ''It's been my dream forever and I'll do everything I can to make it happen. I don't care if it's dangerous or is no one thinks I can do it. To me, being king means the one with the most freedom and I won't give that up. If I die, that's all my dream-my ambition was worth.''

Respect flashed across Zoro's features while Miguel smiled at Luffy ''You sure are determined.''

''I made a promise a long time ago that I'd do everything I can to live my dream.'' He chirped. ''You guys have your dreams too, right?''

Miguel's smile grew as he nodded, a grin forming on Zoro's face ''I set out with one goal, to be the world's best swordsman. That's my goal and I won't let anything get in the way. I'll definitely see it through, no matter what. Think you can deal with that?''

''What, are you kidding?'' If anything, the declaration seemed to elevate Luffy's mood all the more. ''The Pirate King couldn't have anything less than the best swordsman out there.''

Zoro looked amused ''There's that confidence again. Hold your horses, I didn't say I'd join…''

''Aww, come on!''

Ignoring that, he carried on ''I want to see what you're really about-if you catch my drift.''

Luffy's lit up as he noticed Zoro's hand on one of his blades ''Let's do it!''

When the girl found the people she'd been looking for, she certainly didn't expect this turnout.

''…What're they doing?''

She realized she verbalized the thought when Coby replied ''Apparently, this is how they test each other. We just agreed to let them do what they want but I still don't get it.''

Frankly, she didn't either. What was even the point? It seemed so unnecessary…

Miguel gave her a curious look ''Oh, weren't you…Luffy mentioned running into you at the base.''

''Yeah, I saw what you did to those idiots. Good going, it looks like they're finally getting their heads in gear. Morgan's been thrown in jail.'' Coby's face lit up at this ''No idea what happened to that brat he called a son but they seem like they're going to make things better.''

''I'd like to see that.'' Miguel muttered, the bite in his tone surprising Coby.

The girl just took it in stride ''Not a fan either, huh?'' A nod ''So, we've got one strange pirate and the infamous bounty hunter there. And you two would be…?''

''I want to be a marine.'' Coby confessed ''I was just wondering how to even enlist when we found out about all this. As for Miguel-san…I'm not actually sure.''

''A mercenary, for now anyway.'' Both gave him quizzical looks at that ''I'm trying to gather money and treasure to help my home, I just went further than most expected.''

He missed the girl's expression softening at that, eyes traveling back to the fight. It seemed quite a stalemate, neither side giving an inch. While it was hard to tell who'd come out on top, Luffy's sheer flexibility and skill with his power gave him the advantage. But Zoro still used what was clearly his weakness, slashing attacks. He still thought the fight wasn't really necessary but he was starting to understand why Zoro made this choice. Just by looking at them now, they seemed to have a few things in common.

Zoro was picking up on that too. He'd long since learned that there were somethings you could only learn about a person in the heart of battle. And Luffy certainly wasn't disappointing. The teen enjoyed fights like he did, especially against a worthy opponent. His earlier determination was evident in the way he fought; he certainly gave as good as he got. Whatever injuries he'd incurred weren't enough to stop him for long. Zoro knew he was similar in that regard. His skill with a Devil Fruit could only have been born of years of hard work and he certainly had the power to spare.

What also impressed him was his stance when it came to dreams, Zoro was no stranger to people deriding him when they discovered his goal, either considering him an idiot or suicidal. However, Luffy had done nothing of the sort, perhaps because he also had quite the ambitious dream but he pursued it with a passion that matched his own. And he could certainly respect that.

Luffy's grin hardly left his face. Zoro was as tough as he hoped and then some!

He knew neither of them was going all out, there was no need for that but it was still enough for them to get a good read on another. The teen had already liked Zoro after learning of what he did to help Rika and his opinion only continued to grow from there. It was another reason he wanted to teach those marines a lesson, Zoro had more than put up with his end of the bargain so seeing them mess things up like that pissed him off. He was certainly impressive and Luffy would absolutely to have him join his crew.

Luffy ducked to avoid an oncoming slash, not even blinking as the blade grazed his side, likewise, Zoro didn't even blink when his fist connected. ''So, we good?''

The swordsman grinned back, likewise satisfied ''Yeah.'' Putting his swords away, he held out a hand ''Well, I never thought I'd become a pirate but somehow, I find that I really don't mind now. So, guess you finally got yourself a crewmate…captain.''

His eyes practically shone ''YAHOO!''

Miguel and Coby couldn't help laughing as he jumped up high, the girl snickering along ''He really is a goofball, huh?''

It took Luffy a bit to stop celebrating, which was when he noticed the girl ''It's you! What, you wanted to join us after all?''

She snorted ''Don't push your luck. You might have gotten the pirate hunter over there to join through some weird male ritual thing I'll never understand but I told you, I hate pirates. You seem all right but that's hardly going to change my mind.''

Zoro ignored Luffy deflating at that ''So, what were you doing in the base anyway?''

''Looking for a map to the Grand Line that I heard would be here, somehow it turns out it's actually with Buggy the Clown.''

Coby blanched ''You're not going to go after him, are you? He's really dangerous, his bounty's…''

''I know, kid, you're talking to someone who's been targeting pirates for years.'' She waved a dismissive hand. ''Anyway, I was just wondering what you all were up to with people are living it up thanks to…''

Blinking at the sound of a growling stomach, she followed it to Luffy ''…I forgot but I'm really hungry. Can we go back to the kid's place? They had some yummy food!''

''I'd be surprised if she wasn't looking forward to it. Rika-chan really seems to like you two.'' Coby looked at Miguel and Zoro.

Miguel smiled back ''Then I guess we've got a plan…'' He chuckled at Luffy's cheer ''…you want to come, Miss…?''

''Nami.'' She offered ''And thanks but no, I was already leaving anyway but maybe we'll see each other sometime. I'd say you should catch up with him but…'' Brown eyes widened in confusion. ''…does he even know where he's going?''

That was a valid question, namely due to the fact that Luffy had gone off in a direction that wasn't anywhere near the tavern. Zoro snorted ''I guess that dope just remembers the food. Otherwise, he'd know the place is that way.''

But he really had no right to talk, the reason being…

''...That's the opposite direction.'' Nami droned. ''I have to say, kid, I do not envy you two right now.''

Coby sighed ''I know…I wouldn't either…''

After managing to get the two to follow them, the quartet settled at the tavern. They were indeed welcomed by Rika and her mother, who was just as elated as her daughter by the news of their town's freedom. She was quick to invite them to a hearty meal out of gratitude, much to Luffy's delight.

''Miguel, join my crew!''

Blue green eyes widened at the rubber teen ''You want me to…?''

''Yup! I want to find the best for my crew and you'd be awesome!'' He didn't doubt it for a second. All Luffy had seen had heard about the young man told him nothing but good things.

''Ah, thanks…'' His lips quirked ''…but I don't know about this…nothing against you guys but I never really considered becoming a pirate before. I need to think about it.''

Luffy held back a frown, trying to remind himself that it was not a no. Coby seemed concerned, however ''Are you sure you would become a pirate, Miguel-san? If you're actually doing this to help your home…''

''Oh, I think it's safe to say that won't make much of a difference. If you mean the marines, I'm just one of the people who's been on the government's bad side nearly all our lives. Me being a pirate or not won't really change that.''

A baffled Luffy gave him a strange look ''Wait, really? How come?''

Zoro seemed to have a guess though ''You know, I've been trying to figure you out but quite a few things made sense today. You were a wizard all along, huh?''

Luffy and Coby turned to their friend, certainly not expecting that. The strange instances they'd noticed in battle did finally fall into place though. Coby seemed unnerved, something they took note of as Miguel just shrugged ''I am.''

''So that was magic you were doing this whole time? Neat!'' Luffy exclaimed.

''You're a lot nicer than what I heard of wizards, Miguel-san.'' Coby remarked.

''You just haven't met much of any.''

The pink haired boy considered that; wizards really did have a bad reputation in lots of places. He'd never been clear on the details but Miguel was indeed the first one he'd ever encountered.

Not that reputation was an absolute thing anyway, look what people said about Zoro and what he was actually like in person.

''So, wait why would Miguel be on the marines' bad side then? He's a really good guy!'' Luffy exclaimed.

''From what I hear, it's been that way since the war.'' Zoro thought back. ''I heard the story a long time ago so I'm a bit sketchy on the details but supposedly Elysia, the nation of wizards, wouldn't cooperate with the world government and then the marines attacked them. After a whole lot of battles, they finally figured out a treaty that basically ensured neutrality.''

''That's about the gist of it, yeah.'' Miguel affirmed ''Not that all marines would stick to it either, Morgan's not the only rotten sort I've seen. I didn't realize how bad it really was until I left home but finding out about my powers was all the reason people needed to treat me like dirt. It wasn't that we didn't want to cooperate, it's that the government wanted to take all we had, even having people conscript when they didn't want to…it just looked like they wanted to take advantage of us in every way, to take control of magic. But Elysia's actually been in a terrible state for a long time, our leaders just wanted to stay neutral for our own safety, to focus on Elysia's recovery. We didn't have anything against the government but they even gave us a lot of grief for letting pirates in but some of them really did help us over the years. Pirates aren't all the same. Whitebeard even offered to make Elysia his territory. Not that they cared, we didn't play by their rules so we were the bad guys.''

Coby's heart sank ''That's…that's horrible…''

Anger flashed in Luffy's gaze while Zoro's expression was grim ''It does add up with a whole lot of what I heard though. I'm actually surprised you left, knowing things were this bad.''

''I want to help my home and…well, even if things weren't supposed to be this way, it's just me now but that doesn't void the promise we made to each other.''

He didn't elaborate but the implication was clear. The person he had in mind was no longer around.

''So, they expected you to throw your lives and do all they want in a heartbeat?'' Zoro asked darkly.

Miguel's lips pursed ''Apparently. None of us even know who's born with magic and who isn't, it's never been something we have any control over. Elysia just has the greatest number of wizards but it can happen to anyone. Some of those idiots actually thought we somehow restricted magic from them to hoard it to ourselves. We just wanted to live freely and I refuse to believe that's wrong. You don't meet much wizards partly because a lot of us just learned to conceal our gift but really there's so few of us left…maybe just about 12% at most.''

Luffy choked in shock while Coby paled, Zoro's eyes going wide at this. None of them had ever thought the situation was this bad.

''Of course, it isn't wrong to want to live free, it's only what you deserve!'' The rubber teen exclaimed.

''Thanks…it'd be nice if more people could understand that.''

''It's really impressive that you'd go to such an extent to help Elysia though, I don't think I could do it.'' Coby praised.

''I don't think it's a question of can or can't. Somethings in life you just do.'' Miguel returned.

Zoro was more inclined to agree with the boy but he certainly respected Miguel's resolve ''Couldn't have said it better. So, what're we going to do now?''

Luffy had an immediate response ''We're going to the Grand Line!''

''What? You can't!'' Coby spluttered ''Look, two people on that ocean are definitely going to get killed. The strongest pirates gather there, ask Miguel-san. He'd know what I mean!''

''He's right.'' Aforementioned young man nodded ''You can't underestimate that place, even people who lived there all their lives are extremely careful about traveling. You definitely need a strong ship and more crewmates. It's not even just the pirates you have to worry about, you'd best try prepare yourself for anything.''

''So you're not coming with us?'' Luffy asked, a bit of a whine in his voice.

He never got to respond, for Zoro chose the moment to smack of the back of his head ''Don't be so pushy. He said he'd think about it, enough.''

''Fine…''

''Anyway, what're you so worried about, Coby? It's not like you're coming.'' Zoro added.

''But you're my friends! Of course, I'd be worried about you. I know we just met but you really helped me out...we are friends, right?''

''Yup!'' Luffy replied and Miguel nodded. ''Even when we go our separate way, we'll still be friends!''

The boy's wide smile flickered as a worrying thought occurred to him ''...You too, Miguel-san? After what you just told us...''

''Mm, your dream's to be a marine, right? I know you're not going to be anything like the sort I've had to deal with...''

''Definitely not!'' Coby had no intention of sinking to that level. He would never, under any circumstances, like the scumbag marines who helped terrorize his friend's people.

''Well then, we're good. People aren't defined by their professions. Things aren't ever so black and white. You know what they did was wrong so you'll learn from it, that's good enough.''

''Right!'' Coby beamed. ''Thanks to you guys, I learned to fight for my dream so I will become a marine!''

''So, we'll be heading to the Grand Line.'' Luffy brought things back right where they started.

''Yup.'' Zoro agreed.

''You guys are too reckless!'' Coby exclaimed.

Miguel gave him a sympathetic look ''Feels like all we've said just went through one ear and out the other, huh?''

''I'll say…''

Zoro crossed his arms ''We're not the ones you need to worry about. Even if it was against your will, you helped Alvida's crew. Don't underestimate the marine's information gathering ability. If they find out, they won't let you join.''

Coby flinched; he knew but...

''Excuse me!'' A new voice cut in his thoughts, the voice belonging to Commander Ripper, who had taken over since Morgan's defeat, he was joined by two soldiers. Accompanying them were a few of the townspeople, all glaring daggers at the marines.

The reason became evident with his next words.

''I am here to confirm that you guys are pirates, is it true?''

''Yeah, I got my first crew mate here.'' Luffy informed.

''We are grateful for you saving our town but you are still pirates so I'm going to have to ask you to leave.'' Ripper stated. ''Due to your actions, you won't be reported to headquarters. You must leave immediately.''

This got the townspeople fired up, cursing out the marines and calling them out for leaving them in the lurch and then treating their saviors like that. The three marines remained stone-faced, well aware that they deserved this resentment.

Coby privately agreed, his friends deserved better!

However, none of them seemed to mind. Luffy only getting off his perch ''Well, guess we'll be going then.''

Miguel and Zoro easily followed suit. The wizard didn't really care to correct them and he didn't have much reason to stay now anyway. So far as he was concerned, no harm done.

Miguel addressed the townspeople ''Can you just thank Rika-chan for us? They weren't involved in any of what we did but they were really good to us.''

One of them smiled back ''Sure, you better come back sometime. She's been singing your praises so much; she'd love to see you again.''

Ripper looked at Coby ''Aren't you with them?''

''No...I-I'm not...'' He had decided to fight for his dream but not like this...

''Is that true?'' The man asked Luffy.

''Him? Oh, he spent two years on this boat. I think he used to work for this lady...''

''Luffy-san, please stop!'' If they knew he worked for Alvida, his dream was shot!

But it was as he hadn't spoken ''Yeah, and...'' He was then punched by the boy.

''Shut up!''

''Oh, that's how it is? I'll show you!'' Luffy made to punch him only to stop when Ripper stepped in between them.

''It's clear that you're not friends. Please, leave immediately!''

That was when Coby understood. Luffy was trying to help him again...This fueled his resolve all the more.

''Please let me become a marine! I'll do anything, even chores!''

The men eyed him with surprise before one spoke ''Commander, we can't let someone we know nothing about join us! Pirates have attempted to spy on us i the past, we need to do a background check.''

''My dream is to become a marine!'' Coby declared with determination.

Ripper spoke after a while ''Our life isn't easy. Marines have fallen in the line of duty before...but I will let you join.''

Coby's eyes shone with delight, the first step in his dream was taken!

It wasn't long before they got the boat ready, Zoro taking a crack at his new captain ''Safe to say acting isn't one of your talents, huh?''

Miguel chuckled ''Well, half-backed attempt or not, it worked.''

''Shishishi, yup!'' Luffy beamed. ''Now it's up to Coby. You sure you should've just rolled with back there? They think you're a pirate now too.''

''It doesn't matter to me. I didn't regret any of what I did there besides, I was looking to leave…'' Miguel's expression turned sheepish ''…although, I probably should've thought that through a bit more, you guys mind if I come along for now? I don't really have much of a destination for the time being.''

''What're we talking about? We're friends, of course you can come!''

''Yeah, should be fun.'' Zoro agreed.

As they set out to sail, Coby's voice reached their ears, revealing the boy accompanied by Ripper and his men. There were also Rika and her mother, waving at them happily. The most surprising part was the marines, who gave off a salute.

''Just when you think you've seen it all…marines saluting pirates.'' The green haired swordsman chuckled, Luffy sniggering in agreement.

''Thank you, thank you all so much! I'll never forget what you did!''

Eagerly returning their friend's wave with his own, Luffy called back ''We'll meet again, Coby!''

'You have some great friends there,'' Ripper told Coby.

''Yeah, they really are...''

''All right everyone, what we did was against marine code. Therefore, our punishment is 3 days without food!''

''Yes, Sir!''

Luffy's grin grew as he took in the expanse of the waters before their eyes ''All right, by the end of this journey, I'll be King of the Pirates!''

Well, there you have it.

I hope this was good. Just to clarify, Miguel's main specialty is Heavenly Body Magic but he's learned some more spells and studied up to become this skilled. What really caused that war is that the extremists who were in power seized control and everything went to hell. More will be elaborated about this later.

Erm, that's all I can think of at the moment but if you have any questions feel free to ask.