Alvida's Pirate Ship
Pinky struggled to push a massive wooden barrel he'd discovered on a merchant ship. He hoped this prized cask of fine wine would save him from Alvida's iron club.
Suddenly, the wooden door to the passenger cabin burst open with a loud *boom*. Three pirates of varying heights spotted Koby and blocked his path.
"Hey, coward! Hiding here slacking off again? Whoa, look at that barrel! Let us lighten your load—we're parched!"
"No way! Alvida will kill me if she finds out!" Koby shook his head frantically.
Ignoring his terror, the pirates threatened Koby into silence, hoisted the barrel upright, and declared impatiently that they were going to crack it open.
"Waaah... What a great nap!" A young man in a red vest and straw hat burst from the barrel, a silver box in his hand. He stretched languidly, his fist slamming into the nearest pirate, sending the fat man sprawling to the deck.
Yawning, the youth tilted his head at the fallen pirate. "Who are you guys? You know, sleeping on the floor can give you a cold."
"It's all your fault!" the remaining two pirates roared, veins bulging as they drew their swords and lunged at Luffy. "You knew we were pirates and you still dared to mess with us!"
"I'm starving..." Luffy ignored them, turning to Pinky. "Got anything to eat?"
The pirates, burning with fury at the insult, slashed at Luffy. Without even glancing back, Luffy shattered their weapons with a loud *clang*.
The blades shattered against the silver box, sending brittle shards flying across the deck and sticking in the overhead. Terrified, the pirates grabbed their unconscious comrade and fled in a panic.
Hearing the clatter, Luffy stared at the box in his hand. "Oh no! I forgot about Orochimaru!" He frantically yanked open the lid and found the White Snake coiled inside, its eyes glazed over with dizzying spirals. He slammed the lid shut.
Luffy glanced skyward, whistling nonchalantly, then quickly jammed the box back into his pocket. He tightened the lid with a rope. 'Phew... I didn't see anything! It's not my fault!'
Koby edged closer, his face pale.
"Run! If they call for reinforcements, you're dead!" Koby cried, terrified as he watched Luffy, grinning from ear to ear, declare he was hungry. "You're still thinking about food?! There are tons of pirates on deck!" He grabbed Luffy and dragged him toward the exit.
Luffy, drawn by the aroma of food, lumbered toward the galley, dragging the reluctant Pinky behind him. Once inside, he devoured everything in sight, completely ignoring Koby's constant chatter. When Pinky revealed he'd boarded the wrong ship and been captured by pirates, Luffy chuckled dismissively and continued eating. He didn't press Koby about his cowardice.
He remembered Orochimaru's words: 'You can't truly understand someone unless you've shared their pain. Even then, complete understanding is impossible. Luffy, you're strong and talented, but not everyone can be like you.'
So, while Luffy understood Koby's fear and lack of courage, he couldn't truly grasp it. That's why he didn't press the issue.
When Alvida attacked, Luffy effortlessly sent her flying, stole a small boat, and escaped with Koby.
"Hey, Koby," Luffy asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity, "what's this 'Pirate Hunter' thing that lady was talking about?" Luffy, always eager to find new crewmates, found the concept intriguing.
"Zoro, you mean? What kind of guy is he? I heard he's locked up in the Marine Base. You want him as a crewmate?"
"No way, no way, no way!" Koby exclaimed. "I heard he's terrifying, like a monster! They say he's a bloodthirsty beast who tears bounty hunters to shreds. People call him a demon in human skin. Being Luffy's crewmate? Absolutely not!"
"Hmm..." Luffy turned away, tuning out Koby's rant. 'Why bother arguing? I barely know him anyway. Don't waste your energy on annoying people.'
They reached the Marine Base gate. Merchants and pedestrians recoiled at the mere mention of Morgan and Zoro. Luffy decided to see for himself.
He leaned over the wall and spotted a green-haired figure tied to a stake. A little girl climbed up a ladder, shushed Luffy, jumped down, and ran toward Zoro.
Ignoring Koby's incessant whining, Luffy watched intently as the girl handed Zoro a rice ball. A dimwit with a cleft chin snatched it away and stomped on it.
After Luffy rescued the little girl the Marines had thrown over the wall, he stood before Zoro.
"Heard you're a bad guy," Luffy said.
Zoro's voice was calm. "What are you still doing here?"
"Being tied up like this for everyone to see—are you really that tough?"
"Mind your own business," Zoro replied, showing no reaction.
Luffy adjusted his Straw Hat and stepped closer. "If it were me, I'd be starving to death after three days without food."
"My willpower's different from yours," Zoro said. "I will survive. I have to. Can you get that for me?" His gaze was fixed on the dirt-covered rice ball.
"Hmm..." Luffy hesitated for a moment, then picked up the rice ball and fed it to Zoro. He heard Zoro mutter "delicious" before turning and leaving.
Luffy told the little girl that Zoro had eaten the rice ball and said it was delicious. She beamed.
The girl introduced herself as Rika, daughter of the tavern owner in town. She explained that Zoro had been tied up to save her from being eaten by the bulldog belonging to that idiot son of the Marine commander. If she hadn't agreed to the idiot son's demands, her mother and she would have been tied up instead.
After taking Rika back to the tavern, Luffy overheard "Cleft Chin" planning to break his promise and execute Zoro the next day. Luffy beat him up, left Koby at the tavern, and turned to leave.
"What did you say?" Zoro stared blankly at Luffy.
"Just that I've decided you're going to be my crewmate!" Luffy tilted his head.
"Don't just decide that for me!" Zoro roared.
"Oh yeah, you're a swordsman, right? I'll go steal your swords back. If you want them, you gotta join my crew!" Luffy grinned mischievously, a cunning glint in his eyes. 'Where did he learn that?'
"You little sneak!" Zoro snarled, baring his shark-like teeth.
"Oh yeah, that idiot son of his is breaking the deal. You're gonna die tomorrow, you know!"
Luffy burst into laughter and charged into the Marine Base, causing chaos as he kidnapped the idiot son, smashed Morgan's statue, and ransacked the place. He found three swords, leaped from the roof, and landed in front of Zoro, deflecting the incoming bullets with a sword.
Zoro stared in stunned silence.
"Who... what exactly are you?"
Luffy turned, beaming with a thumbs-up. "I'm Luffy! Monkey D. Luffy! And I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"
"Oh yeah, I couldn't figure out which one was yours, so I brought all three," Luffy said, holding the swords up to Zoro's face.
"You're gonna take them, right? If you fight alongside me now, you'll be a bad guy, going against the government. Or do you want the Marines to just kill you here? Which do you choose?" Luffy nudged his nose toward the Marines surrounding them.
"You little devil's spawn," Zoro grumbled, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Fine, better to be a pirate than die here."
"Awesome! You're gonna be my crewmate! Hooray! This is great!" Luffy danced around excitedly.
"Just give me the damn swords!" The Marines were closing in.
Zoro bit down on a blade, severing his ropes in one swift motion, and blocked the Marines' swords with his own.
"If I'm gonna help you become King of the Pirates and fight the Marines, then I'm officially a bad guy. But listen up: I'm still gonna chase my own dream—to be the world's greatest swordsman. If you screw that up for me, you'll owe me seppuku. I'm gonna make my name echo around the world, good or bad!"
"The world's greatest swordsman, huh? Not bad. If you wanna be part of the future King of the Pirates' crew, you better have a title like that."
To be continued...