"Koby! What do you think you're doing?!"
Alvida raised her spiked mace high, staring in disbelief at the timid little cabin boy who had always obeyed her every whim, and now dared to defy her. Rage instantly surged through her.
"I… I…"
Koby trembled from head to toe, still too scared to open his eyes and face the grim reality.
He stood there with arms outstretched, shielding Nami, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face. His voice was barely a whisper, weaker than a mosquito's hum, as he stammered:
"I… I… I…"
Terror filled his heart. His dry lips opened and closed, but he couldn't get a single clear word out.
"You really do have a death wish today, don't you?!"
Alvida, consumed by fury, was in no mood to hear Koby out. The massive mace she held suspended mid-air came crashing down toward his frail body.
Still, she didn't intend to kill him outright.
After all, no matter how lowly Koby was, he was still a member of her crew.
Even if she treated him like dirt, even if he hated her, Alvida still considered him one of her own.
Of course, her idea of "looking after her own" was anything but gentle.
She held back most of her strength, reducing the force of her swing by about seventy percent, and even angled the mace so that the blunt, spike-free side would strike him.
The howling of the weapon as it tore through the air echoed in Koby's ears.
His legs trembled violently, tears falling harder than ever. But strangely, his mind was suddenly… clear.
"Am I going to die?"
"Is this really how it ends?"
"I couldn't even save that girl…"
"My life… it really has meant nothing…"
"If I joined the Marine, maybe, just maybe, I'd be strong enough to capture pirates like her…"
THUD!!!
A dull, heavy sound rang out.
"Huh? That didn't hurt… am I already dead?"
Still lost in confusion, Koby's mind wandered.
"Hey! Don't tell me you fell asleep?!"
A playful voice tinged with annoyance suddenly rang in his ear. Koby cautiously cracked open his left eye. Light flooded in.
His blurred vision slowly cleared, and there was Nami, standing over him, pouting angrily, staring down with curiosity.
Alvida was nowhere to be seen. And behind him, the other pirates all looked stunned, not at him, but…
No.
They weren't staring at him.
They were staring at her.
That girl standing right in front of him.
"Done staring, little guy?"
Nami suddenly leaned forward and flicked her finger against his forehead with a pop!
"OW!"
To her, it was just a light flick.
But to Koby, it felt like a wrecking ball. He was instantly sent flying backward, tumbling across the ground.
Nami's eyes widened in surprise. Embarrassed, but unwilling to admit fault, she folded her arms and said:
"Wow, you're weak. Can you even get back up?"
She stood there, cocky and nonchalant, though her eyes kept flicking toward Koby, subtly checking if he was alright.
After all, Luffy had asked her to test him, and she had to admit, his burst of speed earlier was impressive.
What she hadn't expected… was how fragile his body really was.
"I… I'm okay…"
Koby pressed one hand to his swollen forehead, the other against the ground, slowly forcing himself upright.
He said he was fine, but the enormous red lump on his head told a different story. Blood was already beginning to spread under the skin, and his face, still streaked with tear stains, looked downright pitiful.
Nami suddenly felt like she'd just bullied a helpless child.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Meanwhile…
"You little brat!!"
Alvida clambered up from the sea, dripping wet, and glared murderously at Nami.
Koby hadn't seen what happened after he shut his eyes, but they had.
Every pirate, including Alvida herself, had clearly witnessed it:
That girl hadn't done anything more than lazily wave her arm, yet Alvida was sent flying straight into the sea.
It reminded Alvida of an old legend, a tale told across the Grand Line:
A mythical treasure of the sea… the Devil Fruits. Said to grant those who ate them powers rivaling demons.
Now back on dry land, Alvida had no intention of going one-on-one with Nami again. She retreated to the rear of her crew, hair and clothes still soaked and dripping.
"B-Boss…"
The pirates, shaken by Nami's display of overwhelming strength, were in no mood to fight. All they wanted was to get as far from this place as possible.
But Alvida wasn't about to let things end like that.
Her vanity couldn't tolerate being humiliated so thoroughly.
Fury blazed in her eyes. The fat on her body quivered from rage. With a snarl, she pointed a trembling finger at Nami, who was still chatting with Koby, and roared:
"ALL OF YOU, KILL HER!!"
The pirates froze.
"B-but…"
CRACK!!
One unfortunate soul standing closest tried to object, only to be silenced instantly as Alvida slammed her mace into him.
The man was buried halfway into the ground. His head stuck out, blood pouring from his scalp, barely breathing.
Alvida's cold glare swept across her crew as she shrieked:
"WHO ELSE WANTS TO DISOBEY ME?!"
"N-no one, Captain!!"
The pirates snapped to attention, the fear now plain on their faces.
This was Alvida the Iron Mace, one of the East Blue's most brutal pirates.
Charging forward might be dangerous, but retreating was certain death.
They had no choice.
They clutched their weapons tighter, anything to give them a sliver of courage.
"Kill her!!"
Alvida roared again.
Bolstered by fear, the pirates surged forward like a wave, all charging toward Nami at once.
─────────🏴☠️────────
"A-a-a-aaahhh!!!"
Koby had barely recovered from Nami's flick when he saw dozens of pirates barreling toward them, blades flashing and guns at the ready.
Terror robbed him of speech.
All he could do was point, stammer, and stare in horror as clouds of dust kicked up from the charging horde.
"Seriously?" Nami followed his gaze, then scoffed with disdain.
Calmly, she extended her right hand, and snapped her fingers.
Snap!
In an instant, a massive glowing magic circle appeared beneath the pirates, swallowing them in a burst of radiant green-blue light.
Intricate runes spun within the circle. And from its center, a monstrous energy surged forth.
WHOOSH!
A tornado burst into life, shooting skyward like a dragon from the depths.
The powerful gusts struck Koby first. His trembling legs gave out completely, and he collapsed backward onto the ground.
Through his glasses, his terrified eyes widened in awe at the impossible sight before him.
"Is this… is this a god…?"
Paralyzed by the overwhelming power, Koby whispered the words, whether in his mind or aloud, even he couldn't tell.
"Wanna learn how?"
Suddenly, a new voice appeared beside him.
A boy with messy black hair, a lazy smirk on his face, and a glint of mischief in his eyes, stood calmly beside Koby and said kindly:
"I can teach you."
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