"Here're your swords." (YN) held out Zoro's swords to him as the navy workers stared absolutely bewildered by the whole situation.
"Which one is yours?" Luffy leaned in intrigued.
Zoro groaned against the tight grip of the ropes on his arms. "All three are mine. I use the Three-Sword Style."
"Told you." (YN) smirked proudly in Luffy's direction.
Luffy stared for a moment. "You'll take 'em, right? You'll be a government-defying villain! Would you prefer that, or being killed by the Marines like this?"
"What are you, the Devil's Son? Whatever," Zoro grinned madly. "I'll be your pirate if I'm just gonna die here instead."
Luffy began cheering, clearly not understanding the seriousness of the situation, and (YN) turned to untie Zoro, chucking the swords into Coby's trembling hands, and Luffy's hat pulled low over her eyes.
"He's no ordinary human, that boy, he's eaten one of those rumoured Devil Fruits." Morgan inspected the events playing back and forth in his head of the bullets flying right off of Luffy's body, and it awed his lower-ranked subordinates. "However, no matter who they are, everyone who opposes me gets executed. If guns won't work, then chop them to death!"
The men rushed forward with their swords unsheathed.
(YN) began fumbling, tracing hands over her clothes, 'Where're my daggers?! I must've dropped them! Shoot!'
"Hand me a sword."
The girl looked up at Zoro's stern visage and almost instantaneously handed him his swords.
"You don't do anything to get seen, alright? Stay here."
Whilst the Marines approached steadfastly and with zeal, Zoro moved swiftly, and in a matter of seconds he was already crouching down at their offense as they stared with abject terror. He parted his dry lips to speak as Luffy ogled at him. "I'll be a pirate. I'll promise you that. I'm officially a criminal now that I've assaulted the Navy. But I'll tell you this right now. I'm only going to fulfill my ambition. To be the World's Greatest Swordsman. If I wind up having to give that up, you'd better accept responsibility and apologise to me."
Luffy grinned and laughed cheekily. "The World's Greatest Swordsman? That sounds great! The King of the Pirate would need no less than that in his crew."
"You sure take big. Whatever, whether it's as a criminal or not, I will spread my name throughout the world."
Morgan was distressed by this point and his pupils bulged. "What are you standing around for?! Slaughter them!" He dictated them harshly.
"Duck, Zoro." Luffy raised a leg. "Gum-Gum: Whip!" His leg stretched out and kicked the goons to the side as they yelped.
"Y-You did it! Incredible!" Coby was relieved and held his fists up in awe.
It was truly a sight to see Luffy and his Gum-Gum powers in action, and though the pink-haired boy had only seen a little sneak peek of Luffy's moves, it was interesting, but in a way, also a little terrifying. Not much was known about the Devil Fruits and their abilities, so it was quite the solo adventure when encountering a Devil Fruit user, you never really knew what could be up their sleeves.
"So he does have Devil Fruit powers..." Morgan grumbled.
The little minions began whining and whimpering, "Captain, we don't stand a chance against them! We can't even handle Zoro by himself!"
Darkness loomed under the Marine's eyes, and he began speaking slowly and clearly. Never a good sign when it came to Axe-hand Morgan. "This is a direct order... Whoever just spouted weakness out of their mouth, will shoot themselves in the head... I have no need for weakling soldiers!" He was serious, and the men knew as they gritted their teeth together.
'These troops are mental.' (YN) was quietly examining and observing everything from the side of the mast Zoro was originally tied to, Coby now trembling again by her side. "Axe-hand Morgan... No one defies him. No one even thinks of defying him. Remember that."
"Hmm?" Coby looked up at her, pointing to himself. "You talkin' to me?"
"No." (YN) looked away and blandly responded. "Not you." She scratched the back of her neck in a little rushed movement, "But, hey, Coby, you wanna join the Marines, right?" He nodded. "But what if you end up as a chore boy here too?"
"Well..." The boy let a little grin slip onto his face. "When Luffy told me he wanted to become King of the Pirates, he said that if he had to die fighting for that, he would. That he wasn't going to give up." Coby had a true look of inspiration in his eyes. "I want to be brave like Luffy, and achieve my dream, no matter what the cost. So, I'll just work up from chore boy, and not let anything put me down."
(YN) gave him a little look then smiled softly. "Can I borrow that little string tie you have on?"
"Huh? This?" Coby removed the short blue bow he had tied underneath his shirt collar, but just as he handed it to (YN), he heard a gun click right above his ear and the cold barrel of a pistol parting through his hair. He gulped as sweat instantly formed on his brow.
(YN)'s lip trembled out of shock. "Hell-mushroom..."
Helmeppo was holding a gun to Coby's head and yelling out to Luffy who was beating Morgan to the ground. Literally. "Boy! Boy who had a straw hat! Listen here! If you make one more move, I'll shoot! I have this hostage!"
Luffy looked up and broke into a smile at the sight of Coby's expression.
Coby got the idea. "Luffy, I don't want to get in your way! Even if it means dying!"
"Yeah, I know," The black-haired boy grinned. "Give it up, stupid son! Coby really is ready to die!" He began approaching with a raised fist, but behind him, Morgan was raising his giant axe and Coby tried to warn him as Helmeppo shakily threatened further. "Gum-Gum: Pistol!"
Luffy punched Helmeppo back, Coby was set free, and Morgan's axe stopped right above Luffy's head, thanks to Zoro, of course, who sliced right across the bulky man's chest, who fell to the ground right after.
"Zoro." Luffy grinned.
"My pleasure, Captain." He replied instantly, his smile still visible through the sword in his mouth.
It was silent for a few moments before the other navy minions burst into cheers. "Yahoo!"
"Morgan's reign is over!"
"We're free!"
"Hurry for the Marines!"
"Huh? They're happy that their Captain had been taken down." Luffy hummed in confusion.
A little lizard tongue licked at (YN)'s jaw and she flicked its tiny head. "Stop that. And forget about what I said earlier. Morgan is down, remember that instead." It flickered at her its tail sparked with small flames.
Zoro out of the blue collapsed to the ground.
"Big bro!" (YN) shouted in alert and Luffy and Coby too looked down at him.
"I'm hungry..." He groaned with a pink tint under his eyes.
.....
"I'm stuffed!" Zoro rubbed his belly with a hefty grin. "I was definitely at my rope's end after not having eaten for three weeks!"
"Which is super dumb..." (YN) rolled her eyes under Luffy's hat.
They were all sitting in Ririka, Rika's mother's, bar eating away as they were being served "How can you have a bigger appetite than me?" Zoro pointed to Luffy's plates while maintaining strict eye contact.
"It's really good, right Coby?" Luffy looked for support.
At this, Coby thanked Ririka, "Thank you for treating me to food too."
"Of course," The sweet woman responded, "The town is saved after all."
"So, how many people do you have in your crew besides (YN) and me?" Zoro asked, leaning back in his chair out of pure interest. "You said you were in the middle of gathering a crew." Right, (YN) had forgotten to tell him...
"Just you two."
Zoro gawked. "Huh?! That means..."
"Yup." Luffy swallowed hard on his bite of food. "Just the three of us."
"And a ship? What about a pirate ship?" (YN) had forgotten to tell him about that too.
"There."
Outside the window of the bar could be seen the small boat Luffy, (YN), and Coby had used to escape the navy and Alvida, and dock on this island. Zoro burst out laughing as he turned back to the naive 'future Pirate King'.
Rika stood at the end of Luffy's seat. "So, where are you guys going to be headed now?" Her eyes twinkled.
"Isn't it obvious? The Grand Line."
Coby splurted out his orange juice in shock, and (YN) yelled at him. "OI!!! You could've gotten me dirty! Moron!"
This time, the boy was subjected to ignoring her as he shouted at Luffy. "You still only have three members! There's no way you can go there!" He began dictating the dangers of the Grand Line but even so, Zoro started insisting too.
"You're not going are you?"
"No, but I'm worried about you!" Coby persisted. "Luffy, (YN), and I have only known each other for a short time, but we're still friends, right?" He turned to Luffy for approval.
He grinned his usual little smile. "Yup. We're going to part ways, but we'll always be friends!"
This statement of his piqued (YN)'s interest. 'I wonder... If we ever parted ways... Would he still call me his friend?'
(Where have we heard this before? Hmm... Perhaps... Vivi from the future?)
As (YN)'s ponders escalated, she only snapped out of it when the door to the bar swung wide open and some Marine officers walked in, stamping their boots dominantly against the floorboards which creaked for mercy.
"Excuse me, are you all pirates?" A man in a green navy uniform asked. Luffy confirmed their suspicions instantly. "We appreciate that you got rid of our Captain's tyrant rule, however, now that you are pirates, in the name of the navy, we can not stand by properly. You will leave town immediately." He demanded quite politely. "Out of obligation, we will refrain from calling headquarters."
The citizens outside the bar who were eavesdropping began yelling in the new pirate group's defense. However, Luffy stood up with a smile. "Well, guess we should get going! Thanks for the food, lady."
Luffy, (YN), and Zoro began to leave, but Coby was frozen on the spot.
"Is he part of your crew?" The officer asked.
Luffy grinned. "I know some things about him..."
'Luffy, you wouldn't-' Coby began sweating bullets as Luffy began spitting out nonsense.
"You see, there was this huuuge fat lady pirate, and I think her name was Arihuda." He began explaining. "She had this giant club and everything! And Coby here, for two whole years, was..."
Out of a fit of sudden, red rage, Coby slammed a punch into the side of Luffy's jaw.
"Ah, you little bastard, now you've done it!" Luffy began punching Coby over too and Zoro pulled Luffy aside after the Marine officer's retorts and pleas.
Zoro grumbled, his swords thrown over his shoulder. "You've already gone too far." He began dragging him out, motioning for (YN) to follow.
Before (YN) left, however, she leaned down to meet Rika's height. "Hey, Rika, don't ever tell any officers that you saw me, ok?" The little girl nodded in confusion and (YN) further confused her by pulling a hair tie of one of the little girl's pigtails and stuffing it in a bag that she had gotten from Ririka. "Goodbye, Rika."
She waved and was out.
Coby lay flat and wounded on the floor, breathing heavily as he whimpered in realisation. 'He did that... On purpose... He did that on purpose... For me... He purposely got me riled up so I would hit him. Even in the very end, I ended up relying on him. Nothing's changed at all.' He shot up immediately and caught the navy officer's attention. "Please... Please let me join the Marines! I'll gladly do chores or anything else! If it means I can be a Marine!"
"Lieutenant Colonel! I'm against the idea!" Another man behind him yelled. "There are reports of pirates sneaking into Marine bases. We'll need to do a background check."
"I am the man who will become a Marine officer!" Coby butted in.
He was determined to fulfill his dream. Coby was scared before, but now, he could be as hard-headed as Luffy as if it meant getting his way. It was a sort of hard passion.
"Countless of our officers have been killed by pirates. Don't take the navy lightly." The man hummed after a moment of silence. "Permission to join, granted!"
The boy broke into a wide smile but turned around instantly with a salute. "Yes, Sir!"
Heading out to the dock, (YN), Luffy, and Zoro kept up a small conversation as they strolled away. "That was a horrible act." Zoro snickered at Luffy.
"Coby'll handle the rest on his own, I just know it." Luffy replied.
"It's a nice way to leave though, not being able to turn back because everyone hates you."
(YN) rolled her eyes. "Weirdo." She mumbled and placed Luffy's hat back on his head, to which he smiled brightly. Guess it really did mean a lot to him. Just as the three were about to leave, they heard a yell back from the lift in the alley.
"Oi!" It was Coby. "Thank you! I'll never forget all you've done for me!"
Zoro smirked with a raised brow. "I've never heard of a pirate being thanked by a Marine."
They pulled the sail of their small boat up and were swept away by the wind. "Let's meet again sometime, Coby!" Luffy waved as he laughed.
In truth, Coby was kinda hoping (YN) would say something too, maybe even Zoro. But they didn't. He looked away. Next thing he knew, he heard a call as loud as his when he had yelled to them.
"COBY!!!" (YN) held up his little blue tie. "See ya! Don't arrest me the next time I see you as a Navy Admiral, got it?!"
He began to smile with a soft lift of his lips. "I won't!" He waved again and wouldn't stop as the three bid their goodbyes. It was going to be a long time until they saw each other again. They might even never see each other again.
"ALL HANDS, SALUTE!!!"
It was a little shocking to even think of it, but when Coby looked back, he saw the Lieutenant Colonel and many other Marine officers saluting to the receding pirates. "You've got some great friends there."
Coby's eyes welled up from the officer's little smile, but he shook them away. "Yes, Sir!"
"Our salute just now is a violation of naval law! Therefore, we will all go without food for three days! Understood?!"
"Yes, Sir!"
Coby kept his salute in stance even as the horizon sucked his friend's figures. 'I'm sure we'll meet again somewhere, sometime. Even if we're divided as pirates and marines... Let's meet again someday!'
.....
Fun facts and information:
-The first time (YN) saw Zoro practicing his Three-Sword Style, all the rumours about him flooded her mind and she found herself hiding away from a 'demon'.
-The little lizard (YN) has, who we will learn about further on in the story, is named Ruth and is a female.
-Despite Luffy allowing (YN) to wear his hat, he was constantly itching to get it back.
-If (YN) hadn't taken Luffy's hat to cover her face, Zoro would've given his bandana.
-Coby got even more scared as soon as Zoro broke out of his ropes.
Three swords and that sort of strength after not having eaten for weeks? I don't know. We're just heading back to the demon point.
.....
Behind the scenes:
Luffy: And here we have! Axe-hand Morgan with no axe-hand!
Morgan: *laughing* It's in fact because I am not, Axe-hand Morgan! It is I! DIO!!!
Coby: Not the Jojo memes!
(YN), from her seat: DIOOO!!!
Morgan: JOTAROOO!!!
Zoro: *boops (YN)'s nose* Boop.
(YN): *boops his back* Boop.
Luffy: Where's my boop?!
.....
Incorrect quotes:
Morgan: How would you like your pancakes?
(YN): Plain.
Zoro: With sprinkles.
Coby: Chocolate chips.
Luffy: Potatoes.
*(YN), Zoro and Coby look at Luffy*
Luffy: What? They're good.
(YN): Who wants to go out of the country on a road trip?
Zoro: Yea, I could drink legally!
Coby: I could hang out with the boys!
Luffy: I could hide from the consequences of my actions.
Luffy: Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, and wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Coby: That's deep.
(YN): That means that ketchup is a smoothie.
Coby: That's deeper.
Zoro: ...You guys are idiots.
Zoro: They... Well, I wouldn't call it inheritance per se. What do you call it when you kill someone and get their stuff?
Coby: Um, murder?
Luffy: Adventuring!
(YN): Tuesday.
(YN): Count me in!
Coby: Who the hell are you?!
(YN): Oh, you know my sibling! They worked at Wendy's.
Coby: Oh yeah, Zoro! How are they doing?
(YN): Oh yeah, not too good. They've been dead for the past month.
Luffy: What the hell, they didn't tell us!
Morgan: Hah! 69! You know what that means?
(YN): What?
Zoro: That you're a child.
Luffy: HOW YOU GUESS MY IQ?!?
Luffy: How did none of you hear what I just said?!
Zoro: I've been zoned out for the past two and a half hours.
(YN): I got distracted halfway through.
Morgan: I hate you, so ignoring you was a conscious decision.
Zoro: Truth or dare?
(YN): Dare.
Zoro: I dare you to kiss the hottest person in the room.
(YN): Hey Morgan?
Morgan, blushing: Yeah?
(YN): Can you move? I'm trying to get to Luffy.
*The gang responding to being stabbed by a sword*
Morgan: Rude.
(YN): That's fair.
Luffy: Not again.
Zoro: Are you gonna want this back or can I keep it?
(These are taken off an incorrect quote website)
.....
Coming up next: Red-haired Shanks, and Captain Buggy! - November 28th
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HIIIIIIIIIIIII!!! It's so nice to see all of your lovely faces again! Yeah, and to that headless moose reading my story, I see you too. Nice neck.
Aaanyway! I'm so sorry for forgetting to update this here, it totally slipped my mind. But, on a more important note, how are you? I hope you're well. How'd you like the chapter? Opinions in the comments, and I'll see you all very very soon ;) Love ya'll 💖💖💖
-Rin