[Chapter Length: 1691 Words.]
Koby's POV
Somewhere in the sea, East Blue.
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...
After obtaining a small boat from the commercial ship, Luffy and Koby got into it and started rowing, moving away from the ship.
While Koby was relieved to finally see Alvida's ship moving away, forgetting about his existence as the ship's handyman, he was also terrified. In front of him was a man who looked more like a monster than a human, even worse than Alvida.
'Who says they like someone and shows it by punching them?!' Koby had this terrible thought as he continued to row.
This man in front of him may have a screw loose in his head for hitting on Alvida like that, but he was still a monster in strength. What kind of human would do that with just one punch? I didn't even see the trajectory of the poor woman! Koby exclaimed internally, not wanting to provoke this aberration in front of him, who had already given him orders to row towards Shell City, which he did with all the speed he could muster.
The man himself was sitting, looking out at the sea, admiring the view without paying much attention to Koby.
"You know, it's rude to stare at people like that," his mouth moved as he spoke those words without turning his face away from the horizon.
"HM?! AH!! I'm sorry for that!!!" Koby quickly apologized as if his life depended on it.
"Hehehehe! Relax, buddy, it's not like I'll eat you just for looking at me, will I?" He laughed, seeming to enjoy Koby's fear.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Koby said the only thing that came to his mind.
"Tsk, you apologize too much. Annoying, just keep rowing then." He said, and Koby quickly followed his order.
It was a strange moment for Koby. On one hand, he felt fearful of the idea of this man, who looked like a stylish thug, wanting to kill him at any moment. But the man had been quiet all this time, and while Koby was rowing in a certain direction after checking the maps, he didn't seem to care much about the pink-haired boy. He continued to enjoy the view of the sea and its breeze.
But that didn't last the entire journey. At some point, this man felt bored and spoke after a long silence since the last exchange of words.
"Tell me something, kid. Where are you from?" He suddenly asked, catching Koby a bit off guard.
"Hm?! Me? I-I'm from a small village on a nameless fishing island, Mr. Luffy..." The pink-haired boy mumbled.
"And how did you end up on Alvida's ship, kid? You're clearly not a pirate..." He asked while looking directly at Koby, who shuddered and shrank back from those fierce, red, and dangerous eyes.
"I-I'm an orphan, so one day I went fishing to feed myself... but I ended up being captured by Alvida and her crew, and since then, I've become her servant..." Koby replied, regretting it after gathering the courage to answer those piercing eyes.
"I see. I won't say that's unfair to you. Life in this world is more or less like that, the stronger eat the weaker. I just think you should become stronger; otherwise, you'll be at the mercy of others for the rest of your life." He said, and Koby lowered his head. He had dreams, but he didn't have the courage to voice them, even though this man seemed willing to listen.
Once again, silence took over the small boat.
Koby, seeing this, finally mustered the courage to talk to this man on his own initiative.
"Are you from the East Blue, Mr. Luffy?" Koby couldn't help but ask the strange man, who was even more powerful than Alvida, despite seeming to have some screws loose when it came to Alvida being his soulmate.
"I am. I was raised by mountain bandits near Goa Kingdom, on Dawn Island." He said with a smile as he recalled some memories of his past in this body. Despite the changes he had undergone, Luffy's memories and bonds with others remained the same.
"Mountain bandits?!" Koby couldn't help but widen his eyes in astonishment. That explained why this man acted the way he did, as Koby had seen before.
"That's right. Dadan and the others give me a nostalgic feeling when I remember them, just like Ace and Sabo, Gramps, Makino, and others. They make me have those thoughts... and I'm being influenced by Luffy's memories..." Luffy couldn't help but murmur to himself. His initial response shouldn't have mentioned Dadan, but here he was talking about a past he hadn't really lived but had memories of and feelings for.
Koby, hearing this, couldn't quite grasp the meaning of those words, but he felt a melancholic atmosphere. This was something he hadn't expected from a character like this Luffy, who he had just met and who had been ruthless and indifferent so far.
Koby tried to change the subject as the silence extended between them once again.
"What do you plan to do in Shell Town, Mr. Luffy?" He asked curiously, as that was the man's objective.
"Simple, I'm going to recruit Roronoa Zoro! I heard he's imprisoned by the marines at the naval base on the island," he declared.
This left Koby quite stunned.
"What?! But you said you're a pirate! The famous bounty hunter won't let you leave alive as soon as he finds you!" Koby began to get hysterical about this.
"You shouldn't go, Mr. Luffy! You... Hm? OW!!!" While his hysteria continued, Luffy flicked him on the forehead so hard that it was equivalent to a punch.
"Owww, why did you hit me!" Koby couldn't help but complain.
"Because you talk too much! And I felt like doing it as you cry like a coward every time you open your mouth." Luffy said straightforwardly.
"Coward...??" Koby couldn't help but mutter as he thought about his life since he went fishing and was caught by Alvida two years ago.
"I think you're right. In the end, I'm just weak, at the mercy of others..." Koby lamented, while Luffy sighed upon seeing this.
"Koby, tell me, do you have a dream?" Luffy asked.
"I do... But I'm not sure if I'm worthy of it..." He said without much confidence.
"You're already starting wrong." Luffy said, gaining a curious look from Koby. Then Luffy continued.
"You lack faith in your dream, so you'll never achieve it." Luffy said simply with that conclusion.
"Faith in my dream...?" Koby murmured as they were in the middle of the ocean with no ships in sight now.
"Look, Koby, if Alvida's dream is to be the most beautiful woman in East Blue, it will come true if she has unwavering faith in it! You might be surprised when you see her next time." Luffy spoke seriously.
"Just like how I'm the man destined to conquer all the seas! Even if I die pursuing my dream, I won't give up believing in it!" Luffy said, putting his straw hat on his head to emphasize the seriousness of his words.
"Even if I die pursuing my dream...?" Koby was captivated by this man's words, even though he had been quite intimidating with his bad boy demeanor. Koby gained a new determination in his eyes. With a clenched fist, he said.
"You're right, Mr. Luffy! I'll join the marines! I'll become an admiral and capture all the pirates in the world! POFF OUCH! That hurt. Why did you hit me again?!" Koby, who was finishing his heartfelt words, felt another flick next to his head.
"Don't say you'll capture all the pirates while sitting next to a pirate!" Luffy tried to instill some sense into the boy in front of him.
"I guess you're right... Wait, aren't you laughing at my dream?" Koby asked, looking at Luffy's stoic face.
"Tsk Why would I laugh at someone's dream?" Luffy asked, huffing.
"Remember, Koby, in this world, people's dreams have no end!" Luffy spoke earnestly.
"People's dreams have no end?" Koby couldn't help but murmur as well.
"Yes, I like that phrase. Even if it was said by a treacherous bastard, I have to admit that he has principles in his dreams and is willing to do anything to achieve them, after all." Luffy said, thinking about Blackbeard, a man so evil that he wanted to plunge the world into darkness, but Luffy could admire his determination towards his goals and dreams.
"I think I understand! You're right, Luffy, do you think I can become an admiral?" Koby asked cautiously.
"Only one person should believe in this dream above all, Koby, and that's you. The rest of the world doesn't matter as long as you have faith in your dreams!" Luffy spoke with the charisma of a leader.
"Thank you..." Koby couldn't help but express his gratitude. He was ready to chase his dream this time now that he was free from Alvida. He had the chance to join the marines and fight for the justice he had always yearned for.
While Koby reassessed his determination and rowed with more purpose, Luffy thought about opening his system for the first time in this world.
He could have flown to Shell City to speed up the journey, but since he got lost the last time he did that, he didn't want to go through the same experience. He decided to let Koby handle navigation while he planned his next steps. Besides, he wanted this boy to become a powerful marine in the future; the sea would be more interesting that way.
So he took advantage of his time while muttering to himself.
[Moa Moa no Mi: Speed, apply 30 times!] When he did this, Koby was startled by the sudden increase in the boat's speed, which they could both feel.
"What is this?!" Koby exclaimed in surprise.
"Relax, just be careful not to veer off course, and I'll check some things here. Don't bother me for a while." Luffy said, settling in on the other side of the boat while he muttered quietly.
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