Chapter Text
Zoro was really tired and hungry as he waited for a month to pass while being tied up on a cross. He didn't like it at all but being a man of his words, he had a promise to keep. It wasn't even like that he could up and leave, 'cause if he does that, Rika would be in danger.
It was already his ninth day and Zoro felt like hallucinating when he heard voices. Lifting his head to glare at the images of anyone who would mock him, he saw two heads pop up from the grayish white walls of the marine base, looking at him.
"Hey! You!" Zoro glared darkly with an intimidating grin. "Could you please come here and untie me?" He asked with his rough voice. He really wanted to relax his muscles, which were feeling too stiff for his liking. "I've been tied up for 9 days and I'm exhausted."
"Look, he is smiling!" The strawhat wearing kid excitedly announced to the pink haired one who ducked lower.
"He..! He talked!" The pink haired boy, who looked like a frightened cat, squeaked in fear.
"I'll repay you. I could hunt down a fugitive and give you the rewards. I'm not lying. I'll keep my word." In a second, he saw the strawhatted boy jump over the wall and walk towards him, despite the warnings of his pink haired friend.
"Don't do it, Luffy! Don't be tricked by his words. If you free him, he'll kill us and escape!" The pink haired boy tried to warn frantically to the black haired one. Zoro ignored his words for the headache which was already sprouting. He really wanted to be left loose, even if it's only for a minute or two.
"He can't kill me 'cause I'm strong too."
Zoro snorted at the words of the strawhatted teen who declared it with full confidence. The scrawny kid looked like a pre-teen with baby fat on his cheeks and bright, chocolaty, big doe eyes. If Zoro has to guess then he would say that he was at least 14 and the pink haired one must be 15 or 16 at most. So even if they joined forces those kids were nothing before him.
"Pleas-"
A ladder was placed beside the pink haired one, stopping him in the middle of his words and making him and the other two turn towards the little girl, Rika, who climbed it, shushing the spectacles wearing teen. She shushed him before peeking at the courtyard. Once she found that it was all clear, she let down a rope, using it to climb down the other end.
"What are you doing?" The pink haired boy freaked out instantly when he saw Rika run over to Zoro.
Zoro watched as the girl, carrying something wrapped in a paper, approached him. He ignored the yells of the pink haired boy trying to warn Rika.
"What are you doing here?" Zoro yelled at her in an angry voice. He didn't want Rika to stay here even for a second! What if a marine came in and punished her for meeting him? He is fucking tied up tight in the ropes, he can't protect her if something happens.
Coby was freaking out at the sight of the pirate hunter shouting at the little girl. He didn't want the girl to be dead but one look on Luffy said to just watch and not act.
"Why don't you do it yourself?" Luffy inquired when he begged him to save the girl once again.
Coby was frightened. He couldn't move but only watched as the little girl offered onigiri to the pirate hunter only for the swordsman to shout at her to go away. He wanted to jump in or at least do something but his nerves weren't allowing him to do it but soon a young man in a suit and two marines in tow came up, making his scared heart beat a bit calmly.
"He has to be someone important. Thank goodness!" Coby sighed in relief. "The girl will be safe now."
But Coby wasn't expecting what happened next. The blonde haired man stepped on the food prepared by the girl after taking a single bite. If it was not enough, he was stomping on it cruelly, making the little girl start crying as her hard work was completely destroyed before her own eyes.
Coby looked at the pirate hunter who was growling like a beast at the blonde haired man, who announced himself as Captain Morgan's son. His eyes flickered to Luffy who was watching everything silently with his strawhat shadowing his eyes.
With each passing moment, the air was getting heavy and cold. It was getting even harder to breathe.
"Throw her out of the base!" The blonde haired man ordered the Marines, who even hesitated but went onto carry the order.
He was too shocked to do anything but luckily Luffy caught the girl in time before she could hit the hard rock pavement and get hurt.
Snapping out of his shock, Coby rushed to the duo to check over the kid.
"Coby," Luffy spoke in an eerily calm voice. To Coby, it felt like the calm before a storm. "Take her to her house."
Coby nodded without a hesitation and picked the scared girl.
Luffy jumped over the wall and calmly walked over to Zoro who was looking at him with angry eyes but he knew otherwise. Behind those angry eyes was worry for the girl who got thrown out. Behind the anger was a flame which was burning in his heart.
"You still haven't left?" Zoro asked with a raised eyebrow. The strawhatted teen should have taken warning from Rika, but no, he was here.
Zoro raised his head to glare at the boy, when he stilled. That was the moment when he felt the vast power hidden behind the scrawny baby look of the teenager standing before him. Those doe baby eyes looked as if they were staring at his very soul, reading his life story without a judgement but all because of curiosity.
Zoro felt like squirming under those eyes, so when he was about to avert his eyes from the chocolaty ones he saw them flicker to gold and red, making his heart stop and breath hitch in his throat. He hadn't heard about anyone who could change the color of their irises. He must be dreaming!
Zoro blinked his eyes to look once more at those magical eyes but they weren't golden red. There was no trace of it in the first place.
'It has to be sunlight.' Zoro reasoned with his frozen nerves.
"Yo! I'm Luffy!" The teen who had almost made him squirm introduced himself with a bright grin on his face. "If I loosen up the ropes, then you're gonna join my pirate crew, okay?"
That was the most stupid sentence Zoro had ever heard. Why the hell would he want to be a pirate in the first place?!
"Pirate? Heh?! So you gave up on life and became a crook, huh?" Zoro asked tauntingly. The one person who he felt worthy of being his opponent was asking him to be a pirate. What a joke!
"It's my dream!" The boy chirped happily as if Zoro had not just commented on the fact that being a pirate was a bad idea in the first place. "There's nothing wrong with being a pirate."
Being a pirate is wrong. At least Zoro thinks so. Pirates are evil but no way the innocent looking boy was even bad. He looked the very definition of joy and innocence. Zoro can admit that he isn't good at reading people but he can tell for sure that the kid before him can't do any harm. But who was he trying to fool? Of all people, Zoro knew to never judge a person by their face.
"Don't tell me you're gonna set me free and force me to join you." Zoro replied in an annoyed voice. The brat had the gall to pout at him and look like a kicked puppy about to whine but in a second as if a switch was flipped, the brat grinned.
"You will join me!" The brat stated with a bright smile. The surety in his voice even made Zoro stop for a second to reevaluate what had been said.
"I'll never join you because I have something that I need to take care of." Zoro answered truthfully with a sigh. It wasn't like he had a bone to pick with pirates, it's just that he had other things to take care of. "I can survive for a month even if you don't help me. That idiot promised to set me free in a month so I'm gonna do everything I can to stay alive and fulfill my dreams."
Zoro really hoped that this would get through the thick skull of the wannabe pirate boy but the boy looked at him with awe.
"If I were you I'd be bored to death in a day!" The boy declared with a little pout to go with.
"That's why we're different. Go find someone else to join you." Zoro tried shooing the brat only for him to study him with his hands stuffed deep in his pockets. That was the time Zoro felt his stomach rebelling against him and his eyes greedily landing on the onigiri.
"You want it?" The brat questioned pointing to the muddy onigiris on the ground, making him nod without any hesitation. "But it is all muddy now. Well, I guess you can't be picky when you are hungry."
Zoro opened his mouth, letting the brat feed him the muddy food. He chewed it, feeling the taste of the onigiris ravel inside his mouth. Despite him coughing out due to the mud, he swallowed it all, not wasting a single brain of it.
He didn't notice the wide sunny smile which shot on the kid's face as he hung his head a bit low to hide the happiness blossoming in his eyes. His crying and grumbling stomach was really grateful for the food.
"Tell that little girl, 'The rice balls taste very good. Thank you very much.'" Zoro requested as his coughing finally ceased. He looked at the strawhatted boy whose smile was splitting his face into two, which was practically impossible for anyone.
"Why don't you come and tell her on your own?" The brat grinned cockily.
"If you are blackmailing me for joining you and becoming a pirate, then give up." Zoro replied with a sigh.
"If I say please, then?" The brat asked with shiny puppy eyes and a pout on his lips.
Zoro sweatdropped.
Which pirate says please join me and makes puppy eyes?!
None!
"I've told you clearly." Zoro gritted his teeth, his patience starting to run low. "I've things that I need to do besides I'm not going to be a bad guy like a pirate."
"Why do you care?" The strawhatted teen crossed his arms over his chest and looked at him in his eyes. "Everyone already thinks you are a bad guy."
Zoro was getting really tired and annoyed with the conversation but it was also a blessing in disguise. He hadn't spoken to anyone for days so he didn't mind much yet.
"I don't care what they say about me." Zoro replied nonchalantly. "I haven't done a single thing that I regretted in the past and it will be the same for the future. So, I won't become a pirate."
Zoro saw the bratty teen huff and announce his own decision despite his reasoning with him. "I don't care. You are joining me."
"Don't decide yourself!" Zoro yelled angrily as his teeth gained sharper edges. He was seriously starting to get irritated and angry but a part of him considered being a pirate, not that it matters anyway.
"You use katanas, right?" The brat asked with his ever present smile. How did the boy know that he is a swordsman was beyond his comprehension as he didn't look like the type of guy who would invest his ears in this type of information.
"Yeah, but that stupid bastard took them." Zoro gritted his teeth, his anger now on the blonde haired bratty son of the marine captain.
"I'll get it back for you!" The brat declared.
"What?" He can't believe the bratty, lanky, scrawny teen is about to infiltrate into the marine base all for him and risk his life. This sure has to be a bluff, even if he can feel his power radiating off him, the kid can't be strong enough to handle a full marine base! He will surely get himself killed.
"So if you want your sword, join my crew!" The brat proposed with a cheeky grin.
All pity which Zoro felt for the teen vanished.
"You're getting on my nerves!" Zoro shouted out loud, not wanting to get his hopes up. Yes, he wanted to be free. He wanted to check if Kuina's sword was okay or not- he would never forgive himself if something happened to it. But the kid would never see the light of he went inside the tiger's den. Before he could say so, the brat dashed to the marine base.
'It's the weirdest day of my stay on this island.' Zoro thought tiredly.
Zoro scowled at the scrawny teen who entered the base to get his katanas. He frowned at the thought of getting forced to join a kid's pirate crew. The brat was too weird to say the least. The way his eyes had scanned the marine base showed recognition, as if he had seen marine bases countless of times.
It was confusing.
His eyes at Zoro, on his dirty smelly self, didn't show pity or disgust but pure belief. Belief on what? That Zoro won't betray the kid? That he won't refuse the kid's offer? Zoro wasn't sure. But one thing that he was sure of was that despite the kid's scrawny, innocent stature, the kid was powerful.
But he wouldn't know until he sees it for himself.
The brat's eyes felt all knowing. But what did he know about what? Or why was he doing what he was? Why risk his life for a total stranger even if he wanted him to join his pirate crew?
A part of him worried if the strawhatted teen- Luffy, his mind supplied- would be okay roaming in a marine base ruled by Axe Hand Morgan all alone. Zoro didn't want to think about it and was luckily snapped out of it by the pink haired boy who was with Luffy earlier.
"Where is Luffy?" The brat, who was approaching him, questioned. "Oh, and I'm Coby."
"He went inside." Zoro replied, acting nonchalant. He didn't even bother to answer in detail, so he thought the boy would question but the next he knew the brat was trying to free him from the ropes.
"Oi!" Zoro warned the teen instantly. "If you help me they are going to kill you." He didn't care about deaths, but the death of innocents never sat well with him.
"You shouldn't have been arrested in the first place." The pink haired brat, Coby, replied, not even stopping at his work of untying the ropes. "I can't stand these kinds of marines. I'm going to become a real marine. Just like the way Luffy is determined to become the Pirate King."
Zoro narrowed his eyes on the teen. The scrawny kid being a pirate king? That's a dream as big as his. His respect for the strawhatted teen increased a bit within him but still it felt like a joke to him. The kid had to be joking, right?
"Heheh..." The pink haired kid laughed nervously. "I was also shocked when I first heard him but he's serious."
Before Zoro could give thoughts, Coby was shot on his shoulder, making his scrawny body fly a good three feet away from where he stood.
"Shit!" Zoro cursed looking at the kid, who was holding his shoulders in pain and whimpering. "They are almost here! Run for your life!"
An army of marines were coming their way and Zoro didn't know what to do at all. He was tied for fuck's sake! He didn't even have his trusty blades.
"Ah.. Ah..!" Coby was crying in pain but he refused to leave Zoro alone. "I've got to set you free as soon as possible."
Zoro wanted to yell that there was no need to give his life for him. After all, he would be freed in a month.
"I'll be freed in a month. So run!" Zoro insisted, but Coby shook his head and stood up shakily. His fists were balled tightly and teeth were gritting against each other in pain and anger.
"They will not set you free because they're gonna kill you in three days." Coby declared taking hurried steps towards him despite the pain clearly showing in his gait.
Zoro's eyes widened and he halted in his tracks to shout at the kid to scram off once more.
...They had promised to free him if he survived for a month.
"Helmeppo never intended to keep his promise because he was toying with you." Coby added, his mouth feeling sour at the words he let out.
Zoro mentally laughed at himself while growling angrily at the Marines coming towards them. Why had he trusted these cheapskate marines in the first place? He had thought that the bratty son of the captain would fucking leave him alone after he completed his promise.
Nine days of being tied up, starved and dehydrated! He didn't care about it much as he tried to see it as a training for his body but the gall of those bastards to not keep their end of the promise! How dare they?!
"The marines will never let the two of you off. So, please! After I set you free, please help rescue Luffy!" Coby begged.
Zoro didn't reply. The brat had gone inside for him and a part of him felt that Luffy knew from the very beginning that he wasn't going to be freed but that logic feels too surreal to be true.
"I'll not force you to become a pirate, however he's my savior." Coby continued as his hands tried to work on the ropes, but fumbled repeatedly. "Luffy is very strong. As long as you two join forces you all will definitely be able to escape this town!"
Zoro knew one thing. He can't die here. He has a promise to fulfill and he will do anything to survive. He won't die today even if the Marines pointing their guns and ready to shoot at him, said otherwise. He can't die.
"SURROUND THEM!" Captain Morgan's voice came. The only thing left was to give the shoot order. "How interesting! The three of you are planning to cause political upheaval in my town?"
Zoro didn't like where things were going at all. With him being tied up, he felt useless and helpless. The guns pointing at him, further making him realize how close he is to dying.
He had made a promise. He couldn't die here.
"FIRE!"
The death sentence was announced, but not even a single bullet hit him or the pink haired kid. Because in front of them stood Luffy with his hands outstretched and his katanas strapped on his back.
"YOU!" Zoro couldn't believe his eyes. The strawhatted kid has just sacrificed himself for them.
"LUFFY!" Coby cried out loud, his knees wobbling.
"Strawhat!" Morgan growled with veins bulging on his forehead.
Everyone was shouting all at once, their fear and anxiety rising and a smirk of victory on the faces of some of the Marines, but it wasn't required as everyone saw the stretching of the skin in the spots where the bullets had hit. The boy curled up on himself a bit, allowing the pull of the bullets to spring forward.
"IT DOESN'T WORK ON ME!!" The boy sprang up to life. The bullets bounced off his body and went hay way, not hitting anyone.
Relief hit Zoro and Coby as the latter, despite his confusion, finally started to continue his work on the ropes holding Zoro down.
"What the hell are you?" Zoro yelled out in shock, making Luffy turn towards him with a cocky grin.
"Shishishishi! I am the one who will become the King of the Pirates!" Luffy declared, yelling his goal for everyone to hear. Luffy ignored the looks of shock coming from the marines and turned to Zoro giving him his infamous signature D grin.
"Here's your treasure," Luffy uttered, unstrapping the katana's from his back. "Resisting the marines here will make you an outlaw, joining me will make your life riskier but fun."
Zoro didn't think that the brat was capable of tact. Or heck even had a brain for blackmailing.
"Or maybe you want to die here?" He asked with his head cocked to the side.
"What are you? The devil's son?" Zoro asked with a smirk, making Luffy laugh loud and carefree, as if they weren't surrounded by Marines who were preparing for their next attack or could attack any moment. "Forget it. I'll be a pirate if I'm gonna die here instead!"
"Woo-hoo!!!" Zoro instantly sweat dropped as he saw Luffy going in circles with cheers and doing a little victory dance, not even caring about the situation they were in. "That's great! I finally got a crewmate!!!"
"Okay, hurry and get these ropes off of me!" Zoro yelled in desperation, looking at the marines who were watching them with a shocked look on their faces.
Luffy immediately got to work on trying to untie the ropes on the other arm of Zoro, not bothering to look at the Marines who were talking among themselves.
"Damn! These knots are tight!" Luffy whined as he tugged at them, making them more tight. Fuck, Coby was doing a better job at it! At least he wasn't making them tighter!
"Hey! Quit wasting time!" Zoro shouted, noticing that the marines looked to be already moving towards them.
Coby was done with one side of the ropes.
"Fine!" Luffy replied with a cheshire grin. He could have used Haki, but he isn't going to use it so early. So, he did what he could. A powerful gust of wind blew tearing the ropes in his hand, making it loosen in an instant.
His grin widened when he saw Zoro grab his swords, fitting perfectly as he had heard his mother say and using them to block all the marines at once.
"So cool!!" Zoro heard Luffy say.
"Move and you're dead!" Zoro growled at the marines, making them stiffen in fear.
"Too scary!" One of them cried.
"I already promised to be a pirate with you. Either way I'm gonna be an outlaw after this but it's okay. I still have my goals." Zoro declared to Luffy, whose grin was getting wider and brighter with each passing second.
"Goals?"
"I'm going to become the World's Greatest Swordsman! I no longer care if my name is clean or not, a bad guy or a good guy, it no longer matters, as long as my name is known worldwide." With one strong push with his katana, the Marines were pushed away and fell on their butts.
Zoro stood tall and looked at the strawhatted teen in front of him.
"If you do something that ends up in the way of my goal, you'd better accept responsibility and apologize to me on the end of my sword!"
"Awesome!" Luffy grinned, not even faltering at the threat. "The King of Pirates needs the best on his side!"
"What are you guys standing there for? Slaughter them this instant!" The marines shrieked in terror at Morgan's words while Luffy's grin turned sharp and deadly.
"Duck, Zoro!" Luffy ordered Zoro, swinging his foot back. There was a brief moment of shock from Zoro before he did as told.
"Gomu gomu no whip!" Luffy's leg stretched and whipped over Zoro, knocking out the Marines who got caught in it. Zoro noticed Coby going stuff as rock due to shock at the uncanny sight of the elongated leg kicking away the Marines to the wall mercilessly.
"What the hell are you?" Zoro shouted in shock, voicing everyone's questions with it.
"I?" Luffy turned towards him. The teen seemed to be thinking for a second with his face barely visible under his straw hat. He lifted his head to show a sunny smile, which shouldn't belong in a battlefield, and stretched his mouth past human limits. "I am a r-rubber man!" Luffy sweated and stuttered as if he didn't want to tell the truth but well, that can wait.
"Captain! We don't stand a chance against them!"
"These guys are crazy!"
"We can't even handle Zoro, much less that kid!"
"This is a direct order!" Morgan shouted, drawing Zoro, Luffy and Coby's attention back to him.
"Everyone who spouted weakness just now must shoot themselves in the head! I have no need for weak soldiers!" Morgan ordered mercilessly, making Luffy annoyed and angry.
"These troops are mental!" Zoro hissed, taking a fighting position.
"Luffy!" Zoro heard Coby call out and saw Luffy heading to Morgan with his strawhat hiding his eyes. "Please, crush this navy!"
Running through the marines to the leader, Luffy grinned. His arms swung back to the captain, reminding himself to not go all out and kill him. The captain blocked his arm but his little strength was enough to make him get pushed back and stumble on his legs.
The anger for these Marines who tainted Coby's dreams, who held his crewmate Zoro, and had ruled over the town's people mercilessly, Luffy shattered the axe in Morgan's hand and hit him, making him splat like a pancake on the walls of the marine base.
"Hold it there, brat!" The captain's son, Helmeppo, shouted from behind Zoro, who was awestruck at the power demonstrated by Luffy. Zoro turned to look at Coby held captive and shaking in fear but the pink haired teen suddenly grinned towards Luffy, who was heading to Ace Hand Morgan to finish the job.
"If you value this guy's life, don't move!" Helmeppo shouted, but regardless of that Luffy turned his back from the marine captain who was forcing himself to get up and striding towards Helmeppo.
"Luffy! I don't want to get in your way! Even if it means dying!" Coby shouted, genuinely meaning each and every word. He was a coward to not make his body move when it was required but he wasn't going to repeat it once again.
"Yeah, I know." Zoro saw Luffy grin warmly with a little sharp edge to his bright smile. He grabbed his bicep, ready for another move and at the same tone, behind him, Morgan had pushed himself up and looked furious. "Give it up stupid son! Coby isn't afraid to die!"
"Don't move! I told you not to move! I-I'll shoot!" Helmeppo shouted once again, his legs were shaking with fear already. He looked as if he would piss himself the next second.
"Gomu gomu no..."
"I'm the Navy Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan!" Morgan shouted loudly as he picked up his broken axe and ran for Luffy's head.
"Dad! Kill him, quick!" Helmeppo desperately shouted, as his shaking hands held the pistol.
"...Pistol!" Luffy shouted his attack with a grin, throwing a punch at Helmeppo and knocking the blonde at the other side of the courtyard, while Zoro slashed Morgan who had attempted to behead Luffy with his broken axe.
"Thanks, Zoro!" Zoro heard Luffy chirp, as his arms snapped back in place.
"My pleasure, Captain!" Zoro replied, facing the teen with his own grin.
Silence.
The Marines looked at their captain.
He was unmoving.
He didn't get up again.
He was down!
"CAPTAIN MORGAN IS DEFEATED!"
"WE ARE FREE!"
"WE ARE OUT OF MORGAN'S CONTROL!"
Weapons and caps were thrown in the air, marines started dancing with each other, surprising Zoro who thought that they would need to fight them next for the sake of freedom.
"Everyone's happy that their Captain's been beaten?" Zoro asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Everyone was just afraid of Morgan." Coby answered gleefully as if it made all sense.
Zoro twitched, all of a sudden feeling too light headed and dizzy to keep standing. He stumbled and fell, making Coby freak out and Luffy to instantly give him his shoulder to lean over.
"What's wrong Zoro-san?! Are you hurt?!" Coby questioned him with worry flashing over his face as he rushed to his side too.
"I'm... hungry..." Zoro croaked out.
.
"Man, I'm stuffed!" Zoro declared as he felt his stomach finally feel satisfied after such a long time. With a relaxed smile, he leaned back on his chair to look at Luffy who was stuffing his mouth and had stacks of plates piling on the table, one upon another.
"How the heck can you have a bigger appetite than me?" Zoro asked in disbelief. Zoro had starved for nine whole days without food and water and yet he couldn't hold a candle to the appetite of the strawhatted boy, who was eating as if he had been the one to go months without a single meal. Hell, where was the food even going?!
"It tastes good! Right, Coby?" Luffy asked Coby who sat at the bar where Rika's mother was smiling and cleaning dishes. Rika was nearby as well, carrying dirty dishes from the table Luffy and Zoro sat at and bringing them to her mother.
"Thank you for treating me to food too," Coby uttered nervously rubbing the back of his head as he addressed Rika's mom. She smiled at him, and continued to clean.
"It's no problem. The town has been saved after all." She answered cheerfully.
"You really are amazing!" Rika squealed to Luffy with a wide smile, which the rubber boy returned with ten folds of his own, which completely rivalled the sun's.
"Yep, I am! Shishishishi!" The teen's infectious laugh flooded the bar. "'Cause I am going to be the King of Pirates! And I even got my own crew!" The boy chirped looking at Zoro, who smiled at the enthusiasm.
"So, how many others have you gathered besides me?" He asked, watching Luffy take another large bite of steak.
The boy blinked at him.
"It's just you," he said simply, returning to focus on his meal.
"Huh?!" Zoro pointed between the two of them in shock while Luffy nodded.
"Yep! Just us two!" Luffy confirmed his doubt without any hesitation.
Zoro felt his head bursting with pain at the sentence. Two people can't make a pirate crew!
"And what about a ship? Where's your pirate ship?" Zoro asked hoping against all odds that the boy did have one rather than a lanky boat-
"There," Luffy pointed excitedly. Zoro looked out of the window to see the little boat which Luffy pointed at.
"That?"
"We'll have a ship this big soon!" Luffy announced, demonstrating with his hand at how big he wanted his future ship to be. The sight was comical, making Zoro laugh despite the little annoyance.
"And a pirate flag too! Yeah! Yeah, yeah!" Luffy muttered to himself, ignoring Zoro completely. Zoro rubbed his temples with a little sigh, wondering which reckless and carefree idiot had he gotten himself trapped with.
"I think Luffy was born without any sense of planning." Coby uttered with a nervous chuckle.
"Did I really make this kid my captain?!" Zoro questioned himself seeing Luffy continuing to smile like a kid and stuff his face.
"Hey, hey!" Rika asked, jumping with the same enthusiasm as that of Luffy. Zoro was beginning to wonder if Luffy's smile and recklessness was infectious because the next moment, the plates in Rika's hands were threatening to fall over, which he had to catch to prevent it from shattering.
"Where are you guys gonna go now?" Rika excitedly asked after thanking Zoro.
"Paradise!" Luffy replied with a D grin.
"Paradise?" The occupants in the bar asked in unison.
"Oops," Luffy smiled sheepishly, rubbing his back of neck. "Grand line, I mean."
"How did you mix Paradise with the Grand Line?! Besides, you still have only one crew member!" Coby shouted in disbelief. "You are still saying crazy things! How can you enter the Grand Line with just you two?! Don't you understand? The world's strongest pirates all gather there!"
Luffy pouted. "But I have been sailing those seas for like," he counted on his fingers. "half a decade!"
"W-What?! You came from the Grand Line?!" Coby's jaw dropped at the ground in disbelief.
Zoro was interested in the conversation and wanted to know more, but Luffy dismissed the whole matter with his cherry laugh.
"Guess, it can't be helped then." Zoro added his thoughts as a grin spread on his face and he leaned back on the chair, prepared to tackle any challenges headed their way in the pirate's graveyard.
"Not you too, Zoro-san!" Coby moaned. He had thought at least Zoro would have been able to stop Luffy's recklessness.
"OH!" Luffy banged his fists on his palms, gaining the attention of the occupants in the bar. "Coby, you want to be a marine, right?"
Coby nodded, fumbling with the hem of his t-shirt.
"I know someone who would love to train you and take you in! I won't vouche for anyone else, in case of my friends." Luffy huffed at the last sentence.
"Am I really your friend?" Coby asked as his eyes shimmered with tears at the very words.
"Yep!" Luffy declared without a doubt and with a beaming smile as placed his backpack in front of him and put his hands inside it. After a few moments he started sweating.
"Oops!" he uttered, with sweat trickling down from his forehead.
He emptied the bag pack on a clean table and out came a red cloak, then some weird looking needles encompassed in a glass, a compass, a scrapbook, few papers and some clothes and a pouch which made a clang on being dumped on the table.
Luffy shook the red cloak furiously but nothing came out of it.
"Shit! I'm gonna die," Zoro heard the teen mutter but the next second he brightened and pushed the things inside his bag messily.
"Hey, miss!" he chirped, jumping on his way to Rika's mom. "Can I borrow your snail?"
"Sure," The lady replied, giving a pleasant smile and passing a snail to the boy. Luffy skipped to the table and picked up a piece of paper from the rim of his strawhat and dialed a number. All the while Zoro and Coby looked at him and the snail which popped to life curiously.
Purupuru! Purupuru!
Gatcha!
"Vice Admiral Garp here!" the snail responded.
Silence.
Zoro was wondering if Luffy had a death wish and how the hell did the kid get his hands on Garp 'The Hero's' number.
"Ji-chan!" Luffy chirped, shattering the silence in the bar into pieces.
"EHH?!!!!" Coby and the people who heard Luffy shouted, while Zoro's eyes widened.
"Bwahahaha!" the snail laughed. "Does my adorable grandson need my help at the beginning of his journey?"
"Nope!" Luffy uttered, making the 'P' sound like a pop sound. "I got an appetice for you!"
"Apprentice, Luffy!"
"That's what I said!" Luffy huffed adorably, making Zoro and some people even think if he really was a pirate.
"I guess that you have lost your snail?"
"Ah, about that," Luffy grinned sheepishly while rubbing his back. "Please help me, otherwise Dad's gonna go on a rampage!" Luffy whined.
"Huh? My idiot son?" Garp asked with an amused grin. "Don't worry I'll tell him about it for you."
"Thanks, Jiji!" Luffy beamed just like the sun.
"Where are you and where is my new apprentice?" The Vice Admiral from the other side asked.
"Shell's Town!"
"I'll be there soon." Garp declared. "Take care!"
"Love ya, Jiji!" Luffy chirped before disconnecting the snail and looking at the baffled expression of the people before him.
"What?" he asked with his eyes blinking in confusion.
"Your Grandpa is Garp The Fist?!!!!!" The people in the bar yelled together in unison, making Luffy laugh.
People sure are funny.
"Yep!" he responded, returning the snail to the nice bar lady, who looked a bit paler.
"I-I-I'm going to be trained by the legendary Hero!" Coby asked with fear and disbelief. He had never even thought of meeting the Marine hero, less than dream about being trained by him.
"Yeah!" Luffy replied with a smile. Coby was about to freak out but a Marine disrupted them by entering the bar.
"Excuse me," the Marine announced his presence as he stood in front of Luffy who looked at him with a smile plastered on his face. "We were wondering if you are really pirates?"
"Yes, we are," Luffy chirped without missing a beat.
"We're all grateful that you saved our town and base but as Marines we can't let you stay any longer. You will need to leave this island immediately. To show our gratitude, we won't report you to the Headquarters," the Marine finished his boring speech, making the town people angry on behalf of their saviors.
"Mmm... Okay! Let's go Zoro!" Luffy replied as he tossed his backpack on his shoulder.
"Hey! Wait a second!" The same Marine called them out. "Isn't he with you?" he asked, pointing to Coby.
"I'm n-n-not with them," Coby stuttered nervously.
"Is he telling the truth?" The Marine asked Luffy.
"I know this guy," Luffy replied, laughing inwardly at what he was about to do. "I don't remember where, but he used to be with this reeeeealy biiiigggg lady. I think her name was Almika or something. She was a fat and ugly pirate. He spent-"
Coby had enough. He punched Luffy's face as hard as he could. He didn't want his dreams to be ruined by the one who showed him a hope, only to crush them. He couldn't believe that he was betrayed.
"Why you!" Luffy retaliated, hitting Coby back a few times until he was stopped by the Marines. Luffy smiled inwardly as he saw his plan being successful.
He can plan when he wants!
"I know he's not your friend. Please leave this island immediately!" The Marine yelled at them.
Coby caught a glimpse of a smile on Luffy's face before the strawhatted teen turned to leave and that was when it but Coby that he did it all for him. He wanted to cry at how he needed Luffy's help even in the last moment. He felt useless that he needed the push to declare his dreams.
Not letting his chance slip away, he stood tall and loudly asked the Marines to let him join them.
.
"Don't you think you went overboard?" Zoro asked about the Coby incident once they got out of the bar.
"He'll be fine," Luffy laughed as they headed to the docks where a small boat was waiting for them. No one stopped them as they proceeded to leave.
"Luffy!" Coby's voice came to them, as they were undoing the ropes. Seeing that Coby had Luffy's attention, Coby saluted, standing up tall and straight.
"Thank you! I'll never forget all you've done for me!" Coby shouted, his words brimming with sincerity.
"I've never seen a marine salute a pirate before." Zoro uttered while whistling, making Luffy laugh.
Getting onto the boat and setting sail, Luffy turned and waved to Coby.
"Let's meet again someday, Coby!" Luffy shouted watching Coby as he continued to salute.
"Group Salute!" A crowd of marines appeared behind Coby and Rika who were waving at them and they all saluted as Luffy and Zoro drifted out of the docks and onto the sea.
"See ya!"
.
"Ugh, I'm so hungry," Luffy groaned, holding his stomach and looking at the endless ocean with a pout. His mother seemed to be cooing at him, making him frown a little. He was ready for his own adventures and didn't need to wait for two more years as his mother always insisted!
"It's weird that you have absolutely no navigation skills," Zoro said looking at him.
"Why shall I have?" Luffy asked tilting his head in confusion.
"'Cause you are a pirate!" Zoro answered as if he was stating a fact.
"But I don't understand those at all!" Luffy pouted. "And even Zoro doesn't know even if Zoro is a wandering man!" Luffy pointed out to the green haired man, about whom he had heard stories from his mother last night.
"I am searching for a man, that's why I am wandering but now I can't find my way home," Zoro answered with a sigh.
"Oh, so Zoro is lost?"
"Shut up! You are the one who's lost!" Zoro shouted in irritation. Damn it, what's with everyone telling him that he is the one to be lost always!
"So hungry...!" Zoro heard Luffy whine for the umpteenth time and plop his head on the deck of the boat and look at the bluish, clear sky.
"When the hell are we gonna reach land?" Zoro questioned out loud from where he sat. It had only been a couple of hours since they had left Shell's Town and he was getting bored. He could even see Luffy starting to get restless.
"I don't feel like cheating." Luffy sighed with a pout.
"You are weird," Zoro responded to the boy who was mumbling how he can't ask his mother's help.
"Zoro, do you know how to swim?" The teen sprang up in an instant, bouncing in his place as the thoughts of hunger completely vanished for the moment.
"Every pirate worth their salt knows," Zoro answered with a sigh, but that was when a horrible realization struck him. "Don't tell me you don't!"
Luffy pouted at the accusation and rubbed the back of his neck. "How did Zoro catch me?"
Zoro groaned with his palms hitting his own face in annoyance. "Why the hell did I join you?!!"
"Ne, ne, ne, can Zoro teach me?" Luffy asked with his eyes shining with innocence and curiosity and Zoro found it unable to resist the bright puppy eyes. Though, he turned his head to the other side and grumbled about stupid captains and idiot kids.
"Fine!" Zoro finally replied, after having a little mental breakdown due to Luffy's stupidity. With nothing better to do, he removed his t-shirt and dropped himself to the ocean, where he began swimming to keep himself afloat. "Come on, we don't have a full day," he grunted, seeing Luffy look at him with awe filled eyes.
The least this practice session can do was pass their time fastly and get his body some training.
Zoro looked at the boy with a little grin as he let out a squeal of excitement and discarded his red vest.
Now that Zoro was finally looking at him, the kid- no, his captain- looked more scrawnier than before but with defined abs and collarbones. He can clearly see a silver necklace with a red crystal and a beautiful blue feather hanging from his neck, besides the strawhat which was idly hanging by a thread on his neck. His wrists even had two bracelets, one made of pearls and the other of seashells. It looked pretty on the teen.
Zoro was snapped out of his thoughts, when the fucking idiot jumped into the water without a care of his life. He could drown in the waters!
"Idiot!" Zoro growled in anger as he dove in instantly after the strawhatted teen. He saw him struggling with his eyes and mouth open. He quickly caught the teen and brought him to the surface, holding him in fear of him drowning.
"Don't jump that way!" Zoro yelled at the teen, who laughed at his words as if he had just told him a joke of all things.
"You could have died!" Zoro shouted, making the kid pout. Man, he really needs to stop calling his captain a kid.
"Shishishi! Sorry Zoro!" Luffy responded not sounding apologetic at all. And on top of it, he grinned bright as if he hadn't just inhaled lots of sea water or was too close to death. Zoro sighed, forcing his mind to focus on the task on hand.
"Hold it," Zoro instructed, making Luffy hold one of the sides of the boat. "And now start kicking with your legs."
The teen- no, captain- did as he instructed and demonstrated. So, after a few minutes of watching him, he finally deemed that Luffy could do it on his own. He let him leave the railings and told to kick as he was doing.
But within moments, Luffy was drowning all again! He groaned and went after the boy, who was laughing all again.
"Are you even serious?!!!" Zoro questioned with a groan.
"Sorry, Zoro," Luffy sheepishly replied and Zoro made the mistake to let him try to swim once again but not even a second later he flailed. This continued for a while, until Luffy got tired and his stomach started growling.
"It's enough for today." Zoro announced, after lifting Luffy up on the boat to make sure that he doesn't drown.
"Can we do it again?" Luffy asked enthusiastically with a big grin as he started buttoning up his red vest.
"If you want." Zoro sighed with a groan. He can say that he hated the whole process but teaching Luffy to swim was something he was looking forward to already. At least after he would learn to swim by himself he wouldn't have to go after him if he falls in the sea.
"And what's with the strawhat?" Zoro enquired. "Shouldn't you have taken it out before swimming?"
"It's my treasure," Luffy responded as he laid on the little area provided in the dinghy with his head lying on his backpack and stomach still groaning. "I don't want to part with it ever, like these." He pointed to the necklace and the bracelets in his hands.
"So, they are pretty important to you then, huh?" Zoro asked as he observed Luffy looking at his trinkets with fondness.
"Yeah," He chirped with a bright grin on tow. "They are a promise to meet them again."
Zoro nodded silently as he refused to ask further about them.
"So, your grandpa is Garp 'The Fist'?" Zoro asked after a moment of silence. There would be hardly anyone in the world who wouldn't know of the Navy hero. He is known worldwide to capture pirates. Heck, no pirate had ever escaped his grasp! So, how the hell did the man's own grandson turn out to be a pirate? That was something Zoro was curious about.
"Yep!" Luffy answered with his ever present smile.
"How did he let you be a pirate? Or does he not know?" Zoro enquired, eyeing the teen- captain, he means.
"He knows," Luffy grinned fondly, thinking about that time. "We had a long debate with him and then finally he was able to see the truth that being a marine will only get our lives in danger."
"Ours? You are speaking as if you are the son of a devil." Zoro uttered, not knowing how close to the truth he really is.
"Hmm," Luffy hummed, neither denying nor agreeing with Zoro's words. "Man, I'm hungry...!" Luffy groaned, ignoring Zoro's curious looks and looked at the sky once again.
Zoro sighed, having heard this multiple times and wondering how the teen could be hungry after eating everything he had only an hour ago. Not to mention the food he had eaten in the Marine base!
"A bird..." Luffy pointed out, making him look up to see what caught his captain's attention.
"Looks pretty tasty!" Luffy licked his lips as his stomach agreed with his thoughts.
"Let's eat it!" He exclaimed looking at Zoro with his signature grin.
"Huh? How?" Zoro asked, looking at the bird again. It was flying at quite an altitude, which was not reachable by either of them.
"Leave it to me!" Luffy declared as he stood and stretched his arms back, flinging them forward and grabbing onto the rig.
"Gomu gomu no rocket!" With that, the teen launched into the sky, straight towards the bird in question.
"I see..." Zoro drawled out, having forgotten that his captain was a rubber man. He watched as Luffy got smaller and smaller as he got higher before he stopped. He squinted, wondering how his body was lower than that of the bird's, yet he wasn't falling.
"Help!!" Luffy yelped and it was then Zoro realized his new Captain was an idiot, who got caught in a bird's mouth.
"You idiot!!!" Zoro shouted, springing up and rowing the boat as fast as he could to follow the dumb bird and the most idiotic and stupid teen on the whole planet. "What the heck are you doing?!!!!"
.
Luffy pouted as his mother giggled at his latest antics of being caught by a bird which was not stopping and was continuing to fly. His mother's gentle voice echoed his ears making him smile. He allowed himself to entertain his mother but also tried to find a way out of his current situation. He was bored as he waited for something to happen.
If he wanted he could have gotten rid of the bird easily but the giggles from his mother and the presence of people ahead of him made him want to stay where he was.
Finally, after a few minutes of the bird flying, Luffy saw an island below them and grinned.
"Oi, bird, let me down now!" he said with a huge grin on his face. It was the second island in his journey and he was excited to explore it. Zoro will find him so he was not too worried about him.
But the bird was not leaving him and they were already midway over the island. That was when he felt danger coming for him and he started flailing his legs.
"Bird! Let me down!" he shouted but it was too late as a cannonball hit them, exploding and forcing the bird to finally let go of him. He felt the air rush through him as he fell on the ground, crashing.on the stone pavement.
"W-What?!" A high pitched voice, that of a woman, came making him try to look up from the crater which had been created due to his fall but all he could see was the white dusty fog which was surrounding him.
"Someone..." Another voice came and this time it was of a man.
"Fell from the sky?!" Another man uttered in shock.
"That was fun!" Luffy grinned, feeling excited and being reminded of the New World for a moment, as he held onto his hat and looked around after the dust finally settled down. To his further amusement, the faces of the men and the lady surrounding him were utterly funny, making him snort.
Nami didn't know what to do. She had just stolen a map of the Grand Line from the Buggy pirates and was running for her life but right now, she had to stop. Someone- a 12-13 year old kid- had fallen from the sky and somehow survived the fall.
Nami was confused and shocked. She didn't know what to do. Should she ignore the situation and continue running for her life? If the boy would have been around 16, she would have left him to fend for himself but he wasn't! She would definitely blame herself if the kid died before her.
"Run!" She screamed, taking advantage of the shock of the Buggy pirates. She dragged the kid away, not even giving him the chance to think, which can definitely lead to their deaths. "We need to run or they'll kill us."
"Uh?" The kid let out a voice of confusion, clearly unsure of what was happening.
"Don't run off again!" The pirates yelled at them, making Nami run faster than before.
"Are we playing tag?" The kid asked cluelessly, making Nami want to bonk his head hard until he finally realised where they were. But at the same time, she didn't want him to panic. She didn't want the death of the innocent boy in her hands.
"Kinda!" She quickly replied, making the kid laugh gleefully. All now she had to do was outrun the pirates-
The kid was yanked free from her hands. Nami gasped in horror as he turned as fast as she could, to see the Buggy pirates trying to hold down the kid.
"We told you to not run!" One of the three pirates yelled as he tried to take out his anger on the strawhatted teen.
Nami watched with bated breath as the fists approached the boy's nose, which would surely break the fragile boy. She ran towards the boy before she could even think but she didn't need it as the kid ducked off at the nick of time.
Luffy was unharmed but the strawhat on his head was knocked off. The string which Sabo had tied to it was the only thing that kept it from falling. Anger bubbled inside Luffy as he turned towards the men- the pirates- after placing his strawhat back in its place. His eyes glared darkly at the man who had dared to hit it.
"Don't you dare touch my hat!" He growled as his fists reeled back and punched the daylights out of the man.
"Damn you!" The remaining pirates shrieked, lifting their swords to attack him. Luffy saw the girl whom he thought was playing tag, watching everything with horror. Her shaky hands were going down to the staff clasped on her thigh, even if he could feel fear radiating off her.
He hated it. He hated when people felt scared before him. Therefore, without wasting any time, he knocked out the remaining pirates, sending them to eat dirt.
"T-That was awesome!" The girl breathed out. "You are really strong!"
Luffy smiled at her calmly but his stomach chose this time to grumble out. "I'm hungry." He pouted to himself, before looking at the girl once again. "Who are you?" He asked the last part loudly to the girl who was already trying to take him somewhere.
"I'm Nami." The girl replied with a smile on her face. "And we weren't playing tag. Those pirates were chasing me."
That sucks!
"Aww! I really wanted to play." Luffy pouted. He wanted to play tag but not with those jerks. He didn't like them as they tried to hurt his hat. "But why were they chasing you?"
"Those guys are pirates. Their captain is Buggy 'The Clown'. I just stole a map from them and they want it back." Nami answered as she led the kid to the house whose lock she picked in the morning.
"What kind of person is this Nami person?" The kid asked in pure confusion but she couldn't refrain herself from yelling at the boy loud for his confusion.
"I'M NAMI! THE PIRATE IS BUGGY!!!" She screamed, taking a deep breath to calm herself. She didn't really didn't want to hit the kid but he was giving her genuine reasons for doing it. If this keeps going on then she wasn't sure if she could keep herself in control. "Buggy is a famous pirate who likes cannons. I assume you aren't from this town?"
That got a nod from the kid.
"The villagers of this town are in hiding. Buggy took over here." Nami finished the short summary of the pirate.
"Okay," Luffy nodded with understanding. This clown Buggy's name was striking a chord in his memory but where had he heard it? Sabo hadn't told him about any pirate like that in East Blue. But he had definitely heard it! Maybe he was in one of the stories of his mother.
"So what's with that hat?" Nami asked, pointing to his straw hat. "When it just got knocked out, you got so mad. Is it expensive?"
"This is my treasure!" Luffy smiled, as he held his hat in his hand.
"Treasure?" Nami repeated greedily as her eyes changed into that of berries when they caught the shiny pearly bracelet with an ASL written on it and a seashell bracelet with a straw-hat symbol on it. Her eyes flicked back to the hat. "Are there precious, expensive jewels in your hat too, like those?"
Luffy pouted at that and forced his left wrist in his pocket. 'Stupid Ace and Sabo giving expensive gifts.' He cursed in his thoughts but he liked the thought behind the gift. Ace and Sabo had given it to him to not feel too far and lonely while staying away from his mother.
His stomach growled as he held it, ignoring Nami's question. "I'm hungry."
"Why don't I treat you to some food?" Nami asked with a smile and even though Luffy felt her eyeing his treasures, he could tell she was genuine on the food part.
"Really?!" Luffy asked with a beaming smile, making Nami chuckle. She briefly wondered if this would be what Nojiko would have felt if they had a chance for a normal childhood.
"Yeah!" she replied with a soft smile, walking towards the house and away from her thoughts.
"Yosh!" Luffy whooped running to her. They walked down the street and eventually stopped in front of a house. Nami got in first followed by Luffy who made a beeline for the table and sat on the chair. Nami rummaged through the fridge and began digging around in it.
Soon enough, a steak of meat was placed in front of Luffy and he ate it in one bite. Nami's eyes widened as she sat on the edge of the table.