Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Preposterous," Woop Slap mumbled. "It's unbecoming of a lady, I tell you. Those pirates and that boy were terrible influences on you."

"Now, now," Makino said soothingly. "We've always known Luffy would go to sea. The least we can do is see her off."

"Thanks, Makino!" the girl grinned. "Don't worry so much, Mayor. I'm strong, you know? I can defend myself perfectly fine."

"Then you should have become a marine!" the old man bellowed, waving his stick at her wildly. The villagers behind him chuckled, having listened to this argument many times before.

"No way," Luffy stuck her tongue out. "There are so many rules and stupid higher ups to listen to... Being the captain of my own ship is much better!"

"Are you sure you don't want to take my old fishing boat?" Akio questioned before the mayor could fit anything else in.

"Nope. I'll be fine with this, don't worry!" Luffy reassured the man. "I'll find a proper crew and boat before I actually reach the Grand Line. Just watch for me in the news!"

"Luffy," Makino called softly, causing the girl to look up from the ropes she had been fiddling with. "Be safe. I'm sure you'll be fine but... try to be a little more careful? Keep hydrated, and eat lots of citrus when you can. Make sure to watch for storms and ration your food-"

"Makino~" Luffy whined. "You've told me the same things for the past week! Don't worry about it. I'll be super careful. I can't become the Pirate King if I'm dead after all."

"Right... my bad," Makino said with a slight flush on her cheeks. Luffy gave her a wide grin before turning to face the see. The teen took a deep breath before shouting.

"Sabo! Look at me! I... I'm also setting out to sea!" Luffy yelled, startling a few people on the docks.

"Sabo? What's that?" they murmured.

Luffy tipped her hat as she muttered to herself. "I'm the third to go... but I won't lose! Just you wait Ace, I'll catch up to you soon!"

"What are you doing, Luffy?" one of the villagers, Taro, called. "Are you chanting some sort of good luck charm?"

"Nope. Just a challenge," Luffy grinned. "Well, I'm off now!"

Luffy felt something lift in her chest as the distance between her and the island grew. Finally... finally!

Her elation was interrupted with a loud crash and a roar as the Lord of the Coast rose from the sea. Luffy vaguely heard panicked screams from the docks but fear was the last thing she felt.

"Hey there, I've been expecting you," Luffy said as she stood, fist cocked back.

The sea king roared, glaring at her angrily, but it failed to inspire the fear it had over a decade ago. Just a spark of anger, both at it and her own weakness.

"I've been practicing all these years..."

It lunged for her, teeth flashing.

"This will be proof it hasn't gone to waste!"

"Pffttt... So you're telling me, that you've been stuck you're here since you're too scared to leave? You're pretty useless then, huh?" Luffy laughed shamelessly. "A coward and a wimp... I don't like people like you."

"It's not as easy as it sounds! Alvida-sama is-"

"Cobby-" Luffy interrupted impatiently.

"It's Coby," the boy corrected despondently.

"-you said you wanted to become a marine, right?" Luffy asked contemplatively.

"...Yeah! It's my dream to join the Marines!" Coby said with a wistful smile.

"Then why are you here?"

"I told you-"

"The only thing I can see stopping you is yourself," Luffy responded. "Perhaps your dream isn't within reach, and it seems far away, but you can still reach for it. Struggle for it. Fight for it. When people make the effort... it's not so impossible, is it?" Luffy asked.

"Luffy-san..." Coby said breathlessly.

"But it's impossible for cowards, of course," Luffy laughed, causing Coby to slump.

"Then... Luffy-san. Why did you set sail?" Coby asked tentatively.

"Me?" Luffy's face brightened. "I want to become Pirate King!"

"P-p-p... Pirate King?!" Coby exclaimed. "That's the title for someone who has everything this world has had to offer! Are you telling me that you're searching for 'One Piece'?! Do you have a death wish or something?! Every single pirate sets to sea looking for that treasure... It's impossible! Impossible, impossible, impossible, utterly impossible! Trying to become the Pirate King in the middle of the Pirate Era is-"

Coby let out a yelp of pain as a fist crashed into his head.

"Ow-! What was that for?!" Coby whimpered as he nursed his head.

"'Cause I can't stand you," Luffy said bluntly.

"Well... it's nothing I'm not used to I guess," Coby muttered as he sat up.

"I'm not afraid of dying."

"Huh?"

"It's my dream. So I don't mind dying for it," Luffy said confidently as her hand traced the rim of her straw hat.

Coby felt moved by her declaration, and he could feel something strange well in his throat.

"Besides. I think I can do it. It's probably going to be tough at times... but then it'd be no fun otherwise," Luffy smiled.

Tears started to flow from Coby's eyes without his notice.

"Can I also accomplish my dream?" Coby asked quietly.

"Hm?" Luffy turned her head back towards him with a questioning look.

"If I'm willing to die for it.... Will I be able to become a marine?!" Coby shouted. "Luffy-san, I know we'll be enemies, but being a marine and capturing the bad guys has always been my dream, so-! Do you think I could do it?"

"Eh? How am I supposed to know?" Luffy scratched her cheeck.

"I have to try!" Coby continued, emboldened by the emotions running rampant within him. "I'd rather die trying to get out of here and joining the marines then being an errand boy here for the rest of my life! And then Alvida-sama- I'll be able to arrest someone like Alvida-!"

An iron bludgeon crashed through the walls sending wood flying.

"Who's arresting who now? Coby?!"

Coby flinched as fear quickly overrode his confidence.

"You think you can capture me? And who's the lass? Definitely not Roronoa Zoro... Coby, before you die, answer me this. Who's the most beautiful in all the seas?"

"Ahaha..." Coby nervously stuttered. "Of course-"

"Who's this fat pig?" Luffy questioned, pointing almost rudely at Alvida.

At once, Alvida's face twisted into rage while the others adorned fearful looks.

"Luffy-san! Quick! Repeat after me!" Coby said desperately. "In all the seas, this lady is..."

Luffy lifted a brow in question as Coby hesitated.

"Is?"

"...the rudest... damned bitch!" Coby said in a fit of anger.

Luffy burst out laughing, immune to Alvida's darkening mood.

"You brat!" Alvida screamed.

Coby was aghast at himself. What was he thinking?! But he couldn't regret this! He came to a decision he would fight for his dream.

"That was great, Coby! Well said! Now get behind me," Luffy said as she pushed him behind her. Coby's eyes widened as the dreadful mace fell towards the teen in front of him.

"Die!" Alvida yelled.

"Luffy-san!" Coby cried.

"A devil fruit?" Coby said in awe.

"Yup. The Gomu Gomu no mi. I'm basically rubber, though I still bleed and all that," Luffy said as she leaned back in the small boat the terrified crew had prepared.

"You'll have to head to the Grand Line if you want to find One Piece, right?" Coby asked nervously.

"Yup." Luffy fished an apple out of one of the barrels.

"But it's called the Pirate's graveyard..." Coby winced as Luffy shot him a petulant look.

"Yeah. That's why I'm searching for a strong crew. Say... that Zoro the pig was talking about. What's he like?"

"Hoh? So this is the infamous Pirate Hunter. The so-called demon."

Zoro looked up to find what seemed to be a teenage girl with a straw hat gauging him with way too much interest to be deemed normal.

"Piss off, girl. This isn't a place to play or flirt."

"Oh, that's good. I'm not here to do either, you see," she said as she circled him. "Ah, and don't worry about the girl earlier. I managed to catch her... she's safe and sound!"

Zoro held in a sigh of relief.

"You should scram as well. You saw what happened earlier, right? If you get caught you'll die," Zoro pushed.

"Eh... Well, I'm looking for people to join my pirate crew," the girl hummed.

"A pirate? So you've turned to the life of a criminal..." Zoro said with no small amount of disgust in his voice.

"Being a pirate is my dream!" the girl said passionately. "There's nothing wrong with being a pirate."

"Yeah? So what... You're going to free me and force me to join you?" Zoro glared.

"Mm... I'm not sure yet. People say you're bad," the girl said.

"Bad... Well, it doesn't matter. I'll never join you. I have my own dream. I can survive this without your help. If I survive a month, that idiot son promised I would be set free. I'll do whatever it takes to survive, then I'll fulfill my dream!"

"Wow..." the girl said, laughing softly, but it didn't seem to be mocking. "If I were you, I'd think I'd starve to death in a week or less."

"That's the difference between me and you," Zoro said with finality. "Go find someone else."

The girl looked over him once before turning to leave.

Zoro let out a sigh of relief. His eyes caught the dirtied rice ball just in time for him to hesitantly call out.

"Hey... Hold on a sec. Could you pick that up for me?" he said as he gestured towards the ruined food.

"This?" the girl said as she picked it up. "It's all muddy... but I guess one can't be picky about their food when they're hungry."

"Just shut up and give it to me. I'm going to eat all of it," Zoro said as he opened his mouth wide. The girl carefully fed him the lump of dirt and rice, slim fingers brushing his lips as they left his mouth.

People say that anything tastes good when you're hungry. They were wrong, Zoro thought. So wrong. He barely managed to swallow it, and even then, it was a battle not to throw it back up.

"You trying to kill yourself?" the girl asked, arms crossed across her chest.

"Tell the little girl..." Zoro coughed violently from both the dirt and the embarrassment. "Tell her... it was delicious. And... thank you very much."

A wide grin spread across the teen's face.

Days passed, and when he had a week left, the strange girl with the straw hat returned.

"Yo!" she greeted as she waltzed across the field boldly towards him.

"You again? I told you I don't want to be a pirate," Zoro snarled.

"My name's Luffy," she ignored him. "If I loosen these ropes, then you have to join me, okay?"

"I told you already, I have something I need to accomplish. Besides, I'm not going to be a criminal like a pirate," Zoro said adamantly. By the seas, this girl was stubborn.

"Why do you care? Everyone already thinks you're bad. A demon even," Luffy asked with a cock of her head.

"I don't care what others say! I haven't done a single thing I've regretted in the past, and the future will be the same!"

The girl's eyes widened at this.

"I won't become a pirate!" Zoro finished.

"Don't care! I've already decided. You're going to join me!"

"Don't decide things like that yourself!" Zoro yelled in frustration.

"I heard you're a swordsman. You use the katana, right?"

"Well, yeah..." Zoro said, a bit thrown off at the sudden change in topic.

"Where is it?" the girl asked. Was it just him, or did she seem... antsy? Impatient?

"That bastard son took it," Zoro growled, hand shifting restlessly from where it it was pinned. "My treasure..."

"Treasure, huh? Must be impressive then. Hey, I'll find that bastard son and get your katana back," Luffy announced.

"What?"

"But if you want me to give them to you, you have to join me~" the girl laughed.

"That's dirty!" Zoro spat out.

"I'll get going then!" the girl said as she ran off.

"Oi! Wait!" Zoro called, but she seemed to not have heard. "That moron... is she planning to sneak into the base? She's going to get herself killed..!"

Not a minute later, there was a large crash, and Zoro was stunned to see large pieces of stone scattered about. Just what was going on here?

"Zoro-san!"

Zoro looked up, irked. Another one. A boy with strange hair and glasses.

"What do you want?" Zoro groaned.

"Did Luffy-san come by here? Do you know where she is?" the boy panted, seemingly out of breath.

"Probably in the base," Zoro said as he glanced behind him.

"Inside the base?!" the boy screeched. "Gah... Luffy-san is so reckless."

"I'll say," Zoro said as he watched the boy approach him. His eyes widened as the boy began fiddling with the ropes around his arms. "Oi! What do you think you're doing? If you help me you'll be arrested!"

"But you shouldn't have been arrested!" the boy burst out. That kind of marine... I can't stand it! I'll become a real marine! I won't back down, just like Luffy-san won't back down from becoming Pirate King!"

"Pirate King? You're joking..." Zoro said. This girl was full of surprises. But that title wasn't something just anyone could claim.

"I was surprised when she said that at first too!" the boy chuckled. "But she's really serious about it! I-"

Zoro heard the shot just as the boy fell back, a spray of blood crossing his vision. Zoro's gaze immediately turned towards the source, blood boiling in his veins.

"Ahhh! I... I've been shot!" the boy said, looking at his shoulder and hand with a stunned expression. Zoro grimaced. The boy was in shock.

"Hey," he said harshly, getting the boy's attention. "Get up. Run for your life. They're coming in pretty quick."

"No!" the boy protested stubbornly as he struggled to get up. "I have to free you as soon as possible!"

"Don't worry about me. I can take this. I just need to endure a month before they set me free. So leave-"

"They won't set you free! They're going to kill you in three days!" the boy shouted at him angrily.

"W-what? That's bullshit! That bastard promised if I endured it for a month-!"

"He never intended on keeping that promise," the boy whispered. "That's why Luffy-san got mad and punched him... because he was just fooling with you!"

That girl did what...? Zoro's mouth felt dry.

"The marines won't let you two go now. So please, let me help you! I'll set you free, so please help rescue Luffy-san!" the boy said desperately. "I'm not asking you join her, or that you become a pirate, but she is my savior!"

The boy shifted so that he was kneeling before him. Begging.

"Luffy-san is strong. She's really strong, so if you two join forces, you will definitely be able to escape this place!"

"Enough! Those who have gone against Morgan shall die here!"

'Shit,' Zoro thought. They were here. It was too late, for both him and the boy. God damn... was this where he was going to die?

"Surround the base!" a deep voice commanded. "Don't let that straw hat girl escape!"

Zoro could only glare at the tall man who was strode confidently towards him.

"To think that the three of you are rebelling like this... are you trying to start a political upheaval?" the tall man said, a hand embedded with an ax resting on his shoulders. So this was Morgan. How... underwhelming.

"Roronoa Zoro," the man mused. "I've heard tales of you since long ago, but before me, you are nothing but garbage!"

Zoro might have snorted, or even laughed had the man's arrogance had the man not ordered his men to take aim.

Fucking hell.

He couldn't die here!

He wasn't finished.

He still had a promise to keep.

He had to become the greatest swordsman.

So famous that even the heavens would have to hear his name.

So Kuina could hear his name.

"Fire!"

There was a streak of red, and Zoro felt dread as he made out the figure of the girl before them, arms outstretched as she took the onslaught of bullets.

"You..!" Zoro said. What the hell was she doing, sacrificing her life for a complete stranger?!

"Luffy-san!" the boy gasped.

But there was no blood. Instead... the bullets seemed to be pushing the skin..?

"That... won't work!" Luffy said brightly, bullets... rebounding off of her?

She laughed as the men jumped frantically away.

"What the hell are you?!" Zoro burst out.

"Me? I'm the one that's going to become the Pirate King," she said with an absolute kind of confidence. "I found these by the way."

Zoro was surprised to see all of his precious katana within her grip, outstretched towards him.

"Which one's yours? I couldn't tell which one was yours... I mean, only one was white, but I could have been wrong so..."

"They're all mine," Zoro said, eyes fixed on his precious swords. "I use three katanas."

"If you resist, you'll all be outlaws!" one of the marines shouted. "Do you all want to die here?"

The girl glanced at them, face blank, but Zoro could see a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

"Are you the offspring of a devil- no. Forget that. Rather than dying here pointlessly, I'll accept your request. I'll join you, and become a pirate!" Zoro said, mind made up. Joining this girl was certainly better than death. And there was something about her that sparked his interest. He couldn't pinpoint it, but something about her...

"Yes!" the girl cheered happily. "A companion! My first companion!"

"Just hurry up and untie me," Zoro groused.

"Oh. Whoops. Alright, give me a sec," the girl said as she began fiddling with the rope, her brows knit in concentration.

"Hurry up!" Zoro shouted as the marines began charging with swords drawn.

"Ugh... this knot is pretty hard to figure out," Luffy grumbled.

"They're coming!" Zoro said frantically.

"Shut up! I can't concentrate. Give me some time."

"We don't have time!" Zoro shouted. Oh my god. So he was still going to die in the end.

"Ah. I got one side," she said triumphantly. Zoro rotated his shoulder, stiff from disuse.

"Idiot, just give me my sword now! Hurry!" Zoro said.

She handed them to him just as the marines jumped them.

Zoro's hand wrapped around the hilt, and relief spread through him. Oh how he had missed the feeling of a blade within his palm. In one smooth move, he unsheathed the blade, freed himself, and grabbed the other blades. Just in time to block the marines.

The girl whistled.

"That's so cool!"

"You all better not move, or I'll kill you," Zoro growled lowly at the marines before facing the teen who would become his captain.

"I already told you I'd become a pirate and join you... either way, after this I'd be an outlaw so I suppose it doesn't matter. But, I still have goals of my own. I will become the greatest swordsman! I no longer care whether my name is clean or not, whether I'm a good guy or a bad guy... as long as my name is known across the world!"

The girl responded only with a smile.

"If you do anything that causes me to abandon my dream, then you'll end you own life by my blade!"

"The world's greatest swordsman? That's a nice dream. As the comrade of the future Pirate King, I wouldn't expect anything less. If you couldn't accomplish something as small as that, I would also be ashamed. Alright. Should I ever do so, then this life is yours."

Zoro smirked.

"Heh. Well said."

"Shishishi... I think we'll get along quite well, Zoro. Now, duck."

"I set sail to find a man, but now I can't find my way back home. That's why I hunted down bounties. To pay for living expenses."

"So you're lost," Luffy summarized.

"Shut up! You're the one who's lost! Jeesh... Never heard of pirates who can't even navigate. How do you expect to go to the Grand Line like this? We need someone who can navigate."

"And a cook. And a musician. And a polar bear," Luffy counted off.

"Where the hell did polar bear come from?!"