Adventure on the Frosty Seas:
East Blue Saga: Arc I – Romance Dawn:
Chapter 2: Set out on the frosty seas!
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– Ten Years Later –
A small, single-person craft bobbed on the gentle seas. The boat wasn't much, it was barely large enough to fit a small cabin. But it was sturdy, the wood well treated and tough. Thirty feet long, it had a single mast with a sturdy canvas sail.
The sun shone brightly; this was the perfect kind of day to set off. As his small ship drifted away, Luffy waved enthusiastically to the people bidding him goodbye along the docks. His red dress shirt rustled in the breeze, black tie flying to the side as his black vest flapped about. The salt breeze filled his senses, it reminded him of the adventure he was about to embark upon.
At the front, Makino smiled brightly, her green locks whipped about.
"I'll miss you, ya little rascal! I can't wait to read about you in the papers."
Next to her, the mayor grits his teeth in a comical fury. "Don't listen to her! If you become a pirate, you'll bring shame to our village!" The old man's words sounded harsh, but there was little bite to them.
"So long everyone, I'll come home with lots of stories!" Luffy clutched his beloved straw hat to his head; he didn't want to risk losing it in the breeze.
He paused, sensing a shift. It was as if he could hear a whisper in the breeze. Luffy turned, just as the waters fifty yards in front of his ship began to froth. A Sea King erupted from the depths, a large, eel-like head with a slick brown body. Beady yellow eyes regarded him hungrily, fierce fangs jutting from its lower jaw.
"So … it's you, Lord of the Coast. You're always causin' trouble for the fisherman. Take a hike!"
Luffy ignored the screams behind him. With a deceptively cheerful grin, Luffy launched his fist forward. Flesh turned to ice and flew forward to smash into the sea serpent's body. The slippery flesh rippled, before freezing in place as the Sea King was frozen from the inside out.
The once fearsome predator slowly sunk below the waves. Luffy clutched his hat, laughing joyfully.
As his village became an indistinct dot, Luffy turned his gaze to the ocean. The sun shone brightly in pale blue sky with wispy clouds, deep blue waters surrounded his small craft on either side. The boat rocked on deceptively powerful waves. Luffy's massive grin settled into a happy smile. He hummed merrily, as he got busy tightening the rigging and setting the rudder, checking his map and compass to make sure he was headed in the right direction. He wasn't the best navigator there was–he was completely crap at riding currents or predicting the wind–but he could at least read a map and go straight.
'The first stop is Shells Town, that's where the first one is at.' Originally, Luffy had just planned to set sail and let the adventure come as it may. He'd find crewmates, eventually. But Sensei had shown him it was a dumb idea, though not necessarily intentionally. So, he'd begun a list, the most promising people he could imagine for his crew in the East Blue! Honestly, he'd prefer to get the navigator first, but the one he had in mind was really hard to find, and his swordsman was supposedly in Shell's Town.
Once everything was in order, Luffy let out a happy laugh. He was practically vibrating with excitement and happiness. "Adventure, goin on an adven-ture~"
One part of him wasn't so happy. His stomach let out a fierce, bubbling growl.
"Better get something to eat. Like Grandpa says, eat when though art hungry!"
Chuckling at his own joke, Luffy ducked inside the cabin to get a small snack. Said snack consisted of an entire ham, a wheel of cheese, and a dozen apples. After he was finished, Luffy patted his bulging stomach in contentment.
"Ah, that hit the spot."
The quiet moment was interrupted by a sudden, intense jerk. The boat shifted so violently Luffy's meager belongings–a rucksack full of his most prized possessions–went flying to the floor. Luffy struggled to stay on his feet, as the boat pulled hard to the starboard side. Fighting the pull of momentum, Luffy remained standing, forcing his way to the cabin door, where he flung it open and came out onto deck.
Luffy blinked dumbly, at the frothing disk of swirling water, a dark, gaping maw at the center that led to the bottom of the ocean.
"Whoah, I got caught in a whirlpool! How silly." He laughed in amusement, as his boat got dragged further into the whirlpool.
He rolled up his sleeves, chuckling in amusement.
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Hours later, on a small island not plotted on any map, an eighteen-year-old girl named Nami snuck through the sandy forest, filled with tropical fruit trees. Her hair, orange as flames, was covered by a bandana, and she wore a striped shirt and dark pants that adhered tightly to her frame. Her eyes were locked on a warehouse–the place where the Alvida Pirates stored their loot–when she spotted an absolutely bizarre sight.
A tall boy around her age, walking on water. She blinked, rubbing her eyes in disbelief when the boy was still there. Wearing an untucked dress shirt with a lazily done tie, black vest unbuttoned, and matching black pants, his simple sandals and straw hat were an odd contrast to the fancier clothes. He carried a sack slung over his shoulder, as he strolled across the water.
Nami shook her head, deciding it was just some sort of illusion of the sea. She had more important things to do than stare at some stranger. Like rob the Alvida Pirates; she hadn't spent two weeks figuring out where their hideout was for nothing.
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It took many long hours of walking for Luffy to finally reach land. With every step, the thin platform of ice underneath his feet extended, the platform formed a foot-thick layer on the ocean's surface that swayed in the waves. Whisps of mist swirled across the surface as the suns heat mixed with the chill of the ice.
His stomach growled like a crazed beast, as he saw a speck of tan and green on the horizon, slowly growing larger. Eventually it resolved into the shape of a low-slung island, mostly flat, and covered in a palm-tree forest.
Tucked inside a cove, was a garishly painted three masted ship, hearts on the sails, and a white duck's head as its figurehead. It was docked in front of a pair of warehouses. A flagpole stood tall and proud; a black flag waved in the wind with a jolly roger of a sideways skull with a heart on it. Luffy's eyes lit up. If this was a pirate hideout, those warehouses probably had food!
With a whoop of glee, he blazed forward. The ice platform shot ahead, forming a thin bridge between him and the island. He tore across the sand and ran straight through the wall of the warehouse.
Splinters of wood rained everywhere, as he burst through the wall. Luffy paid little heed to the occupants of the room–a wimpy looking pink-haired boy, and three rough looking pirates–and headed straight for the food. A barrel of big, juicy red apples caught his gaze first. Luffy scooped them up by the half dozen with his large hands, popping two and three in at a time as he devoured the bushel of apples. They were sweet, and tart, exactly what he needed after using so much energy making the bridge here!
As the edge came off his hunger, Luffy took greater note of the other people in the room. Two of the pirates had gathered themselves from the shock, drawing their cutlasses and advancing on him menacingly as the pink-haired boy cowered, and a third lay unconscious under a section of the wall he'd knocked down. Luffy chewed thoughtfully, before swallowing, and asking a question that managed to infuriate the pirates.
"Hey, who're you guys?"
"Who are we, you're the one that came crashing in here, who are you?" Shouted one of the pirates, who had a goatee.
"Monkey D. Luffy," He answered simply. Perhaps these guys were stupid. Or maybe just rude. Who refused to introduce themselves when asked? His eyes locked onto the downed pirate. "Hey, what's up with him? He'll catch a cold sleeping there."
"You're the one that put him there!" Said another pirate, this one wearing a striped bandanna. He growled, advancing with his partner. "What the heck are you doing here?"
Luffy shrugged, popping the last of the apples into his mouth. "My ship got caught in a whirlpool. Ended up here, good thing, cause I was starving. Say, is there any more food?"
Apparently, that was all the pirates could take. "Eat this!" They charged at Luffy with their swords. Unable to watch, the pink-haired boy flinched and looked away, missing an incredible sight. With a casual air, Luffy raised an arm, the limb turned a glossy, opaque white. The swords hit his arm and shattered like glass, leaving their owners gaping.
"What the hell are you kid?"
"Shishishi, that wasn't very nice, you should chill out." Instead of answering, Luffy clenched his fist and reared his hand back, before whipping it forward. His opaque limb shot forward, sending to two men crashing into the wall. He reeled his arm back in with a chuckle. "Get it? Chill, like ice?"
He stopped paying attention to the three men. As he turned his back on them, two of them scrambled to their feet and dragged off their fellow.
"Now, more food."
With the pests gone, Luffy began to root around the many boxes, tossing away useless things like spare sails and tools, and letting out a shout of glee as he ripped open a box and came across some cured ham. Luffy tore off the brown paper wrapping and began to tear chunks out of the delicious meat.
"Um, excuse me, but you're Luffy, right?" The pink-haired boy spoke up timidly, flinching as Luffy paused, he swallowed his ham then tilted his head curiously. The kid looked fairly unremarkable, aside from his bubblegum pink hair, parted straight down the middle. A little on the pudgy side, he wore thick, blue-framed glasses, and a white shirt with blue pants. Perhaps the oddest thing was the sailor's ascot. "Don't you know who this island belongs to?"
"Nope." Luffy popped his lips around the 'p', tearing another chunk of ham off.
The pink-haired boys' eyes bugged out. "It belongs to the notorious pirate Iron-Mace Alvida. I'm her cabin boy, Koby. Those guys are gonna tell her about you. You really should go, she'll kill you if she finds you here."
Luffy tossed the rest of the ham, bone, and all, into his mouth, crunching down on it easily and swallowing in one big gulp.
"Eh, no big deal. I'm a pirate too, I can just beat her up if she gets mad." The pink-haired boy seemed to have a heart attack, gibbering in fear as Luffy laughed. This kid was hilarious! "Though, if you've got a boat or something, that'd be great, I kinda lost mine in a whirlpool."
Shaking his head, the boy seemed to relax just slightly. "Well, there are a couple boats, but those are guarded. I have a dingy I made, but it's a bit flimsy. It took two years to build … but I don't need it anymore. I wanted to escape. But I can't build up the courage. Guess it's just my lot to be a cabin boy. Though, once, I once dreamed of something else …" Koby trailed wistfully.
"Then why don't you leave?" Luffy tilted his head curiously. He couldn't understand why someone would just accept not chasing their dreams.
Koby shook his head furiously. "No, no, impossible, I couldn't possibly do that! Just thinking about what she'd do to me terrifies me!" The young boy gained a thousand-yard stare, recalling something terrifying. "I still remember the day. I wanted to go fishing, but I wandered onto a pirate boat instead. It's been two years since then and I've had to be Lady Alvida's cabin boy to keep my life."
"Shishishi, you're pretty clumsy, and you've got no guts. Man, I hate worthless people like you."
"You didn't have to be so blunt." The pink-haired cabin boy winced, giving an awkward, humorless chuckle. "Not that you're wrong. I do lack guts. I could never just set sail on my own. Say, Luffy, why did you set sail?"
"Well, I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!"
Koby gasped, his eyes bugging out in a way that made Luffy burst out laughing. "King … of the pirates. But that means, you have to obtain it all! Wealth, fame, power! You're after the One Piece?"
"Yep."
"Do you want to die or something, every pirate in the world wants that treasure!"
"So? I'm after it too."
"But the odds are too high, nobody can stand at the apex during this great pirate era, it's impossible. Impossible!" Koby began to shake his head, repeating the word over and over again.
Annoyed, Luffy punched Koby on top of the head. The boy collapsed, a smoking lump on top of his head. The pink-haired boy groaned rubbing his head morosely.
"Why'd you hit me?"
"You were being annoying." Luffy said bluntly. Was he supposed to feel bad for the kid, he insulted his dream.
"Oh. I supposed it doesn't matter; I'm used to it."
Rolling his eyes at the boy's attitude, Luffy took off his hat and stared at it fondly. "I don't care if I die. I decided a long time ago that my dream was to be the King of the Pirates, so I'm gonna do it. If I die trying, then at least I tried."
"You're not even afraid to die?"
Koby said the words with awe, as if he was receiving some divine revelation.
"Yep. And it's not like I think I'll fail. I'm gonna become King of the Pirates." Luffy grinned, placing his hat back on his head and flexing his arm so the red dress shirt bulged. "I'm pretty strong."
Tear gathered in Koby's eyes, as he came to a realization. "Do you think, I could be like that too? If I'm willing to risk my life, do think … I could join the Navy?"
"Navy, huh?" Luffy smirked, thinking of his grandfather. The old fart had been incensed when Luffy told him he was setting out on his journey, still ranting and raving about making Luffy a marine.
"It's always been my dream," Koby insisted, his eyes brightening. "It'll mean we're enemies … but, ever since I was little, I wanted to be a marine. To protect people. Do you think I could do it, Luffy?"
"How am I supposed to know? That's up to you to decide."
"Well … I'm gonna do it, after all, what have I got to lose?" A new fire burned in Koby's eyes, as he clenched his fist. "I don't wanna be a cabin boy my entire life. I'll join the marines, and I'll capture bad guys, like Alvida!"
As the last words slipped from Koby's lips, the wall behind him was obliterated. Dust and wood flew everywhere, and light poured through where the dust once stood. A flowery scent floated through the air, but it was accompanied by a rather off-putting sight. A large woman–both in height and girth–stood menacingly. She had long black hair that fell about her round face under a big white hat. She was taller than Luffy, and possibly ten times as wide. Her pink checkered shirt struggled to hold back her gut; pants stretched to the limit. Alvida sneered, leaning on a massive club-like mace as Koby cowered.
Behind her, a group of burly men stood, all dressed in well-worn clothes–though surprisingly clean for pirates.
"Just who are you going to capture Koby, you traitorous little worm?" The woman growled, her voice was deep, and grating. She eyed Luffy up and down, snorting. "Is this the bounty hunter you brought to capture me? He definitely isn't Roronoa Zoro. I'll give you one chance to repent Koby, who is the fairest in all the seas?"
While his new friend cowered, Luffy looked at the woman curiously. "Hey Koby, who's the tough old hag?"
A myriad of reactions rippled through those gathered around. Koby, and the men behind Alvida, cowered in fear, as though an explosion would go off. Their mouths gaped wide, eyes bugging from their sockets. And Alvida stewed, steam coming from her face as it turned red with rage and her knuckles tightened around her mace.
Koby gasped, seizing Luffy by the shoulders. "Luffy, repeat after me; Lady Alvida is … Lady Alvida is–" Koby's mouth moved, but the sound trailed off. Luffy smiled cheekily, as the boy became lost in his thoughts. Panic and worry swam through his vacant gaze before a burning determination seemed to burst through. "LADY ALVIDA IS THE UGLIEST OLD HAG EVER!"
"Koby you little shit, I'll kill you!"
Luffy couldn't help but laugh uproariously, even as Koby cowered in fear and Alvida let out a howl of rage, lifting her iron mace. Looking at the fire that still burned in Koby's eyes, he decided. He'd help Koby join the marines. After all, he owed his grandpa a replacement for running off. He carefully moved Koby behind him, as he smiled at the enraged cow barreling towards him.
"Well said Koby, now let me handle this."
"It doesn't matter to me, you're both dead!" Alvida let out an animalistic growl, bringing her mace down on his head.
A jarring force slammed into his neck from the top of his head, but Luffy stood strong. He grinned under the brim of his hat, as the metal mace crumbled, the shattered pieces fell across the floor. The top of his head and part of his face covered in ice, Luffy made for quite the site as he leered at the bewildered Alvida Pirates.
"Shishishi, weapons won't work on me."
The men of Alvida's crew recoiled.
"What the hell, he's made of ice!"
"Lady Alvida's mace didn't do a thing."
While her men freaked out Alvida gave him a calculating gaze. "So, you've eaten of the Devil's Fruit. I thought they were myths, but seeing is believing."
"Yep, I ate a Devil Fruit, now I'm a chilly human. Can't hurt me, my ice is as hard as diamond." Luffy laughed joyfully, springing up to pinch a surprised Alvida's nose. With another laugh, he darted out of her reach as she tried to catch him. He wiggled his thumb between his first two fingers. "Whoops, got your nose, better catch me!"
He took off running, heading straight for her crew as Alvida lumbered after him.
"Get him you fools, he's just one man, you've got weapons!"
Emboldened by–or more likely, fearful of–their captains orders, the ragtag group of men gathered their wits, moving to attack Luffy with swords and pistols.
"Gah, ganging up is no fair!" He shouted.
Luffy took a deep breath, before breathing out a gust of chilly air that swept across the ground. Everywhere the breeze touched, ice grew, trapping the men's feet in ice and creating a slick floor. Luffy slid across the frozen ground with glee, whipping out a leg that turned to ice and whipped towards the pirates.
"Frosty Whip!"
His leg slammed into the pirates, knocking most of them out a single blow. Only a few stragglers managed to escape the combination, stumbling backwards, and landing on their rears as their comrades were knocked out. Luffy turned, grinning, to the surprised Alvida.
"Now, for the boss."
Eyes widening in fear, Alvida couldn't do anything as Luffy reared his arm back, before rocketing it forward as flesh turned to ice, and the limb shot forward like a rocket.
"Frosty … Pistol!"
Luffy's fist slammed into Alvida, making her body ripple as the force of the blow sent her barreling past Koby and through a wall.
"There, now that's taken care of, and I've gotten food." Luffy sidled up to Koby, slapping him on the back good naturedly. "Come on, let's get going."
The pink haired boy's eyes widened behind his glasses, clearly confused. "Get going?"
"Yeah, you wanna be a marine, right?" Luffy asked. Koby nodded shyly. "Well, ya can't do that here. I'm headed to a marine base. You can tag along and join up." He said, as if that was the end of the matter. In his mind it was. The pink-haired boy nodded absently, following carefully as Luffy walked across the frozen ground with little issue. For whatever reason, he could walk across the icy ground without slipping if he wanted. Others weren't so lucky.
Eventually, they stood before the three remaining men, who shivered as Luffy stood over them and cracked his knuckles. Their teeth chattered as they rubbed themselves, trying to get warm.
"Go get me and Koby a ship, one that can hold a few people with a cabin."
Luffy had no idea if they had such a ship, but he wanted one, dammit! He wasn't about to cross the ocean with crewmates in a dingy or something.
"Right away sir!" The pirates chorused, scrambling to do his bidding.
He followed behind them, with Koby trailing him as they made their way to the docks where the men began to prepare a small boat. It was simple, painted red with a large sail and single cabin. You might fit five people on it, but only a couple were needed to man it.
The pirates rushed about, untying rigging, and putting supplies aboard as he barked out orders, demanding meat, and some maps.
Finally, it was done, and Luffy boarded with a bemused Koby, waving to the men as they slowly drifted away, as if he hadn't just beaten them up and forced them to get a ship ready.
"Man, what nice guys."
Koby gaped at him. "Um, sure."
As Luffy went to adjust one of the riggings, Koby stared at the map. They'd agreed he would be the navigator for the journey, Luffy wasn't particularly good at that.
"You said you were headed to a marine base, why?"
"To get my first crewmate of course! The last I heard; he was being held captive there."
The pink-haired boy nodded absentmindedly, placing a compass on the map as he tried to figure out their bearing. "So, which marine base is it?"
Luffy hummed pleasantly as he finished tying the last knot, sinching it tightly. "Shell's Town."
"Shell's Town. Odd … the only person I know of being held there is … Roronoa Zoro." Koby let out a squeal of fright, the map tumbling to the ground as he turned to face Luffy. "Don't tell me he's the one you're after!"
He laughed at the boys over the top exclamation. "Yep, I heard he's the best swordsman around, so I want him on my crew!"
"But he's a pirate hunter, he'll kill you!" Koby pleaded, trying to get him to see reason.
"Don't care, I want him on my crew!" Luffy crossed his arms childishly, laughing as his new friend collapsed to the ground in disbelief.
This trip was already turning out to be so fun! He patted a jingling burlap sack of gold and jewels joyfully. It was one of the things he'd made sure the Alvida Pirates packed. After all, a pirate King needed funds! Besides, he was stealing from pirates, not like he was holding up civilians.
Heart feeling light, Luffy breathed in the fresh salt air as he smiled. Little did he know, he'd made a particular cat burglar back on the island particularly mad.
"Who took all the treasure, this is bullshit!"
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Well, what did you think? I'm glad to be getting back to this story, I'll try and update it more frequently going forward.
As always I'd like to give a shout out to my patrons for their support. Chapter 4 is out on Pa tre on right now, as is Tangled Souls Chapter 8.
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Until Next Time,
RinneTaicho, Signing Off!