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Coby woke up with a gasp, and the barrel in front of him burst open, Monkey D. Luffy popping out, grinning. “What a nice nap!” He announced.
Coby blinked, still confused. “Luffy, what are you…?” He hissed, clutching his head.
But that single, half-said sentence had caught the future pirate king’s attention. “How do you know my name?” He asked.
Coby frowned. “Did you forget–?” He clutched his head again and stumbled back… and this time, he fell down, his legs shorter than he remembered. He stared at his body, then focused on Luffy, and the truth hit him like the first of love. “Shit! I’m in the past!”
Luffy’s eyes widened. “Woah!” He said. “You know who I am?” He jumped out of the barrel. “Were you my friend?” He shrugged. “Well, even if you weren’t, let’s be friends. Join my crew!” He turned around and began ruffling through the stuff piled in the room, no doubt looking for food.
Coby blinked. “But my dream–” He began, then stilled because it wasn’t his dream anymore, was it? His dream of being a Marine had always been contingent on protecting, and the end he’d gotten had shown him exactly what the perspective of Marines was in that regard.
“Your dream?” Luffy prompted, having found a barrel of apples and stuffing his face in the absence of meat.
Coby made a decision. “My dream is to protect those who can’t protect themselves,” He said. “My dream is to change the world.”
“Cool,” Luffy said, like what he’d just spit out wasn’t the craziest shit he’d ever said. But then again, this was Luffy. “I’m going to be the King of the Pirates!” See above.
Coby snorted. “Yeah, I can see that,” He agreed, and the Coby he used to be shattered under the barrage of out-of-characterness and disbelief. It was fine. He’d live for him. “I'll join your crew,” He added.
“Cool!” Luffy said. “We’ll have to get a boat, though, ’cause mine drowned in a whirlpool.”
Coby blinked, suddenly realizing what he was committing to. “Actually–” He squeaked, then shook his head, forcing himself to ignore shattered coward Coby. “... Sure,” He managed, then slapped his cheeks and willed his mind into high gear. Okay, what had happened the first time around?
There was a crash behind them. “Planning treason, Cabin boy?!” Alvida asked.
Oh, that.
Coby ducked down, missing the swinging bat, and jumped sideways, stumbling because he wasn’t used to his old body, and came face to face with the pirate jeering at him right at his face.
Hell. Of course it came to this. Helmeppo would never let him live this–
Alvida went careening backward from the force of Luffy’s punch, and the other boy looked at Coby, slightly disappointed. “You’re weak.”
Coby scowled. “I’m used to my older body!” He snapped.
Luffy laughed.
Coby sighed. “Just… knock them all out. We can take her for her bounty and get a ship with that money.”
“Oh!” Luffy said, slamming a fist into one hand. “That’s smart!”
Coby rolled his eyes. It wouldn’t work later, and it would be better if he did the bounty submission, but honestly, this was the best starter option they had, especially if he wanted to keep this idiot alive. And for a man who’d one day become one of the strongest on the seas, Luffy was an idiot.
Coby wondered idly if his presence would ruin things, then decided that he knew at least who all Lufy’s crewmates and major defiances were, even if not exactly what happened, so he could guide it a little as was required because, what the hell, the Strawhats had, in the end, been the ones who protected more innocents than the marines did. “Shall we?”
Luffy grinned viciously, smirk pointed at the stirring pirate captain and her gaping crewmates. “Oh, let’s.”