Two days had passed since Arlong Park became nothing more than rubble of concrete and broken, burned wood, and somehow, I'd managed to survive the aftermath.
The Marines had arrived fashionably late, as usual. A few hours after we'd finished mopping the floor with Arlong's crew, they came in with all the urgency of a government employee five minutes before closing time.
Turns out their tardiness had a legitimate excuse this time—Arlong and his merry band of racist fish had sunk a Marine ship earlier that day, nearly killing some Commodore with the absolutely ridiculous name of Pudding—and I wish I was kidding.
'Pudding. Really. In a world where people are named after food items and weather phenomena, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Still, it sounds like something you'd order for dessert.'
The villagers from one of the other islands in the Conomi archipelago had pulled Pudding and what was left of his crew from the wreckage.
When the Commodore finally regained consciousness and learned that Arlong Park had been reduced to scenic waterfront property, he insisted on seeing it with his own eyes.
I was sitting on a chunk of what used to be Arlong's throne when Pudding arrived, his left arm in a sling and his face bearing the kind of determined grimace that usually preceded either heroic speeches or spectacular failures.
He took one look at the scene—fishmen in shackles, destroyed buildings, and me casually sipping coffee from my dimensional bag—and his eyes widened with recognition.
"You're…Dead-Eyes Hikigaya," he said, not a question, but a statement delivered with the kind of reverence usually reserved for historic figures, or particularly good ramen.
'Looks like my reputation followed me around like a particularly persistent seagull. At least he didn't call me 'The Sorcerer' this time. That one always made me recall my shameful past.'
"Yes," I replied, taking another sip of my coffee. "Though I had help from others. The villagers and some good doers."
But Pudding had shaken his head, wincing as the movement aggravated what looked like broken ribs.
"Don't be modest. I've heard the stories. A single man taking down entire pirate crews with one move. The mysterious treasure hunter who gives everything away to common folk."
'Stories. Right. Because apparently, my life has become the stuff of maritime legends now.'
Pudding's expression shifted to something approaching genuine gratitude, which was more unsettling than I cared to admit.
"Thank you. These bastards killed half my crew and would have killed me too if not for the villagers."
There was real pain in his voice. Or at least that is what my Mantra is telling me.
"What happens to them now?" I asked, nodding toward the shackled fishmen. "Last I checked, Arlong was under Jinbe's protection as a Warlord. Wouldn't want to see all this effort go to waste because of some bureaucratic loophole."
Pudding's face darkened, and for a moment I thought he might spit.
"Not this time. Arlong's crimes go beyond anything his pardon could cover. Bribing Marine officials, mass murder, systematic extortion... If Jinbe tries to protect him now, it'll cost him his Warlord status."
The way he said it, with barely controlled fury simmering beneath the surface, told me everything I needed to know. This wasn't just professional duty—it was personal. Pudding wanted Arlong to burn as much as anyone.
I made a calculated decision and pulled out the ledgers we'd found in Arlong's vault.
"These might help your case. Detailed records of every bribe, every payoff, every corrupt official on Arlong's payroll. Should make for interesting reading at headquarters."
Pudding's eyes lit up as he flipped through the pages.
He was also smart enough not to ask where we found it, which raised my opinion of him considerably. Too many Marines would have started calculating their cut before the bodies were even cold.
'But before his mind wanders, better give him the cover story.'
"There was also some money we found in the safes," I mentioned casually. "Already turned it over to the village chiefs for the recovery efforts. Seemed like the right thing to do."
What I didn't mention was the underwater vault with enough treasure to buy a small country. Some things were better left unsaid, especially when they involved enough money to make even honest Marines start asking uncomfortable questions.
'Speaking of which...'
"You should take credit for this," I'd offered, and watching his face cycle through confusion, honor, and practical consideration had been almost entertaining.
"I can't do that."
"You can, and you should. Better the newspapers report 'Marine Hero Defeats Arlong' than give Jinbe any reason to take his frustrations out on the people here."
'Sometimes the truth is a luxury you can't afford. And this way, you will have more than just revenge as a motivation for the small battle ahead of you.'
He had accepted eventually, understanding the game we were playing. Politics, even in a world of rubber boys and fishmen, remained depressingly familiar.
With the fishmen carted away and the immediate crisis resolved, the entire archipelago had exploded into celebration. The kind of spontaneous, joy-fueled festival that only happened when people suddenly remembered what it felt like to be free.
Food and drink appeared from storage rooms that had been hoarded for years, as if the entire population had been saving up for this moment.
'Which, considering they'd been paying tribute to fish-faced tyrants for nearly a decade, they probably had been.'
And somehow, despite my best efforts to remain a mysterious background figure, I'd gotten roped into organizing the damn thing.
Working with the village chiefs and local sheriffs, we'd established a festival management system that would make a corporate event planner weep with envy.
Every piece of food taken from storage was recorded, every drink accounted for, every chunk of firewood, every expense tracked against the budget from Arlong's above-ground treasure as we all agreed.
'Because nothing said 'celebration of freedom' like detailed financial records and inventory management. But the alternative was letting the entire archipelago party itself into starvation, and I'd seen enough suffering here to last several lifetimes.'
Not only that, there was also the management for the entertainment folks like bards, musicians, and performers who also had a long schedule all over the archipelago, not to mention the nightmare of distributing the food.
By the late afternoon of the second day, I was neck-deep in festival logistics when Tobias, the accountant, arrived.
He stepped off his ship with the kind of long-suffering expression usually reserved for parents of particularly difficult teenagers.
"Young Master Hikigaya," he said, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses, "you really must stop dragging these old bones across the East Blue for your philanthropic endeavors. At my age, I should be retired and complaining about the weather, not establishing charity foundations in the middle of nowhere."
'You are saying that, but you still came here in record time, didn't you?'
Tobias had been complaining about his age for more than a year I'd known him, despite being one of the sharpest financial minds in the East Blue. His 'old bones' moved with more energy than most people half his age, especially when there was interesting accounting work to be done.
"Really, you should be in the Grand Line already." Despite his grumbling, Tobias threw himself into the work with the enthusiasm of a man who genuinely loved complex financial puzzles. "Stop making an old man chase after your bleeding heart projects."
Within hours, he'd conducted a preliminary assessment of the archipelago's needs and counted every Berri of the underwater treasure.
"Twenty-seven point four billion fu*king berries," he announced, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Enough to build a small kingdom, or in this case, enough to rebuild everything the fish folks destroyed and much, much more."
'Twenty-seven billion berries. It was an obscene amount of money, the kind of wealth that started wars and toppled governments.'
And here we were, planning to spend it on schools and infrastructure like some kind of maritime charity organization.
'Well, because it is…'
"The Bellmère Foundation's first priority should be rebuilding the villages destroyed by the Arlong Pirates," Tobias continued, already pulling out his communication snail to contact his network across the East Blue.
"After that, we can focus on long-term infrastructure improvements and social services."
I wanted to help with the planning, but everyone kept insisting I looked like hell. Which was probably accurate—two days of non-stop festival management after a bone wrecking fight, while running on coffee and stubborn determination had taken its toll.
"Master," Delgado said, appearing at my elbow like he'd been doing constantly since Arlong's defeat, "you need to rest. You look like you've been through a hurricane."
Delgado had attached himself to me like a loyal shadow, refusing to leave my side even when I ordered him to go celebrate with the others.
Yusako, Johnny, and the Straw Hats had taken a similar approach, with at least one of them always nearby. Except for Luffy, who was too busy attempting to eat his x100 body weight in festival meat to worry about my well-being.
'Their concern was... unexpected. And unwelcome in that particular way that genuine kindness always was. It was easier to maintain my worldview when people weren't actively trying to take care of me.'
The intervention came in the form of Nojiko, Nami's older sister, who had inherited the family talent for getting her way through the force of arms.
"You're coming with me," she declared, taking my arm with the kind of authority that brooked no argument. "You're going to eat actual food, drink something besides coffee, and maybe even enjoy yourself for once."
There was no point in resisting. I'd learned from years of observation that when a determined woman decided you needed taking care of, your best bet was to submit gracefully and hope for minimal embarrassment.
What followed was several hours of Nojiko force-feeding me festival food, plying me with local sake, and—most mortifyingly—dragging me into the dancing area where she proceeded to demonstrate exactly how poorly I functioned in social situations.
'Dancing. She made me dance. In public. The things I endured for the sake of maintaining diplomatic relations.'
Now, finally, the festival was winding down. One by one, the celebrants had succumbed to exhaustion and alcohol, leaving scattered groups of unconscious revelers across the village square.
Usopp had been the last to fall, literally. He'd climbed atop a tower of stacked wooden tables, half-singing and half-collapsing, swaying dangerously in the ocean breeze.
Just before he toppled completely, I'd quietly activated the Barbossa sword's object manipulation power, using it to control the table beneath him and ensure he landed safely rather than cracking his skull open.
'Because somewhere along the line, I'd developed a bleeding heart for drunk teenagers with poor decision-making skills. When exactly had I become the responsible one in any given situation?'
Nojiko had fallen asleep on my shoulder sometime during the evening's final conversations, leaving me as the sole conscious person in the immediate area.
I carefully moved her to a nearby bench, covering her with my cloak and using my hat as a makeshift pillow.
She'd been kind to me, in that straightforward way that reminded me of my own sister. The least I could do was ensure she didn't wake up with a crick in her neck.
With everyone else unconscious, I finally had a moment of peace. I found a relatively clean alleyway with a view of the ocean, located an abandoned barrel to serve as a chair, and retrieved an ice box of canned MAXX Coffee from my dimensional bag.
'Of course I'd end up in some dingy corner of this seaside village at this hour. Everyone else is probably passed out from celebrating, and here I am, the antisocial one nursing coffee in a back alley like some kind of caffeinated hermit.'
The barrel creaked under my weight, but it held. At least something in this world was reliable.
Moonlight cast silver reflections across the dark water, and the salty breeze carried the lingering scents of festival food mixed with the usual maritime cocktail of fish, tar, and human exhaustion that seemed to permeate every port I'd visited in the East Blue.
'Two years of this. Two years of playing the mysterious sorcerer while internally screaming about how ridiculous everything is.'
'And now…what is next…'
I left this question for later, as I knew I was not in the best mental state to focus on that particular topic.
I opened a can of MAXX Coffee with the familiar CLICK and HISS of pressurized sweetness being released into the world.
The first sip, was heaven.
'Life may be a cosmic joke, but at least the punchline comes with caffeine.' —Hikigaya Hachiman.
I pulled out the Bubbly Coral from my dimensional storage, turning the strange device over in my hands.
It looked exactly like what you'd expect from something called "Bubbly Coral" – a device in the shape of a piece of fake coral that produced bubbles.
'Revolutionary naming convention there, fishmen. Really breaking new ground in the creative department.'
According to Zeff's logbook, these things were from Fishman Island and could produce breathable air bubbles made of resin. But it was not used outside of the island because of some bullshit about the atmosphere.
'The science makes about as much sense as everything else in this world,' I thought, watching the inflated bubble's surface shimmer with a moonily luminescence.
According to the tests I made during the time I was transporting the money and the other things from the underwater vault, the resin bubble lasted around nine minutes in the air and thirty underwater.
'Still useful. In a world where devil fruit users sink like stones, breathable air is basically a miracle cure for stupidity.'
The coral rolled gently in my palm, and I found myself considering its applications.
'Underwater exploration, emergency breathing apparatus, maybe even a way to—'
"Hikigaya!"
'—And there goes my peaceful moment.'
I looked up to see Luffy approaching through the dim moonlight with that trademark grin of his, the one that usually preceded either a brilliant idea or a complete catastrophe.
'Knowing him, probably both. What's he even doing awake at this hour? Most people, even his crew, are unconscious from the festival by now.'
"Yo," I carefully placed the coral back in my dimensional storage and took another sip of coffee.
'At least I can finish this before whatever chaos he's planning begins.'
"I barely saw you these past two days!" Luffy plopped down on a nearby crate with the grace of a sack of potatoes. His straw hat bobbed as he settled, and I noticed he had that restless energy that meant his brain was actually working.
'Dangerous territory, this is a dangerous territory you are heading into, Hachiman-kun.'
"I was busy with the village." I took another sip. "Someone had to make sure those fishmen didn't leave any nasty surprises behind."
Luffy's eyes fixed on my coffee can with the intense focus he usually reserved for meat.
"What are you drinking? I saw you drinking it before. Is it delicious?"
Of course, he's curious about the coffee. The guy who always eats mystery meat from questionable sources is intrigued by canned beverages.
"Coffee."
"Coffee? In these strange metal cups?" His head tilted like a confused puppy.
"You want one?" I reached into my icebox, pulling out another can.
Might as well share. It's not like I'm lacking in this storage, and watching Luffy discover caffeine might be entertaining.
"Yeah!" His eyes lit up with the same enthusiasm he showed for everything else in life.
I tossed him the can, and he immediately started struggling with the pull-tab.
'Right. Not a modern world, modern conveniences don't exactly come with instruction manuals.' I watched him fumble for a moment before taking pity on him.
"Here, like this." I demonstrated with my own can, showing him how to pull the tab. "You lift it up and pull back."
CLICK!HISS!
"Whoa! It's like magic!" Luffy's eyes went wide as the can opened with that satisfying sound.
"Not magic. Just engineering." Everything's like magic to you, you probably think doorknobs are supernatural.
He took a tentative sip, and his face immediately brightened.
"Oh, it's sweet!"
"Yeah, it is. Life is already bitter," I said, settling back against the wall behind me. "At least the coffee should be sweet."
"Bufuhahahaha!" Luffy burst out laughing, nearly spilling his drink. "That's interesting!"
'Glad someone appreciates my philosophy.'
We fell into a comfortable silence, the kind that felt rare in this chaotic world. The sound of waves lapping against the rocks mixed with distant snoring from the village and the occasional night bird. Most of the festival-goers had long since passed out, leaving the night surprisingly peaceful.
For a moment, I could almost pretend this was normal. Almost.
The silence stretched between us, but it wasn't awkward. Luffy seemed content to just sit and drink his coffee, occasionally making small sounds of appreciation.
But of course, peace never lasted long around Luffy.
"Hachiman," he said slowly, calling me by my given name for the first time, his voice uncharacteristically serious.
"Join my crew."
'And there it is.' I nearly choked on my coffee. 'Of all the things I expected him to say, a direct recruitment pitch wasn't one of them.'
I set my can down carefully, buying myself time to think.
'How do I handle this? The diplomatic refusal? The harsh reality check? The—'
"Why?" The word came out before I could stop it. "Why do you insist on making me join your crew?"
'Smooth, Hachiman. Really showing off that legendary wit.'
"Oh, that? Well, because you're amazing." Luffy thought for a moment and replied.
'Amazing.' I blinked. 'That's it? That's his entire argument?'
"Amazing?"
His grin widened, and suddenly he was animated again, gesturing with his coffee can.
"You're strong, you've got a good head on your shoulders, you have cool magical abilities, and you're a really good guy!"
'A really good guy.' I felt something twist in my chest. 'If only he knew how wrong he was about that last part.'
"You're really trying hard with that sales pitch."
"I'm serious." His expression shifted, becoming more focused than I'd ever seen it. The playful energy was still there, but underneath was something deeper. Something determined.
'Oh. He actually is serious.' I studied his face, looking for the usual signs of Luffy's impulsive decision-making. Instead, I found something I hadn't expected. Genuine conviction.
"When I saw you at the battle of Baratie," Luffy continued, his voice gaining strength, "To tell the truth, I was overwhelmed by how amazing you were. So much so that I asked myself why someone amazing like you would join my crew."
'He... what?' I felt my eyebrows rise. 'He questioned whether he was worthy of having me as a crewmate? That's not very Luffy-like.'
"I thought about it," he said, staring out at the sea. "There are a lot of amazing people out there. If I really want these amazing people to be my crewmates, then I should be someone they can trust. That's why I decided to fight Don Krieg."
'…So, he really made that decision because of me?' The coffee suddenly tasted like ash in my mouth.
'Although I guessed that I influenced his choice to fight that steel-plated maniac, hearing it from him like this…'
I thought back to that chaotic battle, trying to remember what I could have said or done to inspire such a dramatic shift in his thinking.
'I don't see myself as a great person,' I realized. 'Hell, most days I can barely see myself as a decent person. But Luffy...'
"I also thought about what you told me before," Luffy added, his expression growing more serious. "When you said I should prepare well for my goals and dreams, so it wouldn't be like I was throwing away the lives of my crew, and disregarding the worth of my dreams."
'Right, before the Arlong fight. I was trying to get him to think strategically for once.'
"You remembered that?"
"Course I did!" The grin was back. "I understood what you meant, but I also know that I can't do that, because I'm not as smart as you."
"So I thought, if you joined my crew, you could help me with that stuff!"
'And there's the selfishness.' I couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation.
'Classic Luffy logic. "I need help being smart, so you should do all the thinking for me."'
"You realize you're being incredibly selfish here, right? I'd be doing all the work while you get all the benefits."
"Don't say it like that!" Luffy protested, waving his coffee can.
"You are going to the Grand Line too, right?
Sailing alone is hard and boring. You should sail with us instead!
It'll be better and more fun this way, and we could have lots of fun adventures together!"
'Fun adventures.' I almost laughed at the phrase.
In this world, 'fun adventures' usually mean 'narrowly avoiding death while fighting whatever wants to kill you for various stupid reasons.'
But even as I thought it, I knew he had a point. The Grand Line was essentially a suicide run for solo travelers.
'Unless you're some kind of powerhouse with years of experience, going alone is just an elaborate form of self-murder.'
'And I do need to go to the Grand Line, so in turn I need a crew to go with me.'
The thought sobered me quickly. There were no more Devil Fruits left to collect in the East Blue, and even the last thing—The Barbossa Sword— has returned to me.
And my Stand's reaction when I'd presented it with my full 'East Blue collection' is...still a no.
'Still a long way to go, most likely. And for how long is that way, I have no idea…'
Which means, until then, my best bet might still be the One Piece itself.
'If I'm going to have any chance of opening a portal home, my best bet is most likely the ultimate treasure. The thing every pirate in the world is searching for.'
But the problem was obvious – I wasn't the only one with that goal.
'Every major power in the world, and literally their Mother, wants the One Piece. To beat all of them to the finish line, I'd need more than skill, power, and a good crew.'
Because there is no way they would lack in these departments. I have no delusions that a lone man like me has the necessary power, skills, and backing to beat the whole world in such a race.
And even if I—in some bizarre way—have all of that, I am sure it won't be enough…
'For what I need is, as expected...luck…'
I looked at Luffy, really looked at him. The protagonist.
Before I'd woken up in this world, this had all been a Manga. A story about a rubber boy who dreamed of finding the One Piece and becoming the Pirate King.
'And if there's anyone in this world who has a real shot at accomplishing that, it's the main character of the story, who had that dream.'
'Logically speaking,' I mused, 'sailing with the supposed protagonist gives me the best chance of reaching my goal. Even if I don't fully trust the Manga as a guide, even if no one sees it right now, there must be something that this protagonist has, something that will give him a great advantage in the race for the One Piece.'
But logic wasn't the only factor here.
'There's still the problem of conflicting goals.'
"I'm sorry." I sighed, setting down my coffee. "I can't join your crew."
"WHAT?! WHY?!" His voice cracked like a whip, echoing off the alley walls.
'And there's the dramatic overreaction I was expecting. Might as well be direct about it.'
"Do you want to go to the Grand Line and find the One Piece?"
"YES!" He jumped to his feet, pumping his fist. "I'm going to be the Pirate King!"
"Then I can't help you with that," I said quietly. "Because I want to find the One Piece too."
"Eh?!...You... you want to be the Pirate King too?!" Luffy's mouth fell open in shock.
"Oi, were you even listening?" I asked in the flattest tone I could manage. 'How does his brain even work? Does he just hear keywords and fill in the blanks with whatever makes the least sense?'
"But... but..." He looked genuinely confused, like I'd just explained quantum physics using interpretive dance.
"I have no interest in being the Pirate King," I said slowly, hoping the words would actually penetrate his rubber skull.
While I have no problem being a pirate—as searching for the One Piece is considered a crime, not just in the Marines' book but every other major power too—I have no interest whatsoever in the Pirate King's title.
"The thing is, I'm a Treasure Hunter. So, of course, I too want to find the world's most grand treasure, the fabled One Piece of the late Pirate King."
'More than want. Need.'
I couldn't say that part aloud. How could I explain that finding the ultimate treasure was my only hope of seeing my family again? That every day in this world was another day stolen from my real life?
"There is…something I want to do," I continued, the words feeling heavier than they should. "And I think…the One Piece…could help me with what I want."
"So in the end, I wouldn't be able to join your crew."
'Because we'd be competitors. Because ultimately, one of us would have to choose between friendship and our dream. And I already know which one I'd pick.'
Luffy fell silent, his face scrunched up in what I recognized as his 'deep thinking' expression.
The silence stretched on for a few minutes, enough for the reality of this situation to settle in for both of us.
Or that's what I thought until, slowly, Luffy's face split into the widest grin I'd ever seen him wear.
'Oh no. That's his "I have a terrible idea" grin.'
"So," he said slowly, like he was working through a particularly difficult math problem, "you don't want to become the Pirate King, but you just want to find the One Piece."
'Congratulations, you successfully understood the basic premise.'
"That's what I said, yes."
Luffy stood up, his grin somehow growing even wider.
"How about this!"
Here it comes. The Luffy logic that defies all reason and somehow works anyway.
"You join my crew, help me find the One Piece, and make me the Pirate King!" He was practically vibrating with excitement.
"And after I become the Pirate King, I'll lend you the One Piece for whatever you need to do!"
'Lend me the One Piece?' I stared at him. 'Did he just... did he actually just offer to lend me the most precious treasure in the world? Like it's a library book?'
"You would... give me the One Piece?" The words came out strangled.
"Well, I'd lend it to you," Luffy corrected, as if that made perfect sense.
"But if that's not enough, I'll help you too! You're my friend, after all."
Friend. The word hit me harder than it should have. When did I become his friend? When did anyone in this world become my friend?
"Besides," Luffy continued, his expression growing more serious, "I'll need your help with something after I become the Pirate King anyway."
'What?' That caught me completely off guard.
I never knew what it was that he wanted to do after being the Pirate King, as it was never mentioned in the Manga. What could Luffy possibly want to do after achieving his dream?
'Unless... this isn't exactly like the manga. This is real life, with real people who have goals beyond what was shown in a story.'
'What is it?'
'What is the thing you want to do after becoming the Pirate King?'
'What could it possibly be?'
I couldn't help but be curious about this, as I doubted that anyone won't.
Luffy turned to look out at the sea, his voice taking on a clear, cheerful quality that somehow carried absolute conviction.
"I want to…"
"Take The Whole World On An Adventure!"
"…"
"…"
"…"
SCREEEECH!
That was the sound of my brain coming to a complete halt.
All my thoughts came to a complete stillness, and I didn't even know what to think.
"…Huh...?" The sound escaped my mouth without permission.
'Did he…Did he just... did he actually just say...'
"Shishishishishi!" Luffy laughed at my expression, clearly delighted by my reaction.
"What do you think? Pretty cool, right?"
'Cool. He thinks turning the entire world upside down is "cool."'
'Did I understand this right? Does he actually comprehend what he is saying?'
My mind slowly started working again, processing the absolutely insane thing he'd just casually announced.
'This makes Yukino's 'I want to change the world' teenage dream look like a modest hobby. This is... this is...'
"O-Oi! Are you…serious?" I managed to ask.
"Of course I'm serious!" His smile never wavered. "It's my dream!"
'His dream is to forcibly drag every person on the planet into an adventure.'
I opened my mouth to explain why that was impossible, then stopped.
'Wait. Gold Roger did something similar, didn't he? Not on this scale, but he inspired an entire generation to seek adventure on the seas.'
'But this... this would be different. This would be everyone. Every person on every island, in every kingdom, in every corner of the world.'
My mind raced through the implications, trying to find some way it could work.
'The logistics alone would be... unless you could somehow...'
'This…could be feasible…even if we continued with the same scale…and if there were some kinds of abilities to help us with this…or we could use a different approach entirely…'
I was lost in my own thoughts when I felt Luffy's presence close to my face, and looked up to find him studying me intently, that wild grin still plastered across his features.
"You thought of some way we could do it, didn't you?" he said, his voice filled with childlike excitement.
"Hehe! I wasn't wrong! I knew I wasn't wrong when I chose you!"
"Come on, Hachiman! Let's go sail together!"
'How does he read me so easily?'
I looked at him for a long moment, seeing not just the goofy pirate captain, but the person who'd somehow figured out exactly what would convince me to join him.
'Would I accept turning the world upside down for the sake of going home?'
If it were me from two years ago…there is no way…
But the current me…
'I will be just thinking of the easiest method that would do the least harm.'
"Do you really want to do that?" I asked quietly.
His attention sharpened.
'Good. He's listening.'
"It wouldn't just be difficult or nearly impossible," I continued. "Even if we succeeded, the World would hate you for it. You'd be considered the most heinous demon in history."
'Because that's what it would take. To drag the entire world on an adventure, you'd have to tear down everything they consider safe and stable. Governments, kingdoms, the very concept of staying home with your loved ones.'
"That's okay! It'd be more fun that way!" Luffy's grin widened.
'Of course it would.' Despite the audacity I was hearing, I felt my lips twitch upward. 'Only Luffy would think being universally reviled would make his dream more entertaining.'
"People won't necessarily see it as fun," I pointed out, though I knew I was fighting a losing battle. My own voice carried a smile I couldn't quite suppress.
"Most people in this world want to stay with their loved ones. Others want to return to them."
'Like me. I want to go home to my family, my friends, my boring old life where the biggest crisis was having a meeting with my girlfriend's family.'
"That's okay too," Luffy said simply,
"Because All Of Them Will Meet Again,"
"And This Way, They Could All Be Together!"
'This…He's thought this through more than I gave him credit for.'
"Haha…Hahaha…Hahahahahaha!"
"Bufuhahahahahahaha!!!"
I couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up from my chest. And Luffy laughed with me.
The sheer audacity of it, the impossible optimism, the complete disregard for conventional wisdom – it was so perfectly Luffy that I couldn't help but be impressed.
"It would be really fun!" Luffy pressed, bouncing slightly on his feet.
"Come on, let's do it! Let's sail together! Hachiman!"
Fun. I looked at him, this rubber boy who dreamed of impossible things and somehow made them seem achievable.
'This is madness, a complete utter madness, and he's offering me a chance to be part of this madness.'
'And I knew if it would be the price of me going back, I would accept.'
'But the best part? I'm going to leave this world anyway.'
The thought came with a mixture of relief and something that might have been regret.
"Alright," I said, the words feeling both inevitable and liberating.
"I'll join your crew."
"YES!" Luffy's cheer could probably be heard three islands away. He pumped both fists in the air, nearly knocking over his coffee can in the process. "This is going to be AWESOME!"
'Well,' I thought, watching his celebration with amusement, 'At least it won't be boring.'
I couldn't help but shake my head at the absurdity of it all.
'Mom would have a heart attack if she knew her cynical son had joined a crew planning to revolutionize the entire world.'
'Dad would be thinking about how many dogezas he would need to make.'
'Komachi will probably laugh at it all.'
Good thing they'll never find out.
'When I finally collect enough Devil Fruits or get the One Piece to open a portal home, none of this will be my problem anymore. I can help him tear the world apart because I won't have to live in the aftermath.'
'So why should I care if this world turns into hell?'
…
A/N: ...Yeah, this is my take on Luffy's dream.
The idea has been in the back of my mind for years now, and it took over the mainstream Banquate theory by the end of Egghead, that and its other attachments, like what is the One Piece, Will of D., where is Laugh Tale, All Blue, and even things I am not exactly sure about yet.
I know I could be wrong, but I am planning to go with this path unless something big happens, like Oda-sensei changing the background theme. (But I am sure he won't, as we entered the final Saga already, and this is the third time he changed the background theme)
Anyway, Thank you all for reading!! Hope you enjoyed this one!
Feel free to leave a Comment guys! And Powerstones are much much welcomed!
Have a nice day!
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