Luffy didn't waste a second. "The swords are probably in the tall tower, right? That's where the boss usually is!" he reasoned, pointing at the central structure of the Marine base. "I'll go on ahead! Gum-Gum…"
He stretched both arms back, grabbing onto the rooftops of two separate buildings.
"…Rocket!"
With a resounding sproing, Luffy launched himself through the air like a human slingshot, rocketing towards an upper window of the tower with a gleeful "Wahooo!"
Coby watched him go, his mouth agape. "He's… he's just a ball of chaos, isn't he?"
"You get used to it," Kai replied, placing a hand on Coby's shoulder. "But we don't have time for the scenic route."
Before Coby could ask what he meant, the world dissolved into an instantaneous blur. A dizzying sense of weightless motion lasted for less than a blink, and then his feet were on solid ground again.
He stumbled, his head spinning, and looked around to find himself not in the courtyard, but in a lavishly decorated office. Luffy was just crashing through the window at that very moment, landing in a heap on the floor.
Standing in the middle of the room, holding three sheathed katanas, was a very surprised-looking Helmeppo.
"Wha—How did you get in here?!" the blonde brat shrieked, scrambling backward.
"Came through the window!" Luffy announced proudly, picking himself up and dusting himself off. He spotted the swords in Helmeppo's hands. "Oh, there they are! Thanks for finding them for me!"
"These are mine now!" Helmeppo declared, trying to sound intimidating while simultaneously hiding behind a large desk. "My father is going to kill you all! You can't just—"
Luffy appeared in front of him, having crossed the room in an instant. "Give 'em back."
Helmeppo squeaked and swung one of the katanas wildly. Luffy simply tilted his head, the blade whistling past his ear. With his other hand, he delivered a sharp bonk to the top of Helmeppo's head. The son of the Marine Captain crumpled to the floor, unconscious.
"That was easy," Luffy said, gathering the three swords. "Alright, let's go give these to Zoro!"
Kai, who had been leaning against a wall inspecting a ridiculously oversized portrait of Axe-Hand Morgan, pushed himself off.
"Right. Time for the main event." He glanced at Coby, who was still trying to figure out how physics worked again. "Try to keep up."
When they returned to the courtyard, the scene had changed dramatically. Every Marine on the base was now assembled, forming neat rows of white and blue uniforms. They had formed a firing squad, dozens of rifles all aimed directly at the man on the cross.
Standing before them all, his massive frame casting a long shadow, was Captain "Axe-Hand" Morgan. His jaw, a grotesque piece of steel bolted to his face, glinted in the sun.
"So, the rats have come out of their holes," Morgan boomed, his voice a low growl. "You are in the presence of the Captain of this base, Axe-Hand Morgan. Your pathetic attempt at defiance is over."
He gestured with his axe-hand towards Zoro. "This demon is a symbol. He is proof that no one, not even the infamous Roronoa Zoro, can stand against my absolute authority!"
Luffy, swords in hand, paid him no mind. "Zoro! I got your swords!" he yelled.
Zoro's eyes snapped open, a dangerous light within them. "About time. I was getting bored."
Morgan's face contorted with rage at being so flagrantly ignored. "Silence! I am the one who speaks here! I am the law! My word is absolute! My power is absolute!" he roared. "And anyone who stands against me will be eliminated! Ready!"
The Marines raised their rifles, the clicking of their safeties echoing in the tense silence. Coby trembled, his face as white as a sheet. This was it. This was the moment of truth.
He wanted to be a Marine, a protector of justice. But the man giving the orders was a tyrant, and the people he was ordered to kill were, in their own strange way, fighting for what was right.
"Aim!" Morgan commanded.
'I can't…' Coby thought, his heart pounding. 'I can't let this happen!'
In a burst of courage that surprised even himself, Coby sprinted forward, positioning himself between the firing squad and the pirates. He spread his arms wide, a small, terrified boy standing against an army.
"STOP!" he screamed, his voice cracking. "What you are doing is wrong! A real Marine is supposed to protect people, not murder them in the name of a tyrant! My dream is to be a Marine, but I will never, ever join an organization as corrupt as this!"
Morgan stared at him, a look of utter contempt on his face. "An insignificant little gnat. If you wish to die with them, so be it. Fire!"
The command was given. Dozens of fingers squeezed their triggers. The thunderous roar of a massed volley of rifle fire erupted, a wall of lead and death screaming across the courtyard.
Coby squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the impact that would surely tear him apart.
But it never came.
A lazy, bored-sounding sigh cut through the air. "Honestly, all that for a monologue? A bit cliché, don't you think?"
Kai had taken a few casual steps forward, positioning himself just in front of Coby. He held up a single, open palm. Every single bullet, dozens of them, stopped dead in the air about five feet in front of his hand, as if they had hit an invisible, impenetrable wall.
They hung there for a second, suspended in defiance of all logic, before clattering harmlessly to the dusty ground.
Silence.
Every Marine stared, their rifles still smoking, their minds unable to process what they had just witnessed. They had fired on a stationary target, and their bullets had simply… stopped.
Kai lowered his hand and gave a slight yawn. "That's enough of that," he said, his voice quiet but carrying across the entire courtyard. It was another simple application of his Essence.
His body, his very presence, possessed a physical power so dense and absolute that the bullets were like raindrops hitting a mountain. They simply lacked the force to exist in his immediate vicinity.
Morgan's steel jaw clenched so hard a creaking sound could be heard. "What… what are you?" he snarled, his arrogance momentarily replaced by a sliver of fear.
"Just a guy who wants to take a nap," Kai replied, stepping back to lean against the wall again, his part in the opening act complete. "The stage is all yours, Captain."
Luffy used the stunned silence to his advantage. He zipped over to Zoro and, with a powerful tug, snapped the ropes holding him. He handed the swordsman his three katanas.
Zoro took them, a feral grin spreading across his face. He expertly tied his black bandana around his head, placed the hilt of his white katana, the Wado Ichimonji, in his mouth, and settled into a low stance, a blade in each hand. The transformation was instantaneous. The starved prisoner was gone, replaced by a whirlwind of demonic intent.
"Santoryu," he growled.
"Marines! Kill them! Kill them all!" Morgan shrieked, his composure shattering.
The Marines, shaking off their shock, charged forward. Zoro met them head-on. It wasn't a fight; it was a culling. He moved like a tempest of steel, a blur of motion and flashing blades. He wasn't aiming to kill, however.
With precise, expert strikes, he used the backs of his blades to deliver concussive blows, felling Marine after Marine with brutal efficiency. Within thirty seconds, the courtyard was littered with the groaning, unconscious bodies of the entire garrison.
While Zoro handled the grunts, Luffy focused on the boss. He stretched his leg back. "Gum-Gum…"
"Insolent brat!" Morgan roared, charging forward and swinging his massive axe-hand in a deadly arc.
"…Pistol!" Luffy's fist shot forward like a cannonball, slamming squarely into Morgan's stomach. The tyrant grunted, staggering back, but his thick frame absorbed much of the blow.
He retaliated with a downward chop of his axe. Luffy dodged, the heavy weapon smashing a crater in the ground where he'd been standing.
"My power is absolute! I am the strongest!" Morgan bellowed, swinging his axe wildly.
"Yeah, yeah, we heard you the first time," Luffy said, clearly unimpressed. He leapt into the air, pulling both arms far back. "You're just a big jerk who bosses people around. I hate guys like you! Gum-Gum Bazooka!"
His two palms slammed into Morgan's chest with devastating force. The steel jaw cracked, the man's eyes bulged, and he was sent flying backward, crashing through the wall of his own base and landing in a heap of rubble, utterly defeated.
The battle was over.
Silence fell once more, broken only by the whimpering of Helmeppo, who was hiding behind a flagpole. The remaining conscious Marines, the ones who hadn't charged Zoro, simply stared. Then, one of them dropped his rifle. A cheer went up. They were free.
In the aftermath, the base's original commander, a man Morgan had imprisoned, was reinstated. He walked over to the group, offering a formal salute.
"We owe you our thanks. You've liberated this town." He then looked at Coby, who was standing tall, his fear replaced by a newfound resolve. "And you, son. That was the bravest thing I've ever seen. If you still wish to enlist, the Marines would be honored to have you."
Coby's eyes filled with tears, this time of happiness. He nodded vigorously. "Yes, sir!"
A short while later, at the docks, the farewells were made. "Luffy-san, Kai-san," Coby said, bowing deeply. "Thank you for everything. I'm going to become a great Marine. And one day, I'll be strong enough to capture you! Just you wait!"
Luffy just grinned. "Shishishi! I'll be waiting for you, Coby!"
Zoro, his swords now properly secured at his hip, leaned against the boat. "So, you're the captain," he said to Luffy. "Just remember our deal. If you get in the way of my dream…"
"I know, I know! World's greatest swordsman!" Luffy said excitedly. "You won't have to worry! As the King of the Pirates, my crew has to be the best!"
They climbed into their small boat, now a crew of three. As they pushed off from the shore, the entire Marine detachment, led by Coby, stood at attention, offering them a final, respectful salute. It was perhaps the strangest send-off a pirate crew had ever received.
As Shells Town shrank in the distance, Zoro looked at his new captain. "So, where to next, Captain?"
Luffy pointed randomly at the horizon. "That way! To the Grand Line!"
Kai, who had already found his spot and was lying down, pulled his blindfold into place. The first step was complete.
The world's greatest swordsman had joined the future Pirate King. And he, the laziest anomaly, had a front-row seat to it all.
'Orange Town is next,' he thought drowsily, as the waves rocked him into a well-deserved nap. 'I wonder if the clown has a good sense of humor.'