"It's truly an honor to meet you again!"
The Marine officer couldn't care less about saving face, he practically bowed and scraped his way toward Nami, his body language screaming, "I'm here to suck up."
Luffy glanced at the sycophantic officer, then looked over at Koby, who had been starstruck ever since the Marine arrived.
His eyes darted between the two, spinning with thought, until a sudden spark of inspiration lit up his face. He stepped forward and asked Nami:
"Hey, Nami. Who's this guy?"
"Huh?"
Nami turned to Luffy, clearly puzzled.
That's odd, she thought. Luffy usually doesn't care about things like this.
Still, she replied, "He's a Marine officer I met back when I was a bounty hunter…"
Then, hesitating slightly, perhaps sensing there was more to Luffy's question than met the eye, she added:
"…I guess you could say he's a friend."
Sure enough, the moment Nami used the word friend, Koby visibly relaxed. His nervous energy softened, and his stiff expression began to ease.
But…
The Marine officer, who had initially maintained some semblance of composure, now beamed with delight like a dog wagging its tail. Practically jumping with joy, he stammered:
"No, no, I wouldn't dare! Someone like me could never be worthy of Nami-san's friendship! You flatter me far too much! Hahaha…"
Luffy ignored the grinning officer and casually pointed at the defeated pirates sprawled across the grass.
"You showed up just in time. Take those pirates away."
"Y-Yes, Luffy-sama!!"
The Marine officer snapped to attention and saluted with unwavering devotion.
As one of Captain Nezumi's subordinates, he knew, this wasn't just anyone. Nami, the former bounty hunter, was now serving under a Warlord of the Sea.
Someone of that stature was a big deal, a really big deal. Just being seen with her was enough to brag about for a year.
And today, such an important figure actually spoke to him. It was more than an honor, it was a miracle.
He quickly barked orders at the other soldiers, still standing stiffly at attention.
"Move! Round up all those pirates, NOW!"
"And clean up the courtyard! Not a single speck of filth left behind! We don't want to offend the honored guests!"
"Yes, sir!"
In an instant, the Marine soldiers sprang into action.
─────────🏴☠️────────
Koby watched in utter disbelief as Marine officers dashed back and forth, cleaning the grass, hauling away pirates, and scrambling to obey Luffy's casual commands.
He stood there stunned, mouth slightly open.
These are high-ranking Marine officers… and they're listening to him?
Who exactly is this guy I've run into…?
"What's your name?"
Luffy suddenly turned and asked Koby again.
"Huh?!"
Startled, Koby scrambled to his feet and stood at attention like his life depended on it. His whole body trembled as he blurted out:
"Koby! M-my name is Koby, sir!!"
"Koby, huh?"
Luffy gave him a sly grin. Looking at this timid little bundle of nerves, he continued:
"Are you with those pirates?"
"No!! No, absolutely not!!"
Koby shouted in panic, terrified they'd mistake him for one of them.
But after shouting, his shoulders slumped and his head drooped low. A deep sense of grievance twisted his face as he sniffled:
"I… I was captured. Alvida forced me onto her ship… I had to be their navigator and do all their chores…"
"But I swear, I'm not a pirate!"
The memories of abuse and humiliation flooded back, and once again, tears streamed down Koby's cheeks.
Luffy watched him cry and thought silently:
Looks like his true personality is still locked away.
With a sigh, he said gently but bluntly:
"You really are a crybaby."
"Ah!"
Koby quickly wiped his eyes, trying his best to stop the tears. He bowed again and again, muttering:
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry…"
But no matter how hard he tried, the tears kept flowing uncontrollably.
"Enough!!"
Luffy suddenly roared, his voice thunderous.
Snap!
Koby flinched as if struck by lightning. His teeth clenched tightly, his body tensed like a bowstring, and he stood bolt upright.
He didn't even dare to breathe too loudly.
"What kind of man cries like that all the time?"
Luffy's tone softened, but his words still carried weight, as if he were scolding a younger brother.
"When things get tough, crying won't solve anything. What kind of man are you supposed to be?"
"What's done is done. You've got two choices: accept it, or fight back."
"If you don't want to accept it, then do something about it."
"Get stronger. Take down the pirates. Or pretend to go along with them, bide your time, and then strike."
"But if you stay weak and timid forever… if you just drift through life doing chores for others, is that really the life you want?"
Koby's eyes squeezed shut. He clenched his jaw. Luffy's words had hit something deep inside him. Tears welled again, but this time, they felt different.
He couldn't bring himself to speak.
So Luffy pressed again, this time with a shout:
"Answer me, Koby! Are you really okay with that life?!"
"…No. No, I'm not."
The words came out like a whisper, faint and shaky.
"LOUDER!"
"…I'm not!!"
Koby's voice rose with surprising force, echoing across the courtyard.
"That's more like it!" Luffy grinned. "Now tell me, Koby, what's your dream?"
Koby slowly opened his tear-stained eyes, dazed, as if the word itself caught him off guard.
"My… dream?"
Luffy looked him dead in the eyes and smiled like the sun itself:
"Yeah. Your dream, or your ambition."
"Even if it costs you your life… what would you chase, no matter what?"
"Say it. Speak it out loud!"
"Bring out that same courage you had when you stood up to protect Nami!"
Courage… my courage…
Luffy's smile seemed to spark something inside him.
That same feeling, that surge of boldness, rose again in Koby's chest. His blood felt hot. Like something had cracked wide open inside him.
My dream…
He stood tall, legs firm and steady. No more trembling. His voice, still wet with tears, rang out powerfully:
"My dream!"
"I want to grow stronger, and capture every bad guy in the world!"
"That's been my dream since I was a kid!"
The words were rough, the voice still shaky, but Koby's resolve shone through crystal clear.
His courage, buried for so long, had finally broken free.
Luffy's grin widened. He nodded with satisfaction and lowered his voice:
"Do you want power, Koby?"
"Power…?"
Koby looked at him curiously.
Now that the chains in his heart had been broken, he felt an unfamiliar strength welling up inside.
The tears had stopped. And for the first time, he dared to look directly at Luffy, really look.
Such confidence. Such fearlessness.
Even just seeing it made Koby feel stronger.
"Yes, power…"
As Luffy spoke, he slowly extended his arm, drawing Koby's full attention.
His open hand clenched into a solid iron fist.
Then he looked up and grinned:
"Power… like this!"
WHOOSH!!
A blinding flash of flame burst from Luffy's gauntlet.
From that clenched fist surged a torrent of red-orange fire, crackling like lightning and shooting straight into the sky, forming a blazing pillar of flame.
It looked like a second sun had appeared above them.
The heat distorted the air. The fire swirled into a tight sphere, then,
BOOM!!
The fireball exploded high above, releasing a shockwave that rippled through the sky, shaking the earth with its force.
Brilliant flames illuminated everything below. The light painted everyone's faces red, and stretched their shadows long across the ground.
The clouds overhead evaporated in an instant. What had been an overcast day now turned into a radiant, cloudless sky.
Koby and the Marine officers stared, dumbfounded, as if witnessing gods in battle. Their minds couldn't even process what they were seeing.
Long after the light faded…
Luffy pulled his arm back. The flames in the sky vanished. He looked at Koby once more and asked:
"Koby… do you want that kind of power?"
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