It was May and the sea breeze was warm.
The climate in the East China Sea is mild. Luffy, who had just left Shields Town, was lying on a small boat, enjoying the sunshine comfortably.
Luffy's face was covered by a straw hat. Lying on the deck, he crossed his legs, tilted his head slightly, and observed the situation on the sea through the gap. Next to him, there was a sea pole fixed to the side of the ship. A few meters away, the float swayed gently with the waves.
On a pleasant afternoon, Luffy, under his straw hat, sniffed the intoxicating scent of the sea with a smile on his face.
After leaving the Marine Headquarters, Luffy finally got what he wanted and lived a free life without any constraints.
He had no idea how many times he had imagined such a scene in his dreams over the years, and now, he had finally taken the first step towards fulfilling his dream.
A free and unrestrained life. Luffy fell in love with this kind of life the first time he went out to sea alone.
Although Luffy had his two brothers by his side when he was at the Marine Headquarters and missed their love and care, compared to his current life, he still preferred the freedom and comfort in front of him, as well as the exciting sea adventures that he could foresee in the future.
"Luffy-kun, where are we going next?"
At this moment, a voice with a hint of cowardice in its tone sounded in Luffy's ears, interrupting Luffy's thoughts.
Gently moving the straw hat aside, what came into view was a pink-haired boy wearing glasses and with a middle-parted hairstyle.
The neat middle parting of his hair and his heavy round-framed glasses made the pink-haired boy look a little dull. Combined with his tone of voice, an indescribable cowardice was revealed to Luffy.
The pink-haired boy is called Coby, a friend Luffy met by chance after going out to sea. When Luffy was escaping from the Goa Kingdom in the East China Sea, he did not take a ship at all. That would have made him too conspicuous. Even with his two brothers covering him, it would not have been easy to escape by ship.
He hid in a wooden barrel and was carried on board by other merchant ships as a drinking water barrel. However, the merchant ship encountered a shipwreck after going out to sea. Luffy thought he was going to die, but unexpectedly, he was rescued by a group of pirates as some special treasure and taken on board.
And Coby worked as a handyman on that pirate ship.
Due to his family background, a civilian like Coby naturally did not dare to resist the "authority" of the pirates after being taken aboard the pirate ship. The appearance of Luffy helped him escape from the life of a handyman.
Children like Coby have been educated with the simplest universal values on this ocean since childhood, and simply believe that the navy is justice and pirates are evil.
Simple and pure diode thinking, under the influence of universal values, naturally set a goal for his own life.
Become a Marine.
This idea became even more firm after Coby experienced a short period of life as a pirate.
But the appearance of Luffy changed his fate. After learning that Luffy was a person who escaped from the navy, Coby also developed a strong interest in this powerful "peer".
After learning that Luffy's dream after leaving the navy was to become the Pirate King, Coby became more and more eager to understand Luffy's thoughts due to this conflict of values.
From Luffy, Coby knew that someone of his age and strength had no chance of joining the navy. Coby also understood Luffy's identity from the conversation with him.
Therefore, Coby also changed his thinking. He did not think about joining the navy through normal channels, but wanted to stay with Luffy and persuade Luffy to return to the navy headquarters in his own way. In this way, as Luffy's partner, he would naturally be remembered by the navy.
When he reaches the required age, even if his strength is slightly lacking, he will definitely be able to become a member of the navy.
With this idea in mind, Coby became Luffy's first crew member and his first partner.
"Where are you going?"
"Well, to the Grand Line, of course!"
"Do you know the Grand Line? We'll leave the East China Sea and enter the first half of the Grand Line, heading to the Sabaody Archipelago. After having the shipwright coat our ship, we can reach Fishman Island thousands of miles below, and then head to the New World in search of the Great Treasure!"
Although Luffy received a good education during his time at the Marine Headquarters, the innocence etched in his bones could not be erased by the education at the Marine Headquarters.
Although the idea was simple, Luffy was not stupid. He knew very well that it was impossible to cross the ocean to the New World relying on himself and Coby, and the small boat that was only three meters long.
Luffy is now a man who has seen the world. He knows how great the risks are in sailing on the sea. Without a big ship, experienced navigators, and doctors, there is no way to travel across this ocean.
Therefore, Luffy’s goal at this stage is very simple, which is to find crew members that suit his taste and only go to the New World after they are officially formed into a group.
He didn't know how the Pirate King Roger traveled all the way to the New World, nor did he know how Red-Haired Shanks traveled to the New World.
He only knew that he was about to follow the path of the two people he admired most and move towards his goal of becoming the Pirate King.
Thinking of this, Luffy felt his blood boiling in his chest. Looking at the vast sea, Luffy stood up and shouted towards the sea: "I must become the Pirate King!!!"
Luffy's ambition refreshes his image in Coby's eyes again and again. When he first met him, he thought Luffy was just a foolish boy who was ignorant of the world; but after he learned some of Luffy's experiences, he felt that Luffy was an ambitious man.
People with clear goals will subtly influence the people around them, and Coby is naturally one of them.
However.
Just as Luffy was declaring his ambitions towards the sea, a medium-sized merchant ship more than ten meters long quietly sailed to the side of the boat without Luffy and Coby noticing.
A shadow covered the ship that Luffy and Coby were on.
"Hello, how can I help you?"
The ship was covered by a shadow, and Luffy and Coby noticed it and turned back to look behind them. Just as they turned their heads, a gentle voice sounded in their ears.
Looking up, he found a girl holding a long sword leaning against the side of the merchant ship on the deck. She had a gentle and warm smile on her face and asked Luffy and Coby.
The girl was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a pretty face, short hair that looked a bit capable, and she was wearing a short shirt, looking very heroic.
The girl's words were warm and gentle, but the moment Luffy saw her, he couldn't help but feel a little repulsive.
It wasn't because he had any opinion about the girl he just met, but because he smelled a familiar scent in the girl's temperament.
navy
This heroic girl holding a sword in both hands gave him the impression of a navy.
There is a hint of decency in his behavior.
After a quick look, Luffy smiled brightly, then shook his head and said:
"No, we don't need any help!"
"Thank you."
The girl on the boat heard this and glanced at Luffy and his boat, then looked towards the sea to the north. After a while, the girl turned around and introduced herself:
"My name is Kuina, and I'm a pirate hunter."
"Are you residents of Shieldstown?"
"How long does it take to get to Shields Town from here?"
"I see you don't have any food or water on your boat. Are you going out to sea for a fishing trip?"
Kuina asked enthusiastically with a faint smile on her face.
The ship that Luffy and his crew encountered was none other than the new navy, led by Kuina, Zoro, and others. After leaving the Bankoku, they donned the guise of pirate hunters, keeping a low profile and remaining relatively unknown throughout their journey to the East Sea.
Although many powerful pirate groups fell into the hands of these people, because Kuina and her group did things "cleanly", and the attention of ordinary people was now attracted by the big commotion often made by the new Marine Headquarters, ordinary people in the world had never heard of Kuina and her group.
Others don't know, so Luffy and Coby naturally have no idea of each other's identities. After hearing Kuina's name, no other expression appeared on their faces.
"We did come from Shieldstown."
Luffy was about to respond when Coby beside him immediately interrupted and answered.
After spending some time together, Coby got to know Luffy's character and knew that this guy would never tell a lie.
And Luffy's thought process seems to be a little different from that of ordinary people.
Other pirates are afraid of being hunted by the navy when they travel on the sea, so generally speaking they will not keep shouting about their pirate identity.
But Luffy is different. He seems to think that being a pirate is a great profession. No matter who he meets, he likes to say "I am a pirate" when introducing himself.
Coby had heard the other party call himself a "pirate hunter" and he didn't want to get himself into trouble.
Coby's words did not make Kuina suspicious. After all, there were only two people on the boat, and judging from their temperament and age, they did not look like bad people.
"If you are from Shields Town, do you know anything about the navy there?"
"I heard there's a naval captain in Shields Town named Monka. He often likes to 'punish' his disobedient subordinates and civilians. Is that true?"
Hearing that the other party came from the town of Shields, Kuina also inquired about the news about Monka.
Although they are disguised as "pirate hunters", in fact, the targets they will attack along the way are not just pirates.
The mafia, local bullies, and criminals are actually all targets of Kuina and her team.
When they see injustice, they will really help.
"Monka?!"
"Oh, there is such a person. But you don't have to worry about running into any trouble in Shields Town. I've already defeated Monka!"
Although Coby didn't want Luffy to speak, Luffy had his mouth, so how could he stop him?
When Luffy heard Kuina talking about Monka, he thought that she wanted to go to Shields Town, but was afraid of Monka's power, so he spoke out to explain and comfort her.
"You knocked me away?!"
In the East China Sea, the new navy's intelligence personnel are very scarce. Kuina and her friends had only heard by chance that there was a bully navy in Shields Town. They hurried over, but they did not expect to hear such news.
Kuina murmured, and her eyes turned to Luffy, examining him carefully.
"I must become the Pirate King!!!"
Kuina actually heard what Luffy just shouted at the sea. She thought that the other party was just talking nonsense without knowing the truth.
But when she heard that the other party had defeated the Marine Branch Captain Monka, Kuina realized that Luffy and Coby were not ordinary people.
"You said you defeated Monka? Did you mean it literally?"
"He's dead? Or is he?"
Kuina asked, with a hint of curiosity in her tone.
"No, he was caught by the navy themselves and put in jail."
"He committed a crime and should be dealt with by the Navy Headquarters."
Luffy was a simple-minded person. He thought from the bottom of his heart that Kuina, a kind-hearted girl, must be a good person, so he answered.
"Wow"
"Were you the one who defeated the Marine Captain?"
“That’s amazing!”
At this moment, a young man with green algae hair walked to the side of the ship, looked down at Luffy and Coby, and made a teasing sound.
Kuina seemed to think that her companion's words were a little impolite, and immediately frowned and reached out to pull Zoro's clothes: "Hey, Zoro!"
However, Zoro ignored Kuina and silently grabbed the long sword at his waist and asked below:
"Who are you two?"
"Who just said he wanted to be the Pirate King?"
"Are you two pirates?"
When Coby heard the word "Pirate King", he secretly thought that something was wrong. Sure enough, before he could react, Luffy beside him seemed to react to the word "Pirate King". His eyes lit up immediately when he heard the word "Pirate King". He puffed out his chest and said immediately:
“That’s right!”
"We are pirates!"
"My name is Luffy, and I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Coby's face turned pale.
Kuina raised her eyebrows upon hearing this, and muttered in surprise at the two young men below, "Pirates?!"
When Zoro heard this, the corners of his mouth curled up, and a hint of sternness flashed in his eyes:
"Pirates—"
"That's easy!"
As he spoke, a cold light flashed on the deck, and Zoro instantly drew out the long sword from his waist, then jumped and landed directly on the small boat that Luffy and Coby were riding.
Kuina was a little slow to react, but when she saw Zoro's decisive move, she immediately stopped him, saying, "Stop, Zoro!"
"They are just two little brats, maybe just some smug talk."
"Don't take action before the wanted order is confirmed!"
But Zoro has his own ideas and will not listen to Kuina at this time.
Pirates
Since the other party has already said that he is a pirate, then as a "pirate hunter", he naturally has to hunt the other party!
“Bang!!!”
Zoro attacked and landed directly in the middle of Luffy and Coby. He glanced at Coby and Luffy and focused his attention directly on Luffy.
To be honest, he didn't feel any "aura of strength" from Coby. On the contrary, Luffy should not be a rookie.
(End of this chapter)
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