All of them thought the worst before electricity sparked around Buggy's sword. Then, as if the Heaven's still said Luffy should live, a bolt came down, setting the platform ablaze as it twisted and fell. Everyone fell silent as they gapped at the scene, unable to figure out how that happened as Luffy's hat fluttered to the ground before his feet. He picked it up as he smiled before placing it on his head and laughing.
"LUCKY!" he said before walking towards his crew.
"What...how...?" Johnny stuttered as Yosaku fell on his ass in shock. Gin's tonfa fell from his hands as Sanji let his cigarette fall from his mouth. They weren't the only ones surprised as Smoker stared with wide eyes.
'Just like Gold Roger, he smiled just before he was killed. Why?' he thought before he ordered his men to capture them.
"Divine Intervention?" Sanji said.
"Stop talking nonsense!" Zoro said. "The marines are here! We gotta go!"
"He's right!" Yosaku said as he stood up before they started running.
"I'll catch up to you guys!" Luffy said before turning to Alvida. "Hey, you seem pretty strong." She just stared at him after coming out of her shock. "Wanna join my crew?" Luffy asked. Alvida just looked at him, baffled that he would ask.
"Did I hear you right?" she said as a marine tried hitting her with a sword, only for it to slide away before she hit him with her mace.
"Yeah. I want crewmembers." Luffy said before dodging a sword and punching another marine away. "How about it?" Alvida just looked at him before letting out a laugh.
"You're crazy kid." she said before she stopped laughing. "How about this? If you can manage to touch me, I'll join. Deal?"
"Deal." Luffy said before he walked up to her and grabbed her hand, shocking her that it didn't slip away. "Let's go!" he said before running away, still holding on to her hand. 'His hand didn't slip away? How is he able to hold onto my hand?' Alvida thought. She looked back at Luffy before smiling. 'Well, a deal's a deal." she thought before running at Luffy's pace and looking back at the fallen platform and seeing it and Buggy on the ground charred. 'If he can survive that, it might just be worth it to go with him.'
"Capture them!" a marine shouted as Buggy was now trying to deal with being in a sea-stone net.
As they ran, it began to rain hard as Marines tried to stop them, only to be beaten easily by Luffy and his crew. While he did, Smoker was still stunned by what he saw.
'He smiled. Did he know he would survive?' he thought. 'No. He knew he was going to die and smiled.' He then heard that the rain rendered their gunpowder useless, so the squad at the Western Harbor left to resupply and that if they left, the tailwind would help them escape. 'It's as if Heaven itself wants that boy to live!'
()()()() Moments before this happened, Mohji was riding Richie to the Straw Hat's ship, intending to burn it down. He had a match burning with a twisted smile only for it to be wiped off as a drop of rain fell on it, which was soon followed by a downpour.
"How can we start a fire now?!" Mohji yelled before Usopp shouted at him to get away from the ship. After dealing with him, distracting Richie with an egg, and fending off some marines, Usopp, Nami, and Nojiko boarded the ship and waited for the others to return.
()()()()
As the others were running, they came across Tashigi, who was angered that Zoro lied to her about who he was and that she would take his sword from him. Zoro stayed to fight her as the others kept running. After a quick duel, which Tashigi lost, Zoro resheated his swords.
"No one's taking my sword from me." he said before he tried to walk away.
"Why are you letting me live?" she asked. "Is it because I'm a woman?" Zoro stopped at those words as she went on about how just because she's a woman that he takes pity on her. She kept going on before Zoro snapped.
"IT'S YOUR EXISTENCE I CAN'T STAND! NOT YOUR GENDER!" he shouted before he said that she looked and sounded like a friend he once knew. Soon, both were in a screaming match as the marines looked on with a few sweatdrops on their heads.
()()()()
Luffy and his crew were running away before Johnny noticed they had one more with them.
"Who's that?" he asked. Everyone looked at Alvida and Luffy.
"She just joined our crew!" Luffy said smiling. "Her name's Alvida." "Alvida?" Yosaku asked.
"HI LADY ALVIDA!" Sanji said as he went into love-mode.
"We got company!" Gin said as they all stopped in their tracks.
"So you came, Straw Hat Luffy." Smoker said. He was standing in front of them all, blocking Luffy and his crew from continuing onward.
'Smokey! Crap! If I show him I have Haki or know the Six Powers, the Marines might send tougher guys. All I can do is dodge and hope to escape.' Luffy thought. "Go on ahead guys. I'll handle this."
"Not happening!" Smoker said as smoke came out of his arms before turning into a sort of barrier across the street.
"What?!" some of them screamed out.
"The Smoke-Smoke Fruit." Smoker said. "As a captain of the Marines, I vow not to let you leave this island!" he said before a smoke fist came towards Luffy. Luffy dodge it easily while his crew tried to take a chance and run past the smoke that vanished when he attacked at Luffy. "No one's getting through!" he said before his smoke caught them all.
"I can't move!" Gin said as he tried to hit the smoke with his tonfa.
"And I can't slip out!" Alvida shouted. While they were struggling, Smoker tried to attack Luffy again, but Luffy kept up just enough to dodge every single attack. Soon, both stopped before glaring at each other.
"Let my friends go!" Luffy said in a low voice.
"Not a chance." Smoker said. "48,000,000 berries is your bounty? Eh, doesn't matter. I've never let any pirate make it through this town, and I never will." he said as he reached for his jutte.
"There's a first for everything." came a voice from behind Smoker as a hand reached out and grabbed the jutte, keeping Smoker from using it. All of them turned to see a tall man in a green cloak step out of the shadows.
"You?!" Smoker said as lightning flashed, revealing the face of Dragon for a moment. Some of the crew freaked at seeing him, while the other half didn't know who he was.
"Who are you?" Luffy asked. Dragon merely smiled at him before looking back at Smoker.
"Now the Government can have your head." Smoker said.
"The world is still waiting for our answer." Dragon said before an green light filled the area, along with a powerful gust of wind. Luffy looked at Dragon before he and his crew were blown away, leaving Dragon and Smoker where they stood.
"Why'd you help them?" Smoker demanded.
"Why do you wish to keep a man from sailing?" Dragon asked back. ()()()()
"This storm's getting worse!" Nami shouted.
"Hey guys!" Luffy screamed as he and the others came running up to them. "We're here!"
"Get on the boat guys!" Nojiko yelled.
"And hurry!" Usopp hollered. Everyone gathered up on the boat before the unfurled the sails and sailed away, with the wind helping them along.
"Who's that?" most of them asked as they looked at Alvida.
"Our new crewmate." Luffy said.
"Name's Alvida. I'll be joining you guys from here on out." she said.
()()()() A moment later, Smoker and the marines arrived at the harbor.
"They got away." a marine said.
"I'm sailing after them." Smoker said, shocking most of the marines. "I'm not letting him get away.
"I'm going too." Tashigi said. "I can't let that man get away with that sword!"
()()()()
"There's a light up ahead!" Nami said. Everyone was staring at it with excitement, or worry in Gin's case, as they all felt themselves getting closer to the Grand Line.
"Never thought we'd be heading for the Grand Line." Johnny said with a smile.
"Me either. I can't help but feel excited!" Yosaku said. "I'm going back to that sea again." Gin said with a grim look.
"Relax Gin." Nojiko said. "This is going to be fun."
"She's right." Nami said with a smile.
"Let's mark this occasion with some words!" Sanji said as he rolled out a big barrel.
"I agree." Usopp said as he let go of the mast before they all gathered around the barrel. Sanji put his foot on top of the barrel, with each of them placing a foot on afterwards.
"I'm going to find the All Blue." Sanji said.
"I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" Luffy said.
"I'm going to be the best swordsman!" Zoro said.
"We're going to be the best swordsman duo-" Johnny started.
"The whole world has ever seen!" Yosaku finished. "I'm going...to be a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp said after some thought.
"I'm going to draw a map of the world!" Nami said.
"I'm going to help you see that dream come true sis!" Nojiko said.
"I"m going to captivate the world with my beauty!" Alvida said. Everyone then stared at Gin, who's eyes were shadowed as he stared at the barrel. He then smiled before placing his own foot up there.
"To never run from the Grand Line again!" he said. All of them smiled as they looked at the barrel. Each feeling their resolve harden before Luffy shouted out.
"And now," Luffy yelled before they raised their feet into the air, then brought them down to smash the barrel. "TO THE GRAND LINE!" "YEEEEAH!" they all shouted as they sailed onward to the Grand Line.
A/N: I couldn't think of anything to change about the barrel scene. What did you think of the new members goals? Hope you enjoyed. Also, since all of you have said not to do it, I'll skip the Apis Arc or whatever it's called.
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