The sun beat down on the endless blue sea, a perfect day for a journey. A small boat drifted along, carrying two young men. One, a seventeen-year-old with a shock of black hair, wore a simple straw hat, a red shirt, and blue shorts.
The other, an eighteen-year-old, was taller with shaggy, tomato-red hair. He had on a blue, black, and white flannel shirt over a white t-shirt and loose blue jeans. These two, Monkey D. Luffy and his friend Steve, were ready to begin their adventure and chase their dreams.
"It's a beautiful day out here," Luffy said, gazing at the distant horizon.
"Yeah, it's a shame we had to end up in this mess," Steve sighed, pointing toward a massive whirlpool that was rapidly pulling their tiny boat down.
"Oh no, there's no one else around," Luffy exclaimed, "It'd be bad if the boat got wrecked."
"Yes, Luffy, it would be bad, especially since you can't swim!" Steve snapped, already pulling the lid off a barrel in their boat. "You're always getting us into trouble because you never think things through. I told you we should have found a navigator sooner so this wouldn't happen!"
"It's not that big of a deal if the boat sinks," Luffy replied nonchalantly. "You can just carry me in the water."
"I can't carry you and swim at the same time in a whirlpool!" Steve deadpanned. "Now, get in the barrel. We just have to hope this thing doesn't sink with both of us in it."
"Won't it be kind of cramped?" Luffy asked, "I mean, you're pretty tall."
"And you're short, so it'll even out," Steve shot back. "Come on, Luffy, the boat's already falling apart!"
When Steve came to, the rocking had stopped. "Hey, Luffy, wake up! I think the barrel stopped moving," he whispered. "We might have been picked up by a ship."
A loud snore was his only reply.
"Dammit, Luffy, wake up!" Steve kicked the side of the cramped barrel as hard as he could, but his friend remained fast asleep. "Come on, get up! I can hear people talking. If they catch us in here, we're going to be in big trouble."
Just then, Luffy stirred. He began to stretch, his limbs popping out of the barrel with a series of loud cracks.
"No, you idiot! You're going to break the barrel!" Steve yelled.
With a final pop, Luffy burst from the barrel, yelling, "I slept great!"
Steve scrambled out behind him, taking in their surroundings. He had been right; they were on a ship. He saw three men and a younger boy, all of them staring at Luffy and him with shocked expressions.
"Oh, hey there," Steve said with a casual wave.
The three older men immediately became irate, yelling and demanding to know who they were and why they were hiding in a barrel.
"What's their problem?" Luffy whispered to Steve.
"Don't know," Steve shrugged. "Probably because you nearly gave them a heart attack with that wake-up call."
Suddenly, the ship's wall exploded, and both Steve and Luffy were sent flying. Steve braced for impact, hoping they wouldn't land in the water. Just as they hit the deck, the younger boy from inside appeared, looking concerned.
"Are you two okay?" he asked. "You were sent flying pretty far."
"Haha, we're fine," Luffy said, laughing. "Just a little surprised. I'm Luffy, and this is Steve. Where are we?"
Steve was actually surprised that Luffy hadn't asked for food first. He usually let his stomach do the thinking for him.
The boy introduced himself as Coby and explained that he was a chore boy on the ship of the pirate, "Iron Club" Alvida. Just as Coby finished, Luffy managed to destroy all the good faith they had built up by immediately asking for a new boat.
"Dammit, Luffy, be polite!" Steve said, elbowing him. "It's rude to just ask for something like that."
"No, it's okay," Coby quickly replied. "I actually have a boat."
He then showed them what looked like a pile of sticks and nails. "I've been secretly building it for two years," Coby explained.
Two years? Steve thought, unimpressed. Sorry, kid, but this thing looks pathetic.
Luffy seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Why do you even have this?" Steve asked Coby.
"Well, I was planning to run away someday soon," Coby admitted, "but I just don't have the guts."
Wow, this kid really needs a confidence boost, Steve thought.
Luffy, being Luffy, immediately told Coby he should just leave anyway. Steve was stunned for a moment, but then again, it was exactly the kind of thing Luffy would do. He was always good at making friends and ignoring obstacles, all while speaking his mind. But Coby just clammed up and started making excuses.
"Coby, why are you even in this crew?" Steve asked. "Clearly, you don't want to be here. Why don't you just ask Alvida if you can leave?" In Steve's mind, if a crew member had a good reason to leave, they should be able to.
"I don't have a choice," Coby said, looking down. "I went out fishing one day and got on this pirate ship by mistake."
"Wow, you're dumb!" Luffy blurted out, not even realizing he had insulted the kid. "And you're kind of wimpy, too."
"Luffy, stop being so rude to him," Steve said, trying to hold back a laugh.
"Oh, okay, sorry," Luffy said, "I'll try to be nicer."
Steve was both annoyed and proud of his friend. They had a strange relationship; Luffy was always the "doer," and Steve was the "thinker." Steve would try to keep his friend in line, but he usually ended up following his lead anyway.
"Hey, Steve, Luffy, why are you two sailing?" Coby asked.
Luffy and Steve looked at each other, smiled, and said at the same time, "We're going to become the King of the Pirates!"
Coby's eyes widened. "You mean you're looking for the One Piece? The greatest treasure in the world, everything it has to offer?" Coby took a deep breath, then yelled, "DO YOU TWO WANT TO DIE?! There's no chance! It's impossible! You'll just die! To become the Pirate King in this era... it'll never happen!"
Before Coby could finish, Luffy punched him right in the face. Steve wasn't surprised.
"Why'd you hit me?" Coby asked, holding his jaw.
"Because you pissed me off," Luffy said simply.
"You shouldn't insult someone's dream," Steve added.
"But aren't you afraid you'll die?" Coby asked.
"No," Luffy said.
"Nope," Steve agreed.
"It's our dream, so what's there to be afraid of?" Luffy replied.
"If you truly believe in something, not even death should stand in your way," Steve told him. "You have to run toward it with no fear."
Steve watched as Coby slowly got up, a mix of shock and confusion on his face. "Do you think I can accomplish my dream too?" Coby asked. "Can I become a Marine?"
"A Marine?" Steve raised an eyebrow.
"I know it would make us enemies, but still, do you think I can do it?" Coby said.
Steve wasn't sure why this kid was so worried about them becoming enemies. Had he already considered them friends? Steve didn't know what to say.
"I don't know," Luffy said honestly.
"I'm not sure," Steve responded, "but I suppose you could try." He was worried that if he said the wrong thing, the kid would fall into a puddle of tears.
"Well, I have to at least try! I'd rather die trying to escape and become a Marine than spend the rest of my life serving Alvida," Coby said with newfound determination. "Then I can come back and arrest her!"
"Just who do you think you'll be arresting, Coby?" a huge woman said, appearing from behind. She took a swing at Coby with a gigantic spiked club.
Luckily, she missed, instead crushing Coby's pathetic boat. Steve looked up to see Alvida and her entire crew staring down at them.
"Who is this rude woman, Coby?" Luffy asked.
"I believe that's the Alvida Coby was talking about," Steve answered with a smirk. "You're right, she's very rude... and I'm not entirely sure she's a woman."
Her crew immediately began screaming that she was beautiful and the loveliest woman on the seas. Steve disagreed, thinking that even his half-pint twin sister was more attractive than this human mountain.
Coby then shocked him. "They're all lying! This woman isn't beautiful. She's nothing more than a monster!"
Steve was stunned. Was this the same scared kid he had met a few hours ago? He was so determined, nothing like the coward from before. While Steve was in shock, Luffy was laughing away, which was all the notice Steve needed to tell that they were in for a fight.
Alvida took another swing at Coby, but Luffy quickly moved to block the blow. He did it with his head, and Steve quickly checked to make sure there wasn't a single scratch on his dad's hat. If there was, he'd kill Luffy himself.
Everyone was stunned to see that Luffy was unharmed. "That won't work because I'm rubber," Luffy told them. As the crew backed up in shock, Luffy began his signature move.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!" Luffy yelled, and Alvida was launched directly at Steve.
Steve unholstered the two batons from his sides, pressed the buttons, and two whips emerged. He cracked the whips, and they wrapped around Alvida. He then swung his arms and sent her flying. "Whip Twister!" Steve shouted as Alvida landed on the ground with a vicious thud. His whips retracted, and he put them back in his belt as Luffy stared down the rest of Alvida's crew.
"Get a boat ready for Coby!" Luffy ordered. "He wants to become a Marine."
The stunned crew obliged, and Luffy and Steve got into the boat with Coby, setting a course for the next island.
An hour or so into their journey, Coby finally asked the question that had been on his mind. "So, you ate a Devil Fruit? I wasn't even sure they really existed."
"Yep," Luffy said. "I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit and became a rubber man!" Steve grabbed his cheeks and pulled them to demonstrate.
"And Steve," Coby said, "what were those things you used?"
Steve assumed he was referring to the whips. "These are my duo whips, my weapons of choice," he explained. "My mom and dad gave them to me and my sister before they left to go to the Grand Line."
"The Grand Line?" Coby asked. "Is that where you two are headed? They call it the 'pirate graveyard.' It's really dangerous."
"Yeah," Steve responded, "that's why we'll need a strong crew."
"So, what are your positions on the crew?" Coby asked.
Luffy and Steve both answered at the same time, "Captain!"
"Huh?" Coby said, looking confused. "How can a ship have two captains?"
"Luffy and I make decisions together," Steve said simply. "I usually let Luffy handle the easier stuff, like where we're going or who will join our crew, because that always leads to more fun and adventure."
"And then Steve does all the hard stuff I don't understand," Luffy added, "like equipment and making sure nothing breaks."
It was a pretty simple system. Steve did the hard stuff, and Luffy handled the easy decisions. Steve had found that it was usually just easier to go with the flow and let Luffy have his way.
"So, do you have anyone in mind to join your crew?" Coby asked.
"Actually, we do," Steve answered. "An old bounty hunter acquaintance of my sister's is supposed to be at the place you're going." Coby looked stunned, a look Steve was getting used to seeing on his face.
"You mean Roronoa Zoro?" Coby gasped. "But I heard he's a demon who hunts pirates!"
"Well, Rose said he was a good guy, so it can't hurt to try," Luffy said, defending the man.
With that, their little group began sailing toward the next island, their adventure just beginning.
Note: This is my first time posting anything like this online, so any feedback is appreciated.
Just a quick bio on Steve:
First Name: Steve
Last Name: Unknown
Age: 18
Height: Somewhere between Franky and Robin. Taller than Robin, but shorter than Franky.
Appearance: Shaggy red hair (think Accelerator's hair, but red)
Skills: Whip Master, strength, agility, no Devil Fruit powers.
Family :-
Father: Shanks (probably not a surprise, as it was heavily alluded to)
Mother: Lili (just a random OC name)
Sister: Rose (Steve's older twin sister. Also, an OC who will become a major part of the story later)
Uncle: Mihawk (I decided to make Lili Mihawk's little sister to add to the history between him and Shanks and the relationship between Zoro and Rose that will later surface)