Work Text:
Soulmates.
That term had always tasted unfamiliar in Kobys mouth. Especially ever since he found himself wound up on Alvidas ship. It tasted foul, sour on his tongue as he thought about the possibilities.
A single streak on his hair coloured brown. Aesthetically, it looked.. nice? Minus the fact it was a curl in the midst of straightish hair. But it was just a reminder to him of someone who he probably would never meet. God, imagine not meeting the person you’re destined to be with?
He resigned himself to these thoughts whenever Alvida had put him through a.. Particularly harsh day. He thought these as he swept the blood off the deck. Alvida had always been harsh with her punishments when people didn’t say what she wanted them to say.
“Who is the most powerful pirate on the seas?” Those words jolted him out of his thoughts, and, full of fear, he mindlessly mumbled out the answer she expected from everyone, “Captain Alvida.”
--------------------------------------------------------
Would he ever find his way off this ship? He found himself wondering, as he dipped Alvidas' mace into the bucket of water provided, cleaning of the blood, the stains of the impure- that was what she referred to them as, anyways. Boasting about how she had the right to choose who lived and died like she was some sort of god. He hated pirates.
She didn’t have a soulmate- probably a reason she was so cruel. No one to love her, no fated person. Jealousy was one of the clear emotions in her eyes when they lingered long enough on him.
He got out a brush, polishing it- Alvida always liked it when her mace shone. It was her pride and joy- ‘Iron Mace Alvida.’ It was the only thing she liked, a weapon of violence. It fit her perfectly, he thought bitterly
He was used to the silence, used to being forced to clean and clean and clean. He had always hated it, but overtime, had grown to accept it. There was no way out from this ship. Despite his hopes and wishes, he’d never grow to be the person he wanted to be- a marine, saving people from situations like his.
It seemed like silence didn’t like him very much, not for long anyways, because he was jolted out of his peace- not really peace, but he couldn’t find a better word for it, by sounds of groaning and banging.
He placed down the mace, rising slowly. As much as his thoughts claimed to be confident, he was not. He had always been anxious, and that had only gotten worse from years upon years upon years of Alvida.
As he walked, eyes used to the dark, he noticed one of the barrels moving, shaking side to side. Growling noises seemed to come from it- had they brought on a
wild
animal?!
He approached the barrel, toothbrush in hand. Not very menacing, he cursed at himself, why didn’t he just leave it with the mace!?
“Who's there?” He called out, trying to put on a menacing front, but the way his voice shook gave him away. The barrel continued to shake and grunt.
Kobys breathing was heavy as he tried to calm himself down, and then a man popped out from the barrel.
He screamed- probably not the best idea, but it was a normal human reaction to scream when scared!
He ran, and the male followed. “Hey!” The straw hat yelled as he followed him. A hand covered his mouth to stop his screams. “Knock it off.”
Koby was still clearly stressed- nodding at the other male. “Sh.” whispered the other male, removing his hand. “Please don’t kill me,” Koby asked quietly. That was probably a bit stupid of him to say- from appearances only, he couldn’t tell this guy was a pirate, or just some civilian. He was still freaking out, but less now.
The male was tanned, with dark curly hair and a straw hat. He seemed to wear that hat proudly, as if it were some crown. Amongst other things, he noticed something, his soulmate streak- a straight, pink strand of hair. His eyes widened slightly.
“Hey, hey, hey. I’m not going to kill you, all right?” He said, in a comforting tone. He seemed to not take any notice in the streak, had he not noticed? “I just need you to be quiet.” There was an emphasis on the last word. Koby would’ve started screaming for help at this point, not like anyone would notice, but the other males presence seemed to help, and he couldn’t tell if it was his general aura, or the fact he knew that the other male was his soulmate.
“First things first,” The brunette began, “Do you have any food here?” Food? Was that seriously his first thought? “What?” He stuttered out, confused.
“I’m starving,” He replied, not really taking any notice of anything except his search for food.
“Alvida doesn’t let me eat until she finishes her meal,” mumbled Koby, still fixated on the boys soulmate streak. The brunettes eyebrows furrowed in curiosity. “Who's Alvida?” He asked.
“This is her ship-” Koby felt a bit shocked. He didn’t know who Alvida
was
? “This is her ship.”
“Oh that’s great!” The boy smiled. “‘Cause I’m a pirate too!” He didn’t look like a pirate. His smile, his aura, his general attire- he seemed.. too kind for the profession. “..You don’t look like a pirate,” He muttered. Great. His soulmate was a pirate of all things.
“What do they look like?” He smiled. Despite Kobys general hatred for pirates, he couldn’t see anything.. wrong with this one. His smile was kind. He mustered up the courage to speak. “Pirates are
scum.
They’re thieves and murderers.” His voice was low, angry.
“Not the pirates I know,” The other male was still smiling somehow.”
Koby blinked a few times, shocked. “I don’t get it- Why would
anyone
want to be a pirate?” He asked, genuinely curious for an insight into this guys mind.
“Because it’s the best thing there is!” And he seemed genuine. “You have the.. wind on your back, the salty sea air, your loyal crew by your side.”
He looked like he was reminiscing, daydreaming. Pirating was nothing like that. Not from Kobys view. “You never know what's on the horizon,” He said, looking over at the pinkette. “It’s all about.. being free.”
Free? Was he serious? Nothing was freeing about being a pirate- maybe in different circumstances he’d accept those words, but after so long of Alvida, he couldn’t fathom how someone could think like that. “Nothings free about Alvidas crew.”
Despite trying to think of something else.. Anything else, really, his eyes were trained on the streak of hair that the other male still hadn’t brought up. It was his exact shade- he had to be his soulmate. The other male looked at him, as if expecting him to continue talking.
“..She tells me when to eat, when to sleep. I even have to paint her toenails.” Kobys face cringed in disgust, slightly. Not enough to be noticeable.
“So why don’t you just leave?” asked the brunette, smile still wide. “No one leaves Alvida- She’ll never let me go.” Koby spit out bitterly. Talking to the straw hat felt somewhat.. Comforting, despite the walls he had set up around pirates.
“You should never let anyone tell you what you can’t do,” His soulmate stated simply, “If
I
did that, I never would’ve left my village to go find the One Piece.”
The One Piece. He had heard that term many, many times. So many pirates were searching for it, many died searching for it!
“Gold Rogers treasure?” He asked, finally standing up. “That’s impossible- every pirate in the world is after that!”
“Why shouldn’t I be the one to find it?” He asked, taking another bite into whatever food he had found. He was confident, the pirate had set dreams and it seemed like he’d try and accomplish them, no matter what. Koby wished he could be like that.
“As soon as I’m out of here, I’m on my way to the Grand Line.” He said, a confident smile etched on his face. The Grand Line, the- “Pirate Graveyard,” Koby stated, almost horrified. “There are a-hundred foot waves and sea beasts that’ll crush your bones. Once you enter the Grand Line, you never return.”
As much as he hated pirates, he didn’t want this guy to die from his actions- especially since he was his soulmate-!
“It sounds kind of fun!” The brunette said, voice carrying hints of amusement. Holy seas, was his soulmate insane?
He heard growling. “Oh, wait- Is- is that one of the sea beasts?” asked the brunette, smile somehow widening. Koby wanted to roll his eyes. “It’s just Alvida snoring. Look- if you want to get out of here, it’s now, or never. Alvida would love someone like you on her ship.” And so would he, Koby thought.
--------------------------------------------------------
Koby pushed open the trapdoor, and the two of them slowly clambered out, as quietly as they could. “Lifeboats are tied at the stern of the ship,” Koby muttered, looking at the other male once, then twice. He had only just met his soulmate, and he was already letting him go? Ugh- how stupid was he?
The snores of the crew filled the air. They walked up the stairs- well, the brunette walked. Koby crawled, trying to make as little noise as possible. When they got onto the deck, Koby felt nervousness and shame suddenly crawl all over him. He didn’t know what to do with his hands.
The brunette grabbed an oar, smiling ear to ear. “Gonna need one of these.”
“Head due north- you should hit land in a few days,” He stated. “North,” The pirate mumbled, seemingly making a mental note. “Which way is north?” He asked, turning, and hitting a bell.
The bell clanged. Oh seas, Koby was so, so dead. The crew began to stir awake, and then came
her
voice. “What the hell is going on up there?” She began, irritated at being woken up.
She began to climb, and Koby backed away, going closer to the other male. “What's the meaning of this?” she asked, glaring. Her eyes drifted to Koby, and then the male next to him, eyes fixed on the soulmate streak, before returning to Koby. “A-Alvida, I can explain-”
“You dare betray me to a bounty hunter?” Her tone was harsh, cold, like an avalanche ready to set off. “No, that’s not it at all-” Koby didn’t want to die, not today, not yet.
“And you.. You’re too scrawny to be Roronoa Zoro.” Her eyes looked at the male standing next to Koby. Koby was freaking out, so, so badly.
“I’m Monkey D. Luffy,” The brunette said, smiling. “Never heard of you,” Alvida stated, putting on her hat.
“Well, remember the name, ‘cause I’m gonna be King of the Pirates,” Luffy stated boldly. Alvida laughed, and her crew joined in, as if they had to. Koby remained silent. “You must be new around here boy, because who is the most powerful pirate on the seas?
She looked round expectantly, drinking in the choruses of “Captain Alvida,” before her eyes zeroed in on a quiet Koby. “Ah..” Her mace slammed the ground, causing Koby to flinch. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you, Koby. Who’s the most powerful pirate on the seas?” Koby didn’t want to say it.
“Answer me, you sniveling runt-” “He doesn’t have to.” cut in Luffy. His soulmate. Koby looked over to him as if he had committed a serious crime. “Kobys his own man.” He smiled, looking him up and down, before facing this so-called pirate captain again. Koby stared at him, repeatedly telling him to shut up. He didn’t want to get into trouble.
“No, no, he’s not. He’s mine, and he’ll always be mine.” Alvida smiled. Koby shivered, but kept a calmish facade. Well, obviously not calm- he was shivering like a leaf.
“That’s not what he told me,” Luffy said with a wide smile, slamming the oar onto the deck. “He said that you were mean. And cruel. And that you’re as dumb as a sea cow.”
Koby went into a defensive state. Why was he saying things like that!? “No, Captain Alvida, I didn’t!”
Her face contorted. She picked up her mace, yelling. Luffy swung the oar, pushing Koby out of the way. And Kobys mind went blank from there.
--------------------------------------------------------
The ship was on fire, and that's when Koby returned to his mind. He tended to disassociate when he got too worried, too stressed, letting his mind go on autopilot. Alvida had hit a lamp, the fire almost exploding onto the helm, setting it aflame.
Koby stared at it, and then looked back at the man wearing the straw hat, fear etched onto his face, a juxtaposition to Luffys wide smile. Alvida yelled at the site of the burning, her ship burning. Koby would’ve felt pity, but at that moment she turned to him.
“You! This is all your fault!” Koby hadn’t even
done
anything- but all he could do was stare at her with wide eyes. He was frozen in one place, he wouldn’t even have moved from the mace before Luffy stood in the way, bouncing her mace back. He tilted his hat, tone suddenly becoming more serious. “That’s enough.” He simply stated, pushing Koby out of the way slightly. He stretched out his arm. “Gum gum..” and with a smile, and a word, released it. “Pistol!”
The pirate was launched into the water, and Koby looked at Luffy, relief so, so clear on his face. His soulmate was strong, incredibly strong. “Anyone else got a problem with Koby?” asked the brunette, either itching for a fight, or simply wanting to protect the pink-haired male. Koby found his face flush slightly at those words. He mentally kicked himself, Luffy was probably just a friendly guy. It didn’t mean anything, he was just looking into things too much.
“Come on,” Luffy looked over to Koby, gesturing with his head over to where the lifeboats should be. “We’re gonna need a boat, and enough food for a few days.” Koby looked surprised, expecting Luffy to just.. leave without him. He noticed Luffys eyes drift to the soulmate streak, before replying, “Yeah! You’re coming with me, right?”
Koby thought for a second, before nodding. He wasn’t going to go down with the sinking ship.
--------------------------------------------------------
“That look on Alvidas face-! I’ve never seen anyone stand up to her,” Koby smiled widely. He felt.. free. After so long, he was finally free. Luffy shrugged. “Shouldn’t have messed with you.” He stated.
“How did you stretch like that?” Koby asked, curious. He had never heard of such a thing, or seen anything like it, and he’d been trapped on that ship for a pretty long time. “..It’s kind of a long story,” Luffy said, smiling. He began to explain, Koby listening with rapt attention.
“You ate a devil fruit?! Koby asked, very surprised. Now those he had heard stories about. “I didn’t know any better,” Luffy stated simply. “But mine was a Gum Gum Fruit. It turned my body into rubber.” He stretched the corner of his mouth to show that he meant, before snapping it back into place.
Koby looked at him, expression half amazed, half concerned, and.. a little bit worried. But he was always pretty worried. “..So now what?” He asked. “We have to be going somewhere, right?”
“We are going somewhere,” Luffy said. “Next stop.. to the Grand Line!”
“..Do you know how to get there?” Koby questioned. Luffys expression told him a no. “You can’t navigate.. You don’t even have a map!” Luffy sat up, a pondering expression on his face. “Good point. We should probably pick one of those up,” and his smile returned.
“..Maybe I’ve made a mistake. I never should’ve left Alvida..” Koby mumbled, face a bit crestfallen. All he had ever really been good for was the chores. He was basically good for nothing, and he doubted Luffy would even benefit from him being there.
“Koby-” His voice broke him out of his own deprecating words. “If you could do anything in the world right now, what would it be?” asked Luffy.
“..I guess there's one thing but.. It’s dumb.” Koby sighed softly, hand absentmindedly drifting to the streak representing his soulmate.
Luffy stood up, and Kobys eyes followed his figure. He looked up, Luffy now standing in front of him, and his mind barely registered his presence before Luffy slapped him. He held his face, looking back at the other male, mildly offended. “What was that for?”
“You being dumb,” Luffy pointed an accusing finger at him. “Now spit it out.” He sat down, his face morphing into a smile, as if he was genuinely interested in what Koby had to say.
It took Koby a bit for his words to form, and then he finally found himself managing to speak. “I’ve kind of..” He paused again, his mind swirling with too many thoughts. “I’ve always wanted to be..” A smile formed on his face as he thought about it. It had always been his biggest dream, besides meeting his soulmate. “A marine.”
Luffy looked at him closely, his smile still wide. “Ah..” and he went quiet again, waiting for Koby to continue.
“Ever since I was a kid, I.. wanted to protect people that couldn’t protect themselves..” He wanted to save people, wanted to be someone people could look up to, and that want had only grown stronger under Alvidas iron thumb. He noticed Luffy still staring, and flushed a bit red, picking up his oars. “I told you it was dumb.”
“If that's what you want, I think you should do it!” He hit Kobys shoulder, before declaring, “I’ll help you out!”
“You don’t even know me,” Koby stated, but Luffys warmth made him feel like they had known each other for an eternity.
“We shared a meal, Koby, and if.. Being a Marine is your dream, that's good enough for me,” Luffys smile somehow went even wider.
“Okay!” Luffy stood up, hands on his hips. “So, you plot a course to the next Marine base. I get my map, and you can join up.” He thought to himself for another second, before confirming his idea to himself. “Yeah.”
He walked to the other end of the ship, beginning to lie down. “All right, well, I’m going to take that nap now.” Koby furrowed his eyebrows. How can his soulmate be.. this reckless? “You can’t just waltz into a marine base and ask for a map of the Grand Line-?!”
“Don’t worry,” The brunette yawned. “I’m stealthy.” He grabbed his hat, placing it over his face, showing that he was going to go nap, and would not take no for an answer.
A part of Alvidas ship exploded, and Koby flinched. He’d never been the biggest fan of loud noises. “Yeah, super stealthy..”
--------------------------------------------------------
Kobys day had been eventful… sort of. He had witnessed a bar fight. A bar fight with marines. A bar fight with marines over a little girl, a little girl they should’ve been protecting, and instead, some swordsman had to step in, so some spoiled brat wouldn’t hurt her!
They lay side by side, in a comfortable silence, before Koby decided to utter a few words. “I can’t stop thinking about that fight.”
Luffy being Luffy, perked up, smiling. “That guy was amazing.. And what's with the third sword, I mean.. Where does it even go?”
Koby sighed softly, hand absentmindedly reaching to twirl the brown streak of hair that resembled Luffys. “No- He had to protect that little girl from the marines.. who were supposed to be protecting her- It.. doesn’t make any sense.” He was feeling doubt, doubt about the only thing he had wanted to do in life.. Ever.
Luffy looked over to him, then at the sky. “If there are good pirates and bad pirates, then.. There are gonna be good marines and bad marines too.” He looked back over to Koby, a small, genuine smile clear on his face. He looked the pinkette up and down. “You’ll be one of the good ones.”
Koby went a bit pink, but Luffys words alone didn’t stop the self doubt from creeping in. “..Maybe Alvida was right. I don’t know anything about the world.”
Luffy looked a bit confused, before replying. “But you were her prisoner?” Koby felt slightly guilty, but his words were truth- at least.. what he thought was truth. “Yeah, but, I knew who I was.. Now I have no idea.”
“Hey, Koby.. Koby!” He sat up abruptly, grabbing Kobys attention. Koby turned his head. “I know who you are,” The brunette said, smiling widely.
Koby furrowed his eyebrows. “..What?”
“You are my soulmate, Koby. If you think you are nothing, does that make me nothing, too?” Luffy tilted his head, almost cat-like. Koby stood up, sputtering. “I- no! But.. you shouldn’t.. resign yourself to someone like me.” Koby paused. “You.. deserve a better soulmate.”
Luffy shook his head, disagreeing. “You’re a great soulmate Koby. You’ll be an even better marine!” Koby sighed softly. “Shouldn’t soulmates stick togethe-”
He was silenced by a finger against his lips. “If your dream is to be a marine, then be a marine. I won’t stop you from that!” He smiled brightly, and then lay back down.
Koby smiled to himself. His soulmate was a good, good man.