Chapter 4: The Long Arm of Luffy! Thief Nami and Swordfighter Kuina!
Luffy was happily lounging against their little ship's mast, his favorite hat shading his eyes. Coby sat in front, trying to read which way the wind was blowing. Makino was taking stock of the supplies in the hold below deck, knowing full well that Luffy had an appetite and a half.
"She still back there?" Luffy asked.
"Yep," Makino answered, "Would you prefer beef or chicken jerky?"
"Beef, please."
"Who's still back there?"
"That girl from the other ship."
Coby turned around, shocked to indeed see the redhead was furiously paddling behind them. "How'd you both do that?! You didn't even look!"
"Hey… Finally… Caught you…" Nami panted, clearly exhausted. They had long since left Alvida's ship and cruise liner behind.
"Oh, hey. Sorry, didn't want any Marines to catch us," Luffy explained, "So, what do you want?"
"Let me just… Get something straight… You are a pirate, right?"
"Yep!"
"But… You don't rob people?"
"Not unless they take something from me."
"Pillage towns?"
"No! What's the point?"
"Kill innocent people?"
"No way! That's just sick!"
Nami just frowned, looking completely lost. "Then what do you do?"
"We have adventures!"
"He's right," Makino agreed, "You see, we wish to be a Peace Main crew of pirates who don't cause trouble. We only fight if someone has wronged us in some way."
"'Peace Main' pirates? That's a thing? Since when?"
"I don't know where the term started, but there have been several crews who follow a similar motto."
The thief craned her eyebrow in doubt. "Oh? Name one."
"Red-Haired Shanks!"
"Bull! He's one of the Four Emperors, one of the worst pirates out there!"
"No, he's not! He's awesome! He gave me this hat!"
Nami immediately paled. "You've actually met him?! AND SURVIVED?!"
Makino just laughed. "Yes, yes, I know he has an extremely high bounty… Somewhere in the billions…"
"4,048,900,000!" she recited from memory, "How could anyone with a bounty like that not be a walking disaster?!"
"Because he doesn't go around threatening people for no reason," Luffy shrugged, "He does it protect his friends."
"Okaaaaay then… I guess the fact that you're still alive, and even have his hat, is proof enough." Nami pulled out a rope and began tying their boats together, Coby assisting her as the duo of pirates didn't protest. "So, since you are all nice, not-jackass pirates, I was wondering if you'd be open to a deal."
"Yeah? What kind of deal?"
"Simple. We become partners, splitting the loot 60-40 as we tear up other pirates! Or, even better! You beat them up and I cash in their bounties and give you a cut of the-"
"Sorry, not interested," Luffy cut her off.
"Aw, come on! If you can beat Alvida that easily, just imagine the payday you'd get if you turned her in!"
"We'll get treasure and stuff."
Nami pouted at seeing her opportunity slip away only for Makino to speak up. "Listen, we understand there is a lot of money to be made, but that's not necessarily what we're after."
"Pirates who… Turn down money?!"
"Um, so Luffy," Coby asked as Nami's brain shut off, "You don't mind us going to the Marine base in Shells Town?"
"Nah, I'm good. Besides, I can't navigate anyway."
"Oh, this just keeps getting better and better!"
Luffy sighed and lifted his hat to see Nami's thoroughly baffled face and had to stifle a laugh. "Can you navigate?"
"I can do more than that! I'm the best navigator in the East Blue!"
"Really?"
"Yep!"
"Then how about you join my crew and you can get treasure that way?"
"No way!"
Makino chuckled as Luffy essentially turned into a child, pleading for Nami to reconsider while the woman crossed her arms and sat facing the other way in her boat. And with each offer, the redhead rebuffed and went on about how'd she would rather die than ever be a pirate.
"Anyway, what can you tell us about this base, Coby?"
"Oh, well it's one of the largest in the East Blue. And they just caught one of the most fearsome bounty hunters in the sea…"
"Hm? Bounty hunter?" Luffy asked, his interest piqued.
"Yeah, the pirate huntress… Ugh, I get shivers just thinking about her…"
"Wait, you mean Kuina?! That pirate huntress?!" Nami gaped, "But, wait, she isn't a criminal..."
"She might as well be…"
Coby then went on and on about how terrifying this woman apparently was, yet never actually stated what crime she committed. Makino turned to Luffy and noticed his grin as he resumed resting his eyes. She just sighed, already predicting how her captain was eager to meet her.
Before long, the pair of small boats was approaching an island dominated by the blue spires of the Marine base. Nami docked her boat right next to Luffy's crew and soon all four were strolling the streets, Luffy eagerly buying some food from the market with the pocket money they brought along.
Nami shook her head, turning to Makino. "Didn't we just eat lunch an hour ago? And he ate more than the rest of us?"
"Oh, he just has an appetite. He burns through it all with his training."
"I guess that makes sense…" She waltzed up next to Luffy, surprised to see him actually buying food instead of looting, "So, Luffy, what's exactly your plan here?"
"I want to check out that pirate hunter. What's her name again?"
"That's a terrible idea!" Coby insisted, "Kuina never failed to turn in a bounty, and the only reason she kept them alive was so the government didn't cut their price! Thank goodness Captain Morgan caught her…"
The people around the four suddenly yelped in the air, terrified out of their minds. Coby looked completely lost while the others quickly got suspicious. Luffy trudged up past the houses until they came across a wrought iron gate, the symbol of the Marines emblazoned on the bars. The rest of the yard was hidden by a brick wall ten feet high.
While Coby looked at the base in glee, Makino noticed that Nami was scratching her chin. "Got an idea?"
"Yeah, I've heard about that Captain Morgan… He's supposed to be one of the strongest Marines around here…"
"…And that means he's bound to have some treasure, right?" Makino got a chuckle as Nami whipped around, "You know, Luffy might be willing to help you."
"Why?"
"Because he already considers you a friend. Isn't that right, Luffy?" Both girls looked around but the buccaneer was gone. They spotted him leaping on top of the wall to the yard, Coby yelling that he needed to get down. Luffy didn't hear him, too busy observing the woman tied to the post.
Standing only a few inches shorter than him, the pirate huntress Kuina was the image of fearsome even with her arms bound to the bar of a cross and her ankles tied to a wooden stake. Her plain black tee and blue jeans belied a well-toned physique. Her dark blue hair was tied into a ponytail to stay out of her way while fighting. A dark green band was wrapped around her left arm. But most telling was her glare, unflinching even as sweat dripped down her brow.
"Who the heck are you supposed to be?" she demanded, "There's no visiting hours, so beat it!"
"You're a bounty hunter, huh?"
"Why do you care?! Scram before somebody shoots you!"
"Luffy, are you insane?! What if the Marines see you, or worse! Kuina will escape and go after you!" Coby warned, having shuffled up beneath him. Makino and Nami then climbed on either side, curious at what all the fuss was about. Kuina bared her teeth, infuriated.
"This isn't some kind of show! All of you better beat it right now or else you'll be sorry!"
"She seems charming…" Nami rolled her eyes only for Makino to lift herself up a little more.
"Hello there! Sorry to intrude, but we've heard great things about you!"
"Take your shit and sell it somewhere else, lady. I'm not buying it."
Right before Coby could warn them all yet again, the four bystanders watched as a ladder was leaned up against the wall. A young brunette girl, no older than seven, climbed up with something hidden under one arm. She even shushed them all as she hopped into the yard.
"AAAAH! Luffy, you have to save her!"
"Why? Kuina isn't gonna hurt her."
Coby wanted to call him insane only to watch as the little girl offered Kuina some homemade onigiri. Even as Kuina yells at her to leave, the youngling is insistent on thanking her for something. Makino and Nami were starting to wonder if she got arrested for something minor like disturbing the peace when the answer strutted in.
Flanked by two uniformed sailors was a blonde-haired man who was the epitome of smug. From his hideous violet leisure suit to the ear-to-ear smirk on his face under a blonde bowl cut, to the strut that made it clear he owned the place, Luffy frowned the minute he saw him. He didn't need Observation Haki to sense how pompous this guy is.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the new arrival sneered at the girl, "Ooh, rice balls! Don't mind if I do!"
Coby gawked in horror as this guy caustically ate the girl's food, then spat it out in disgust. Apparently this girl decided to make sweet onigiri.
"Wow, what a dick…" Makino muttered.
"But I don't get it! He's with the Marines! How could he act like this?!"
Nami just looked at him in pity. "Kid, you need to stop seeing things in black and white."
Luffy's glare worsened as this guy ordered one of the Marines to chuck her over the wall. He could at least sense the seaman hesitate but he still threw the brunette out like a sack of trash. Luffy leapt backwards to catch her before she could get hurt.
"You alright?" he asked her.
"Y-Yes, thank you…"
"Coby, come on. I wanna make sure this girl gets home…"
Nami turned in surprise and watched as Luffy put the girl back on her feet and escorted her back to town with the former cabin boy following behind. She actually felt the littlest bit impressed.
"A pirate who looks after little kids… Now I've seen it all."
"Hey, jackass!"
Nami whipped around to see Makino practically blowing smoke, pulling herself up on the wall to glare down at the blonde bastard. "What the hell is the matter with you?! You don't treat children that way!"
The man laughed, finding her outburst hilarious. "Sorry you had to see that, honey, it's just official business. The sign clearly says that anyone abetting criminals will receive the same treatment. I actually did her a favor!"
"Why you little…" Makino was about to march over and blast his face off when Nami grabbed her ankle. "What?!"
"Don't do anything rash. We can use this…" The redhead then pulled herself up, dusting off her skirt before posing with her arms behind her waist, "I'm really sorry about my friend, mister! We just got here and wanted to see the base up close!"
"Oh please…" Kuina rolled her eyes but the bigshot fell for the line.
"Then you've come to the right place! I'm Helmeppo, son of the great Captain Morgan!"
Nami had to resist laughing. "Really?! Then would you mind showing the two of us around?"
Helmeppo ordered his escorts to open the front gate for them, Makino just shooting the thief a look. "Really?"
"Just trust me!" Nami smiled back, being helped down and then led inside with a much more reluctant pirate behind her.
Back in town, Luffy and Coby found out the girl was named Rika and the daughter of a local restauranteur. And poor Coby was holding his head in his hands at being told that the callous jackass who abused a child was the son of the captain who ran the base.
Luffy just leaned back against the eatery's outside wall. "So, what did Kuina do?"
"Nothing! She protected me from a wolf Helmeppo called his pet! So, he locked her up for a month before letting her go… That's why I wanted to bring her some food because that jerk is starving her…"
"I can't believe this… Why isn't the captain doing anything about it?" Coby moaned.
"Because Morgan is even worse! Anyone who stands up to him gets thrown in jail!"
"Man, what a jerk…" Luffy sighed before he noticing Helmeppo walking up the streets with his arms around Makino and Nami.
"Oh, you don't need to do this!" Nami insisted, chuckling nervously, "I'm sure the base has a nice mess hall we could've gone to!"
"Nonsense! Lovely ladies like yourselves deserve only the best! And don't worry about money. When you're with me, everything here is free!"
Makino could only barely keep her face in a scowl, her hands clenched into fists as she shot glares at the Marine officers leading them around. The only reason she was going along with this was because Helmeppo kept his hands to her shoulders. She was about to snap that her eyes were above where he kept looking…
As the blonde strode into the eatery, Luffy felt his blood boil. Not just at seeing how uncomfortable both women were, but the sheer arrogance. He watched as Helmeppo sat them down in the middle of the dining room and ordered Rika's mom to feed them and pour her finest wine.
Nami's smile was clearly strained, her eyes darting at the glares everyone was shooting her. When she mentioned how hungry she was, she figured that would be her ticket into the base. Now here she was farther from the goods and stuck with a total prick while the whole town wanted her dead! Her only solace was seeing Makino half-ready to vomit from this guy's sheer sleaze.
The greenette also didn't tolerate his schmoozing, nursing her full glass with a glare. "So, what's going to happen to that woman you have tied up?"
"Oh, her? Well, she's supposed to be let go in about a week but it's so boring! No begging, no pleading, nothing! She's a total waste of time…"
"So, you'll let her go early, right? No harm in that?" Nami asked only for Helmeppo to laugh.
"Oh, I know! I'll have her executed! The look on her face! AHAHAHAHAHA!"
Luffy was behind him in an instant thanks to Shave, his guards chucked into opposite sides of the dining room. Helmeppo could barely blink before he was flung out the front door like a bag of trash. The whole restaurant was dead silent in shock.
"Ah, thank goodness!" Makino sighed in relief, "I was wondering when you'd come to shut him up."
"I didn't even see him move!" Nami gawked, "What can't this guy do?"
"W-What's the matter with you?!" Helmeppo screamed, "You know who I am, right?! My daddy's the captain! He'll kill you for even touching me!"
"Oh yeah? Then go get him." Luffy just crossed his arms, waiting for the blonde brat to back up his threat. Seeing someone not instantly intimidated by him, Helmeppo turned tail and cried all the way up the street much to the bafflement of the townspeople save for Rika. The little girl was seeing stars at the town bully finally getting served.
"Um, sir?" the mother asked, "I appreciate the help but-"
"Don't worry about this captain. I'll take care of him." The bystanders muttered in disbelief at how calm this man was, much less when both of the women Helmeppo brought in walked alongside him. Makino held his hand, ready to assist her captain with his latest goal. She was a bit more confused as Nami went with them.
"Going to look for that treasure?"
"Well, if you two happen to make enough of a racket, it means an opening for me."
"So that's what you're after?" Luffy wondered.
"Yep! Any high-ranking Marine is bound to have some contraband or recovered treasure lying around. All I need is find this captain's office."
"You know, I could help you find it."
"Really?!"
"Yep… If you join my crew."
Nami's brow furrowed, seriously weighing the idea. She had to admit this guy was a cut above other pirates in power and leaps and bounds ahead in personality. But being branded a criminal was no small matter. It was one thing to rob other pirates but to actively fight the navy?
"…I'll consider it," she said plainly, getting Luffy to burst into giggles. Nami rolled her eyes but she had a slight smile of her own.
"Hey, what about Coby?" Makino wondered.
"Leave him. Probably shouldn't let Marines see him helping pirates."
And so the trio headed back to the front gate of the base. Luffy instructed Nami to hold on to his back as he picked Makino up in a bridal carry and leapt over the wall, landing clean on the other side in front of a baffled Kuina.
"What the?! What are you guys doing back here?! Get out, I only have to stay here another week before-!"
"-You get executed tomorrow?" finished Luffy, shutting the bounty hunter up. Makino and Nami corroborated the story, leaving the bluenette fuming and struggling against the ropes.
"That little…! Grrr, when I get out of here, I'm gonna skewer him like the pig he is!"
"Get in line," Makino nodded, "So, you ready to get out of here?"
"Yeah, except that douchebag stole my sword when I was tied up here."
"We can get it for you…" Luffy offered with a smile, "If you join my crew?"
"YOU ASSHOLE! Like I'd ever want to be a pirate! You better hope I don't cut you down too!"
Nami nodded along but raised her hands in placation. "Look, I'm not that keen on the idea either but you could do a lot worse than this guy. He's actually pretty decent… For a pirate, anyway."
Kuina desperately wanted to chase them off but having her arms bound to a cross limited her options. "If you can get my sword back, I'll maybe work with you."
"Sure thing! It's in the base, right? Makino, untie her."
The greenette nodded as Luffy grabbed Nami's arm before running ahead. "Come on! Let's find that loot, too!"
"Wait, we're going in through the front door?!"
"Yeah, but don't worry. Most of the sailors are on the roof for some reason."
"How do you know that?!" Nami felt alarm bells ringing in her head as she was pulled inside. She expected to be bombarded instantly but it looks like Luffy was right. The halls were practically deserted. It took going up several levels to encounter any resistance at all. And when they did, it was two grunts so surprised by Luffy that they barely got to draw their guns…
"Tempest Kick!"
Before Nami's jaw dropped again as she witnessed one of the Six Powers, Luffy's leg causing a shockwave of air so powerful it bowled the guards over and left gouges in the stone walls.
"W-W-W-W-What just-How did-What are-?!"
Luffy didn't bother answering, bounding down the hallway with Nami desperately pushing to keep up. And as she kept following, this grinning doofus of a badass just kept stupefying her. Every single soldier that was unlucky enough to cross his path was defeated in a matter of seconds.
Some of the most memorable of these to her were on floor six when four grunts tried a mounted assaults with their bayonets.
"Iron Body!"
Nami slapped herself to make sure she wasn't imagining things as the blades just bounced off Luffy's chest and he conked them out in short order. Then came floor eight where a particularly brave guard tried firing at the pirate with his pistol.
"Paper Arts!"
While Nami ducked, she was baffled again Luffy seemed to bend like the rubber his limbs were made of and the shots all missed. Once the guard was out of ammo, still clicking the trigger in terror, Luffy punched him to the floor and led onwards. And last was floor eleven where it seems someone finally knew there were intruders in the base. Five guards rushed from behind, screaming for them to cease and desist.
"Nami, get down!"
She did just that, throwing herself to the floor as Luffy leapt over her and straight at the line of soldiers. He landed a punch to the first guard hard enough to send him flying into all of his buddies and knocking them down like dominoes.
"How can you hit so hard?!
"Armament Haki. I'll explain later, come on!"
One floor later and a now beyond impressed Nami was standing with her new escort in front of a white door with Helmeppo's name plastered on it. Luffy kicked it down like it was paper, leaving the blonde bastard himself scrambling in panic.
"S-S-Stop right now!" he cried, a gun held in his trembling hands, "I-I'll kill you both! I d-don't n-need my d-d-daddy for this!"
Luffy's answer was to rush up and punch the jerk square in his cleft, sending him crashing into his armoire. The pirate then grinned at the katana leaned up against the wall, Nami admiring how the white leather sheath was of amazing quality. She was no swordfighter but even she could tell it was a fine blade.
From there the duo made their way up one more level and burst down the double doors to Morgan's office. One look around the room and Nami could see this was overdecorated even by captain standards.
"Hm, if I were a safe, where would I be?" she immediately moved to a large portrait on the farthest wall, showing an imposing man with a metal-covered lower jaw and a massive axe blade for a right hand. She casually ripped the painting down and was rewarded with a massive metal door with a tumbler now sitting before her.
"Jackpot!"
Right as she was about to start cracking the code, a high-pitched bell rang out. Luffy could sense the dozens of soldiers that were preoccupied above them were rushing out as a group. He wondered what could have tipped them off. A look out the dozen-foot long window facing the courtyard answered his question. Someone spotted Makino trying to free Kuina!
"Nami, we need to go!"
"In a minute! I need to hear the tumblers and I can't with that alarm going!"
Time was of the essence. Luffy rushed over, easily prying his hand into the metal and simply ripped the door open. Massive stacks of beris, several pieces of golden jewelry and an aged piece of parchment rested inside, now free for the taking.
"Quick, grab something!"
Though astonished once again, Nami quickly sobered up and reached for the sea chart along with as much cash as she could get her hands on and stuffing it all in the burlap sack she kept balled up under her shirt.
She was snapped out of it by Luffy picking up the colossal wooden desk and flinging the entire thing out the window, shattering it.
"What are you doing?!"
"Making a path back outside! Grab on, we're gonna save those two!" He then planted his hands on the bottom of the window frame and then stretched himself back. Nami hopped onto his back, holding onto her loot with all she could as her arms were wrapped around Luffy's torso.
"Gum-Gum Rocket!"
He flew out of the base like a slingshot, Nami screaming in panic all the while as she noticed that the other ladies were facing a firing squad.
"WE'RE GONNA DIE!"
"No way! I'll never let someone hurt my crew!"
Luffy landed smack in the middle between Makino and the Marines just as the latter opened fire. Nami, again, chucked herself to the ground and said a small prayer for the first decent pirate she'd ever met. And once again, she was forced to check whether or not she was dreaming as the bullets bounced off of him?!
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Kuina yelled, clearly blown away herself, "How the hell are you still alive?!"
"I'm a rubber man!" Luffy said cheerfully, "And here's your sword back!"
He tossed her the katana. The moment her hand wrapped around the handle, Kuina's entire demeanor changed. A smirk broke out over her face as she drew the sword in an instant and noticed the Marines edging away. They knew fully well they were dealing with one of the most notorious bounty hunters in the East Blue.
There was one man not impressed, however. Standing over nine feet tall and glowering at the whole crew of intruders was the infamous Captain Morgan himself. "Hm, so one of you has eaten a Devil Fruit?"
"Yep!" Luffy cheered, "Bullets don't hurt me!"
The Captain was less than impressed, raising his famous axe-hand at the group. "So, as of now, you are all guilty of jailbreaking, assaulting Marine officers, vandalizing my office, stealing tax money collected from the citizens…"
Nami tried to hide the sack of loot behind her before frowning. "Wait, since when do the Marines collect taxes?"
"And worst of all, defying my authority! You are all hereby sentenced to be executed immediately! Men, kill them!"
Seeing as how guns wouldn't work, they all drew their cutlasses and charged in. The closest of these, however, was soon caught in a blade lock with Kuina.
"Now, let me tell you what's actually going to happen," she said, grinning as the seaman tried in vain to overpower, "The four of us are gonna walk out of here with all of your money AFTER I skewer that blonde little bitch who thought it was a good idea to grope my tits while I couldn't fight back. But, I might be willing to let that slide if you all let us go quietly…"
Three more Marines tried rushing up from the side. In a literal flash of steel, she slashed them all down and then kept the lieutenant in place.
"You know, you just attacked several Marines…" Luffy pointed out, "What happened to not being a criminal?"
"Tch, that's not important. Now that I'm free, I'll pursue my dream no matter what! I will be the world's greatest swordsman!"
Luffy's eyes twinkled, even as several Marines rushed at him. Thankfully, Makino stepped in with both her hands outstretched and let loose the biggest blast she could muster to the utter horror of the soldiers and the amazement of Kuina.
"You've got one heck of a crewmate there…"
"Yeah! You want to be one too?"
As several more men tried and failed to cut her down, Kuina weighed her options. On the one hand, she'd have a bounty and that would mean having to deal with not only more Marines but other hunters looking to cash in. On the other hand, it would mean some backup and she couldn't deny that these two were fighters on her level.
"Fine. But I should warn you that if you ever get in the way of my dream, I won't hesitate to end you."
Luffy just laughed at the threat. "Awesome! The King of the Pirates needs the world's greatest swordsman!"
And with that, Nami watched as the now three-person pirate crew manhandled Morgan's entire force. Between Luffy's rubbery punches, Makino's blasts and Kuina's mastery of the sword, over fifty men were lying on the ground in a few minutes. The only exception was Morgan himself, fuming in anger.
"You bunch of useless maggots!"
"B-But sir! Two of them have Devil Fruits! We can't-!"
"Quiet! Everyone here is officially ordered to fire on themselves!"
"WHAT?!" Makino yelled, completely disgusted, "Are you insane?! You can't order your men to commit suicide!"
"I am Marine Captain Axe-Hand Morgan! I have earned that title through my superior strength! You will all respect my authority or I will-!"
His boast was cut off by Luffy storming up and socking him in the face, knocking the iron-jawed captain backwards with a single hit without any Armament Haki.
"You talk too much!"
The captain reared up, snorting mad as he raised his axe with a scream. "DIIIIIIIIIIIIE!"
His swing split the ground, a chasm opening beneath his feet and a dozen feet away. Too bad Luffy easily side-stepped and stretched his leg back.
"Gum-Gum Whip!"
The rubbery limb smacked Morgan in the knees, breaking his stance. Luffy then rushed up to sock Morgan again only to meet the flat of an axe instead. Morgan flung him arm out to force Luffy away, but the pirate gave him a spinning kick to the face that knocked the captain on his knees. The other Marines couldn't believe it. The captain was losing!
"S-Stop right there!"
Everyone turned to see Helmeppo, once again ignoring that no one wanted him around. That was especially true for Nami thanks to the gun held to her head.
"Y-You leave my daddy a-alone! O-Or I'll s-s-shoot this girl right where she s-stands!"
"Yeah, no."
Helmeppo turned around just in time to see Makino blast his leg with a burst of her power, sending the cowardly bully tumbling to the ground in agony. Makino then snatched up the gun and threw as far away as possible, flashing Luffy a thumbs-up.
He turned to give her the same, as Morgan rose up behind him. "You criminal scum! I'll personally behead each and every one of you!"
"Is that so?" Kuina widened her stance, her sword in its sheath once again, "Wanna test that, metal on metal?"
He roared like a bull and charged right at her, ignoring Luffy completely but the bounty hunter didn't flinch. She kept one hand on her sheath and the other on the handle, her gaze as sharp as her weapon as Morgan raised his famous axe for a killing blow.
"One-Sword Style…"
Morgan's blade came down in a flash, ready to cleave her in half…
"…Lion Song."
…Except Kuina was now behind him, faster than he could blink. He heard the click of her sword reentering its holster before a sickening wet sound consumed his ears. He looked down and saw his entire right arm, including his famous axe hand, fell to the ground.
The entire base was horrified to see the great Captain Morgan fall to his knees, screaming in bloody murder as his stump of an arm gushed red.
"Heh, pathetic," Kuina boasted, "Guess you're One-Hand Morgan now…"
"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Luffy cheered, stars in his eyes.
"DADDY, NO!"
"OH, SHUT UP ALREADY!"
Helmeppo was silenced by a smack to the face courtesy of Nami, clutching her hidden bo staff with white knuckles.
"That's for staring at my chest all day, you creep!" She beaned him again, mangling his face and leaving him a broken, gibbering heap on the ground.
"You… You bitch!"
Morgan slowly stood up, clutching his leaking limb with his only remaining hand. "You think this will stop me?! I'll hunt you all down like the dogs you are!"
"Leave her alone!" Morgan turned to see Luffy glaring at him, "No one threatens my friends!"
"Friends?! Pirates don't have friends!"
"How would you know? You're not a pirate!" Luffy stretched both his arms back, even as Morgan tried to clobber him with his fist.
"You worthless SCUUUUUUUUUUM!"
"Gum-Gum…"
His arms rocketed forward and wrapped around Morgan's waist, making the captain stop in pause.
"…Metronome!"
Luffy flung himself backwards into a suplex, sending his elongated arms lying like catapults with Morgan as the projectile. The captain screamed in terror as he was rushing directly for the roof of the base. And, even worse, the just installed stone statue of himself he was having men put up today.
Morgan collided with his own vanity project head-on, cracking the stone with his own skull before getting whipped back the other way. The people of Shells Town just suddenly saw the feared captain crash outside of the base like a ragdoll before getting flung back into the air.
Over and over again, the captain was slammed into the ground until Luffy's arms finally ran out of space and snapped back. The now comatose captain was now covered in bruises, his metal jaw cracked and blood still seeped from his lost arm. The only sign he was still alive was the quiet groan he let out, in more pain than he could ever remember feeling.
And such a commotion meant that the people of Shells Town, including Coby and Rika, rushed to the gate to see the unbeatable captain laying in a broken heap amongst his own troops.
"Holy shit…" Kuina muttered. The whole yard was completely silent, nobody daring to move. That is until all of the sailors stood up, picked up their guns and tossed them into the air.
"WE'RE FREE!" they all hollered, dancing and jumping for joy.
"I can finally sleep at night again!"
"Serves you right, you tinpot tyrant!"
"Quick, somebody call HQ! He won't even be allowed as a cabin boy!"
"And throw that Helmeppo in jail too! That jackass made me throw a little girl over the wall!"
Luffy and the three girls watched in amazement as the Marines completely ignored them, then got another surprise as the townspeople busted down the gates and crowded around them. Luffy laughed in delight as the townspeople gathered him on their shoulders and led him through town, singing his praises while a smiling Makino, a calm Kuina and a flabbergasted Nami all followed the crowd.
Several hours later, Luffy was patting his stomach behind a stack of plates as three ladies sat around the same table.
"Man, which one of us went three weeks without food?" Kuina kidded, "Although that was freaking delicious."
"Thank you so much!" Makino said to Rika's mother.
"Oh, it's no trouble! You're the town heroes! Consider all of this covered!"
Nami let out a breath of relief, patting her sack of treasure with grin. "I've gotta say, Luffy. You really are a cut above other pirates, and not just in strength. You're actually a pretty decent guy."
"Aw, thanks! And you're really handy with that bo staff. How often do you train?"
"Oh, what, that? Psh, it's nothing. I just needed something that was easier to hide than a sword and didn't cost ammo. I'm no fighter…"
"You shouldn't sell yourself short," Makino told her, "With a little bit of training from Luffy, you could probably handle yourself in a fight."
"But I can't do any of the insane things he does! I don't have a Devil Fruit or freaky martial arts powers…"
"Not yet. I can teach you those techniques."
Nami gaped at him once again, now with a hint of blushing on her cheeks. "Really? You'd give away info like that?"
"Of course! I want to have the strongest crew on the seas, so I need to bring everybody up as much as possible."
"Now you're speaking my language!" Kuina cheered, downing her beer in one gulp, "I hope you're ready to teach because I'm gonna learn all your tricks!"
After a bit more food and merriment, in walked a small crowd of Marines led by a tall tan man in a blue Marine cap. "Excuse me, did you happen to say you were pirates earlier?"
"Yep!" Luffy nodded, "With Nami and Kuina, that makes it four."
"Don't count me, damn it! We're business partners, that's it!"
"I see. Regardless of that, I'm afraid I must ask you to leave."
"WHAT?!" yelled the crowd who were watching them eat. The lead sailor ignored them.
"While I am just as grateful for Morgan being deposed as anyone else, as a Marine I cannot sit idly by as pirates are within our town. As thanks, we will not report you to headquarters but you must leave immediately."
Luffy could sense the growing unease, up until the people started shouting at the lieutenant for daring to treat their saviors this way. He didn't see any issue with getting up and leaving until he notices Makino scowling.
"You okay?"
"Luffy, I had to deal with that purple-suited prick for almost half an hour while he treated me like a trophy… I'm setting this straight now."
He rolled his shoulders, admitting he couldn't stand watching her being carted around either so he allowed it. The bartender turned buccaneer stood up, slammed her hands on the table to command the room's attention.
"So, let me get this straight," she asked, her words clipped, "We save the entire town, including you, from being under that lunatic's thumb. And our reward is getting chased out like common criminals?"
The lieutenant stepped back before leveling a glare at her. "It is a Marine's duty to carry out justice, and pirates are the enemy of that."
"Enemies?! We're the reason you all don't have that bastard treating this town like his own kingdom?! Where's the justice in that?!"
Luffy chuckled as the crowd quickly turned to their side, shooting daggers at the lieutenant. He could hear them all muttering about how right Makino was, they didn't deserve to be treated like this. He glanced at Nami, trying to not burst into laughter at how effortlessly Makino had won them all over. Then he saw Kuina, taking a refill from Rika's mom with a carefree smile.
"W-Well, um," the Marine stuttered, "I-It's nothing personal… P-Protocol just says…"
"Protocol, huh? Where is it in protocol that a captain gets to have carte blanche over an entire town?! Where's the protocol that lets a captain order his own men to fire on themselves?! Where's the protocol for letting the son of the captain, a fucking civilian at that, have a woman executed for kicks?!"
"HE DID WHAAAAAT?!" the crowd roared, having clearly not heard about Helmeppo's wager or his sudden change. The lieutenant darted over to Kuina, kicking back. She glared back at him before the most vulpine grin imaginable crossed her face.
"Oh yeah, he was going to do that! Not to mention he starved me and offered to let me go early if I 'entertained' him in his room!"
Now people were pouring into the restaurant, demanding the lieutenant's head. His cronies were of no help, getting yelled at on all sides by pissed off passersby. The lead Marine looked around, desperate for something to resolve this, and spotted Nami's sack.
"Fine, fine, they can stay! But that women there needs to return the stolen money! That's government property from our treasury!"
Nami gained a shrewd look of her own. "Oh, this? This isn't from the treasury, it was from a huge safe in Morgan's office! I figured these were the 'taxes' he was collecting!"
"BULLSHIT!" someone in the crowd yelled, "That guy was charging us just to live!"
"Yeah, he said it was to 'fund his greatness' and anyone who didn't pay got thrown in jail!"
"I say let her have it! I'm ten times happier letting her get rich than that psycho Morgan!"
Now all of the lawmen were sweating bullets. They were officially out of options, the townspeople hated Morgan and loved these pirates for saving them. But every bone in their well-trained bodies was telling they couldn't just let swashbucklers do as they pleased! There had to be some way to resolve this before the town went to hell in a handbasket.
Then the lieutenant spotted Rika, the little girl sobbing on a barstool near her mother. His heart breaking at the sight, he went over and leaned down. "What's the matter, young lady?"
"I'm s-sorry, Mr. Marine… I just…"
"It's okay, Rika. Tell us what's bothering you…" The crowd started to calm down, worried that they might have upset the girl.
"W-Well… It's just… T-That pirate over there…" she pointed to Luffy, "H-He saved me… Fr-from when Helmeppo made s-somebody t-throw me over the wall…"
Her finger then moved to Kuina, raising an eyebrow. "And s-she… Saved me from… Th-The big nasty w-wolf Helmeppo b-brought in here…"
Rika put on the saddest possible look imaginable, making the entire crowd gasp at her torment. "P-P-Please let them go… I wouldn't b-be alive without t-them…" She then sobbed into her hands, making her mother rush up to comfort her.
"How dare you! She's absolutely right, my daughter would be dead twice over without these nice folks! Shame on you for trying to run them out of town!"
That tore it, the crowd was ready to stampede and even mob the base. The lieutenant held up his hands and bowed before the Straw Hats, all of whom were smiling at him.
"Eh-heh, silly me! What I MEANT to say was thank you very much for assisting our town! Feel free to rest and relax here until tomorrow!"
The people of Shells Town cheered, their anger gone as the scattered to enjoy the first relaxing day they've had in years. The lieutenant left in a hurry as the Straw Hats noticed that Rika looked perfectly fine.
"You looking to be an actress, kid?" Nami asked, thoroughly impressed.
"I just didn't want you guys getting punished for helping us!"
"Hey, it works for me!" Luffy laughed, holding up his empty stack of plate, "More meat, please!"
The girls all laughed, happy that they had a moment to relax for a change. That night, Kuina simply enjoyed having her freedom back as she hopped from bar to bar. All the while, she kept her precious blade glued to her hip to make sure it would never be taken from her. Nami was all cozy in a hotel suite, happily counting up the money she pulled from Morgan's safe. She chuckled as she pulled out a massive diamond necklace, easily five carats worth.
"I've got to hand it to you, Luffy, you really know how to make a girl happy… With this and Alvida, I've made a killing already!"
But Luffy didn't notice. He and Makino were too busy in the penthouse of the nicest hotel in town, enjoying the fact that they had a proper bed to lay on for the first time since leaving Fuusha Village...
"Makino… You're so… Beautiful… Fuck, I'm gonna-!"
"Do it, Luffy! Fill me up this time!"
And after a wonderful night of passion, it did raise an issue for Makino. She was a thoroughly sated mess but she could tell Luffy was still raring to go as she was getting under her side of the covers.
"Either I need to toughen up a lot, or I'm going to need some help…"
Luffy had another issue. He concentrated for a moment, returning to Nika's realm.
"Sorry Casanova, but you're not up my alley if you know what I mean!"
"No, I don't…" Luffy blinked before shaking his head, "So, Garp told me where babies came from…"
"And considering what you just did, you're worried about Makino getting pregnant?"
"Yeah. I, uh, don't think I'm ready to be a dad yet…"
"Well, then it's a good thing you have some amazing willpower!"
"Huh?"
"You don't want to get a girl preggers, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Then you won't! It's that simple!"
Luffy, for once, looked skeptical. "I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that…"
"And most people don't have gods living in their head and hundreds of people reading their exploits! Look, it's a really long story. But the gist of this: as long as you don't want to have kids until after you turn Imu into paste then you won't! Keep it simple, stupid! Right?"
The pirate just shrugged, figuring that was good enough an answer for him. He soon returned to reality and kissed Makino goodnight, thankful for having such a woman in his life.
However, the fun had to come to an end for the newly formed Straw Hat Pirates. The lieutenant gave them until tomorrow morning so, at the crack of dawn, Luffy awoke and began gathering his new crewmates. They arrived at the dock to find a small fishing boat had been donated to them, fully stocked with provisions and some extra clothes for the ladies. They also found a plate of rice balls with a note from Rika, thanking Kuina once again and assuring these were made with salt instead of sugar.
"Aww, isn't that sweet?" Makino awed, "You've got a fan, Kuina!"
The swordswoman just rolled her eyes but helped herself to the dumplings anyway, muttering about how hungry she still was. Luffy did spot the smile on her face as she enjoyed them, before turning to untie their new boat. The only exception was Nami, who stuck with the dinghy she got from Alvida which she loaded with her bags of loot.
The redhead then caught Luffy staring at her. "What?"
"You can join us if you want."
"I keep telling you, I'm not a pirate! This is all temporary, okay?!"
Luffy just chuckled, figuring she would come around sooner or later. He tossed Nami some rope to hook their boats together and soon the group cast off from Shells Town. But then Luffy heard someone rushing up towards them.
"Hm? Coby?!"
"Hey, you guys!" The girls all gaped as Coby was now dressed in a white shirt, blue slacks tucked into boots with a lighter blue scarf around his neck.
"Coby! You joined the Marines!" Makino cheered.
"Yeah! I followed that lieutenant back to the base and asked him to join and how I want to stop pirates AND corrupt jerks like Morgan! And I couldn't have made it without you all!"
"See you later!" Luffy waved goodbye, only to stare as the entire Marine force assembled behind a saluting Coby. The entire line of sailors copied the salute.
"Pirates getting sent off by Marines… Now I've seen everything…" Kuina appreciated in between her onigiri. Nami shook her head, wondering how so many impossible things were happening.
"But maybe… He could make one more happen…"
Back on the dock, Coby turned to his new CO. "Sir, does this mean we have to go a week without food now?"
"Negative, chore boy. Those aren't pirates here. As far as I'm concerned, those are heroes…"