"In a man's life there comes a time when he is backed into a corner. And when your life is in danger, sometimes you might lose all hope. You might forget your own ambition. You might even forget what you want to do with your life. That doesn't make you weak; that just makes you human. You haven't been in that position yet, Coby. But when that time comes, you can take two possible paths." Garp said to Coby as Coby performed another 1000 push-ups while Garp sat on top of him. He was already exhausted by the training. But he tried to remember as much as he could. Coby is diligent if nothing else.
"One is to just give up and die, a coward's path. And this is the choice most people take, unfortunately. But the second is much harder and much more rewarding. And that is to reaffirm your ambition." Garp continued. "When you are bleeding out on the floor, hopeless and defeated, you need to remember. Remember and reaffirm why you want to live. What makes your ambition exceptional? What makes you, you? Try to feel the emotion that makes your ambition the strongest, the emotion that makes your blood boil, the emotion that resonates the most at that very moment. The moment you grasp that, you'll jump over an enormous hurdle in your path to power. You asked me what makes us stronger. That's my answer. Emotions: emotions are what makes us truly strong."
As Coby remembered his mentor's words, he tried to grasp what made him exceptional. Coby did not believe himself to be exceptionally strong or talented. He did not even know if he had what it takes. But he did know one thing.
If he couldn't do what Garp said, he's going to have a fate worse than death.
So he tried to remember. The moment that makes him who he is.
It should've been easy for him. It should've been the day he met Luffy. The day he was reborn, the day he learned to dream. And yet, deep in his mind, Coby found that it was insufficient. He wasn't strong like Luffy. He couldn't stare right towards death and smile. He wasn't strong enough to keep his positivity when all he saw around him was death and oppression.
Coby did not want to admit it, but he knew in his bones that he was a coward. A coward who flinches when he hurts someone. But does that really matter?
Can a coward even be strong?
Every logic in the world told him that a coward cannot be strong, but Coby believed otherwise. He believed that everyone had their own path towards strength. That meant that the path Luffy has shown him isn't enough. It wasn't his own path. It was the path of someone he admired.
What was his 'own' path?
Coby let go of everything: the cheering crowd, the loud announcements, his mentor's worried face—everything. Faces of different people entered his mind. He remembered each and every one of their faces. They had different ages, sexes, and races. But one thing was common between every one of them.
They were all people whom he had failed to protect.
Whether it was when he was forced to sail with Alvida or when the navy was too late to save an island where pirates had invaded or when marines did like flies in Marineford or when Lucien was killing people just because he felt like it. After each and every one of these deaths, Koby has looked away. He blamed himself for being too weak and vowed to be stronger in the future. Each and every time he has done the same thing. He blamed himself for those deaths.
But it wasn't really his fault, was it?
He might've been weak, sure. But it wasn't his fault that they died. No, the fault lay with those who had pulled the trigger. Those who think it's okay to oppress the weak. Those who do not flinch when they take an innocent life. Those who think that strength alone gives them a free pass to do anything.
They are all BULLIES.
And unfortunately, they were the ones that ruled the world. Be it the seven warlords, the yonkos, or the world government. The balance of power? What a joke! They just want to continue their reign of terror in the form of a cat-and-mouse game. A game that causes the death of innocent people.
Being weak does not mean that you don't deserve to live. Their deaths aren't caused by their weakness. No, their deaths are caused because of a few horrible people. Coby hated those people. Coby hated them all. But he isn't going to make empty promises this time.
This time he's going to do something about it.
Hate filled his heart as Coby was reborn once again. His mind went blank as bloodlust seeped from every part of his body. Bloodlust so terrifying that even the audience felt the sense of impending doom.
Coby has made his choice. Hate was a coward's tool. It was a tool for those who were not strong enough to be kind. But that was good enough for Coby. This was his choice, and he did not regret it.
Lucien immediately turned around after he sensed Coby's bloodlust. He might be an arrogant prick, but he was still an extraordinary fighter with remarkable senses. His observation haki went crazy as he felt danger from everywhere around him.
Suddenly Coby's limp body jumped towards him like a feral beast. Lucien reacted quickly and sent a powerful punch towards Coby. Seeing the Haki-infused punch, Coby tried to dodge. But there wasn't enough time to fully dodge the attack. And Coby didn't want to lose the element of surprise. So pivoting his body to the right, Coby let the punch hit his already mangled left hand.
In that euphoric state, Coby did not even realize as his left hand disconnected from his elbow and got blasted into pieces. Lucien's eyes went wide as Coby didn't even flinch at his devastating attack. Seeing the clear danger, Lucien wanted to retreat.
But Coby wouldn't let him do that. He didn't have his left hand to restrict Lucien. But he didn't need his hand to do what needed to be done. Lucien watched with horror in his eyes as Coby bit down on his neck like a feral animal. The strength of Coby's jaw kept Lucien in place as fresh blood poured out from his neck.
His right hand moved as he took his stance. A stance he had seen being used in Marineford by the Chief of Staff of the revolutionary army. A stance that was taboo for a marine officer to learn.
But he didn't care. Nothing else matters. He was going to get justice for those Marine officers that died by Lucien's hands. He was going to get justice for those innocents that Lucien had hurt before. He is going to punish a bully. Nothing more, nothing less.
The whole arena watched in horror as a dragon claw went through Lucien's chest. Coby felt his hand clutching on Lucien's heart. With a swift motion, Coby retracted his hand and revealed Lucien's beating heart to the whole world.
Strength flooded through his arm as he crushed the heart. The heart of a celestial dragon. The heart of a person who considered himself to be a god. The heart of an oppressor. The heart of a bully.
And this time he did not look away.
-------
After three days of being unconscious, Coby opened his eyes. He has been knocked out after he had killed Lucien. He did not feel any regret nor any joy. Just emptiness. This was a new feeling for him, but he did not hate it.
Looking to his left, he found Garp sitting by his side. His face looked tired. And Coby noticed a new scar that he hadn't seen before. Seeing that his pupil was awake, Garp spoke, a grin plastered on his face as if nothing had happened.
"You've won, my beloved pupil!"
"What happened after I was knocked out?"
"Nothing much. Figarland wanted to kill you right then and there. So, I did what I said that I would do."
Confusion spread across Coby's face. "What did you say that you would do?"
Garp grinned in a way that made Coby shiver.
"I took care of the aftermath."
"Did you kill him or something?"
Garp laughed out loud hearing that.
"No, nothing like that. I might be eccentric, but I'm not stupid. I just reminded the World Government why I'm the strongest marine."
Coby did not ask for any further details. His mind was elsewhere.
"What'll happen to Gura Gura no Mi?"
"What do you mean, what'll happen? The tournament rules stated the winner will get it. And that hasn't changed."
Coby's eyes gleamed with newfound excitement as Garp revealed the world-destroying fruit from his pocket. But before Coby could snatch that fruit, Garp spoke,
"You've chosen a difficult path, my pupil. Delivering justice with hate as fuel is not easy. I'm not going to scold you for choosing this path. But I'll give you a warning. A warning to not lose your sense of justice in the midst of overwhelming hatred in your heart."
Coby looked at Garp with a serious expression. He knew very well what he meant. If he cannot discern the line between good and evil, he might turn out to be like Akainu. He did not want that. So he promised to himself and his mentor.
"I'll never lose sight of my goal."
Garp nodded in response.
"Don't worry about your left hand. A prosthesis designed by Vegapunk will be given to you shortly."
Coby nodded at that. In the midst of everything happening, he hadn't even realized that his left hand was missing.
A small sacrifice.
"Another thing. You're now officially discharged from the Navy and transferred to CP-0 immediately. I couldn't do anything about that. The World Government wants to keep a close eye on you. A small price in my opinion."
Coby didn't say anything. He knew something like this would happen. World Government is not stupid enough to give something so powerful to the navy. But this was ideal for him. He already knew that the Celestial Dragons weren't his allies. And being close to them was going to be better for him in the future.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
As Coby swallowed the bitter fruit, his mind went through everything that had happened. He's going to change this world. He knew it in his bones. But even then, he felt guilty thinking about a single person in particular. He was Coby's friend as well as his enemy.
"I'm sorry, Luffy. But I have made my choice."