"Hey Anoki, promise you'll come back as my first mate."
"I promise Luffy-kun, I'll be your first mate, but I want to travel to get stronger. I need to be strong if my captain is going to be King of the pirates." A big grin stretched across a young Luffy's face as Anoki spoke those words.
"Get strong Anoki! I won't accept anyone else as my first mate!" Both children had grins on their faces as they clasped hands, making a promise that would soon take the world by surprise.
That was 10 years ago.
Anoki was now 18 years old while Luffy was 17. The promise she made to her captain all those years ago was repeating in her head as she traveled back to Foosha village. Her small dinghy was gently rocking in the waves as she was polishing her spear, the Nathari. Her spear was impressive, even an amateur could see. The Nathari stood at an intimidating 6'5, while Anoki herself was 5'10. The sun had put a gentle tan on her skin and made her black tribal tattoos stand out even more than they did. She tied the deep red gauze around Nathari even tighter, along with the black eyepatch across her left eye. A small smile wormed itself onto her thin lips at the thought of her childish captain.
Luffy was ecstatic. He was sprinting down the path to the harbor. He already saw the small boat containing his first mate and wanted to see her again after all these years. He could remember how she looked as an 8 year old vividly. She almost looked funny with a spear that was two feet taller than her with bloody gauze around her left eye, a story she never shared with the rubber boy. She looked intimidating, and she was, but was also a callosal sweetheart. Before she set off for her training, they did everything together, such as training with Ace and Sabo and hanging out with Shanks and his crew. They were inseparable.
"ANOKI!!"
She looked up from Nathari and saw a huge dust cloud coming from the mountain and a huge smile made its way to her face. She grabbed the paddles to make the dinghy go faster and rowed as fast as she could.
"LUFFY-KUN," she yelled out in joy as she got to the harbor. Anoki skipped tying down the boat and ran towards her captain. They both quickly embraced, the impact sending them down into the dirt. Neither cared with huge smiles on their faces as they looked each other over.
"I'm still taller~" Anoki teased once they stood up and dusted off their clothes. Luffy flushed but didn't say anything about her teasing, for it was true by a whole three inches. But, he was flushed about how beautiful his friend was, she was tall with short blackish-blue hair and tribal tattoos on her body, including her cheek bones. She wore ripped baggy gray jeans with knee high black boots and a shoulder-less crop top that was a lighter blue color.
" Are you ready to be King of the pirates, Luffy-kun?" Anoki asked as they made their way towards her boat and getting in.
"Shishishishi, of course I am, now that I finally have my first mate with me" Luffy said as he grinned, they were both definitely stronger from when they both saw each other.
"Look at them Makino, they're off the be pirates! DON'T EVER COME BACK, YOU'LL BRING SHAME TO THIS ISLAND!" The mayor yelled out as he had tears streaming down his cheeks, making the other villagers sweatdrop at his actions.
"They're going to be something big those two" Makino stated with a smile as she watched the two reconnect with each other after so long while they sailed farther away from the harbor.
~~~
"Local sea monster in 3....2....and 1" Anoki said as she placed Nathari against her shoulder. "Go ahead Captain, show me how much stronger you've become."
Luffy grinned with a hand placed on his shoulder as he spun his right arm around.
"Gum Gum....PISTOL!" Luffy shouted when he threw out his arm to punch the sea monster. The creatures face caved in and flew back a few yards before finally submerging back into the water. Luffy spun around to face Anoki, who had a huge smile on her face.
"Good job Captain! Very strong punch, now that you can finally aim." They both smiled at each other and continued on with their adventure.
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"Wow, this barrel is huge" Coby said as he rolled the barrel around the passenger ship. He tried to go as fast as he could go for he didn't want to be hit again by Alvida.
"Hey Coby, that's a big wine barrel you got there. Maybe we could help lighten the load" a pirate jeered out as he and two others set the barrel up-right
"B-but what about Alvida-sama?" Coby stuttered out while twiddling with his fingers, his nerves starting to get to him.
"Well runt, Captain just won't have to know now will she" the pirate sneered out as he reached to the top of the barrel to open it. Just as his fingers graced against the lid, it popped off and a fist slammed against his face, knocking him unconscious as his body slid against the floor. Everyone was shocked as they watched Luffy spring up and look around confused. Their eyes bulged even more when they saw Anoki stand up with Nathari gripped in her hands.
"Ah, Luffy-kun you punched someone" Anoki pointed out, dusting herself off and swinging her legs over the barrel to get out.
"What a strange place for someone to nap. Hey, you guys should move your friend, he'll catch a cold if he keeps sleeping out here" Luffy said dumbly as he also got out of the barrel. All of the pirates scampered off with their unconscious friend, leaving Coby with Luffy and Anoki. Luffy started sniffing the air like a hound and started chanting "food, food, food" under his breath. Anoki smiled at his antics and quietly trailed after him, Coby following after her.
"Ah apples! Here Anoki have one" Luffy cheered as he handed a few to his first mate. Anoki smiled and thanked him. "So.." Anoki trialed off as she turned to the pink haired boy. "Is this a pirate ship?"
Coby flushed a deep red at the beautiful woman and started to stutter, while Luffy silently glared at him for looking at HIS first mate like that. "A-Ah well, this is actually a passenger ship that's being raided by the Alvida pirates" Coby quietly stuttered out, his red cheeks contrasting his pink hair. Anoki hummed at that and looked back at her captain before returning her gaze.
"Are there any dinghy's on board?" Coby nodded at her question and led the two towards a beaten down one.
"It looks like a coffin" Luffy pointed out which Anoki nodded, twisting her hand against Nathari.
"So what were you two doing in a barrel anyways?" Coby questioned as he leaned against the wall, looking at them curiously.
"Ah we're pirates, I'm looking for the one piece. I'm going to be King of the pirates, and Anoki here is my first mate!" Luffy cheered out as he wrapped an arm around Anoki's shoulders.
"K-k-k-king of the pirates!! That means you're headed to the Grand Line!"
"Yep, that's right"
"Impossible, impossible, impossible! It's known as a pirates graveyard, you'll neve.." Coby was cut off by Anoki hitting him on the head with the end of Nathari.
"Why'd you hit me" he whined out as he rubbed the growing bump on his head.
"I felt like it. Don't go doubting my captain. I'll make sure he gets to be King, no matter what." Anoki stated proudly, smiling a closed eye smile at her captain, oblivious towards his red face.
"Yeah! We aren't afraid of death!" Luffy cheered as he and Anoki made their way towards the door. Coby stood there wide eyed at the two. He was shocked by their words and how confidently they said them.
"D-do you think I could be a marine?"
"A marine?" Luffy questioned while Anoki tilted her head to the right.
"Yeah, I-it's always been my dream to catch the bad guys..." Coby trailed off.
"How should we know!" Luffy smiled.
A loud crash interrupted them as a bigger woman came out through the roof. She glared at everyone, but faltered at the sight of Anoki, who she herself was glaring daggers at the bigger woman while tapping Nathari against her shoulder.
"Coby! Who are these people?!" She yelled out while pointed her mace towards the three.
"A-a-a-Alvida-sama" Coby stuttered while shielding himself behind Anoki, finding comfort in her strong and confident stance. Luffy once again glared at the weak pink haired boy but said nothing about it, instead he shouted,
"Who's this fat lady?"
Everyone but Luffy and Anoki's jaws dropped to the floor and his rude remark towards the woman. Alvida herself was trembling in rage towards the boy.
"Neither of you look like pirate-hunter Zoro. COBY! Who's the most beautiful woman in all of the seas?!" She questioned in a threatening tone.
"A-a-a....." Coby trailed off, his gaze lingering towards Anoki.
"That's easy. It's obviously Anoki" Luffy stated plainly. Anoki blushed slightly at his words and avoided everyone's gaze. Everyone silently gushed at her cute, shy gesture, but Anoki remained oblivious towards it. Alvida fumed with a small blush on her cheeks.
"Are you bounty hunters?" She venomously questioned out.
"No, we're pirates. I'm going to be King, and this is my first mate!" Luffy proudly stated with his hands on his hips and a grin. A small grin could be seen on Anoki's face as well.
"Pirates hmm. That means we're enemies."
"That's right!" Luffy said still smiling. Alvida's brow twitched and swung her mace down on Luffy's head.
"Shishishi that won't work. I'm a rubber man" Luffy yelled as he jumped up through the Alvida sized hole in the roof, Anoki did too with a blushing Coby in her arms. Pirates in Alvida's crew all yelled out a battle cry as they charged at the three, but Anoki was quick to get rid of them by crouching down with a leg out as she spun with her Nathari outstretched, slashing in a circle effectively hitting out a huge amount of the pirates. Luffy's eyes sparkled as he cheered on Anoki, but starting to fight the pirates as well. Luffy grabbed onto the mast of the ship, his arm stretching as he kept running. He let his body come rushing back, knocking down the pirates.
"W-WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!!??" Alvida and her crew yelled out. Anoki snickered quietly while jabbing the pirates in the stomach with incredible speed.
"Ne Anoki, let's get this whale together!"
"Aye Cap'n!" Anoki answered, spinning Nathari before rushing at Alvida with Luffy, both hitting her at the same time, knocking the female into the sky before she soon vanished from site. Anoki rolled her shoulders while Luffy asked for a boat for them and Coby. A huge wave soon crashed against the passenger ship with the loud whistle from a cannon.
"Ah the marines" Anoki deadpanned with a neutral expression while Coby panicked next to her.
"I-I'll get arrested here! We need to hurry" Coby shouted as he, Luffy, and Anoki jumped onto a dinghy and quickly escaped the passenger ship.
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"Coby, tell us about this Zoro person Alvida talked about" Anoki demanded while writing down what just happened in a journal. Panic flashed across the pink headed boys face as he quickly shook his head.
"Roronoa Zoro, a demon in human form. I recently heard he was captured in Shells town. He's vicious and doesn't show any remorse against anyone. Please don't tell me your considering having a monster like him in your pirate crew" Coby explained, a desperate look on his face.
"Of course we are. He sounds strong and that's what a proper crew for the King of the pirates needs. Although both of us are strong, we need to have strong crew mates who won't be a hindrance once we reach the Grand Line. " Anoki explained as she put away the journal to look out at the calm sea, a nostalgic look in her eye as she watched the waves. Luffy nodded frantically alongside her, fully agreeing with Anoki's words.
"Impossible, impossible, impossible! He'll kill both of you! You won't stand a...." Luffy cut Coby off with a punch to the head.
"Why'd you hit me" Coby whined.
" You doubted Anoki's words! I completely trust her instinct. And because I felt like it" Luffy explained.
"Oh" Coby mumbled.
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"Here we are. Shells town" Coby said with tears pricking in the corners of his eyes. The trio walked throughout the market place, Anoki buying things here and there.
"Where do you think they keep Zoro?" Luffy questioned. Everyone backed up against a wall, leaving the three of them confused.
"Perhaps it is taboo to speak his name in the open" Anoki mused, Coby nodding at her words as they continued on.
"Well this is it you guys. I can finally achieve my dreams to be a marine. I heard that Captain Morgan is stationed at this town" Coby thought aloud, but flinched when the people around them did the same thing as earlier when Anoki mentioned Zoro's name. Anoki's eye lowered, understanding the situation immediately. The people are afraid of their protector.
______________
"What an unsightly base" Anoki stated out, a bored expression plastered on her face. Luffy laughed at this and agreed with her words. Anoki ignored Coby's speech about finally being a marine and climbed over the wall. She scanned the court yard with her eye and spotted a man tied to a log, with his arms over another log behind the first, like a crucifix. She hummed and nodded towards Luffy, who then stretched his arms to join her up on the wall.
" I believe that is our guy" Anoki said while adjusting Nathari on her shoulder. Luffy hummed beside her but said nothing. She continued to ignore Coby's complaints against them having a man like Zoro on their crew to watch the man, who she knew was aware of their presence.
"Hey....you two boys...get lost you're an eyesore" Zoro gruffly said, tilting his head upwards so his shadowed eyes were visible. Luffy tilted his head in confusion and pointed his thumb towards Anoki.
"What about her?" he questioned. Anoki also tilted her head to the right, looking like a lost puppy, which made the three males around her silently gush at her. Zoro snickered silently but answered Luffy's question.
"She can stay, she's cute and isn't annoying." Luffy glared slightly at the green haired man's words but didn't say anything. The thud of a ladder being placed echoed quietly against the wall, causing Anoki to tear her one-eyed gaze away from the man, to see a little girl climbing up, shushing the three, then making her way towards Zoro.
"What do you want kid? Get lost before I kill you" Zoro gruffly stated.
" I made you some rice balls" the small girl cheered while holding out three rice balls. Zoro's eyes widened a bit before glaring again.
"I don't want them, now scram."
"Ahh, bullying children now are we Mr. Roronoa" a man with a pink and purple suit said as he strolled up with two marines behind him. Anoki quietly whispered to herself that his hair looked like an onion, which caused Luffy to silently snicker beside her. Onion man grabbed a rice ball from the little girl, who protested against the action.
"DISGUSTING! You used sugar, it's too sweet! You're supposed to use salt!" Onion man cried out, slapping the rest of the rice balls out of the girls hands and stomping on them. Anoki's eye was shadowed as anger rolled off of her in steady waves. Her grip on Nathari tightened to where her knuckled were turning white. Luffy put a gentle hand on her tattooed shoulder, calming her. Anoki turned to look at him and Luffy gave her a smile telling her to just watch.
"You know what happens to those who go against what Daddy says, right?" Onion snickered out once he say terror strike against the girls face.
"HAH, even kids are scared against him, good. Guard, toss her over the wall" Onion stated with a smug look.
"B-but sir, she's just a kid" The marine said hesitating. Onion man grew angry at this and yelled at the marine, "I don't care! Do you want me to tell Daddy!?" The marine quickly shook his head no and placed his weapon against the ground.
"I'm sorry little girl, tuck yourself into a ball, okay" The marine instructed as he tossed her over the wall. Anoki tossed Nathari into the ground before jumping off the wall and catching the girl, landing hard on her back. Luffy glared harshly at the Onion before jumping to Anoki.
"You ok?" Anoki questioned the little girl, who nodded her head and hugged the one-eyed girl tightly.
"Thank you" she sniffled. Anoki smiled gently at her before telling her to go home. As the little girl was running back Luffy helped up Anoki, who brushed herself off, grabbing Nathari and hopping over the wall with Luffy and walking up to Zoro.
"I'll untie you if you join my pirate crew".