The deck was silent for a heartbeat after his words fell. Then chaos returned all at once.
Alvida's enraged roar tore through the air.
"Hero of the seas? You arrogant brat! You're no Garp!"
"Ha," Luffy laughed, "Its funny you should say that, he's actu-"
He was interrupted by another swing, Alvida putting as much power as she could into the blow. This time the weapon was moving faster, promising destruction for whatever it hit. Nami could feel the air being displaced with the movement. But Luffy didn't flinch. His body moved before she could even register it, before the fear could even begin to form.
CLANG!
The impact sent shockwaves through the ship, but his stance didn't falter. The wood beneath his feet cracked, water spraying up between the planks, yet he stood, unmoving.
Steam rose from his arms, glowing faintly green and gold.
Nami's breath caught. "That color. It's the same as when he jumped out of the ocean"
Nobody involved noticed the bewildered pink haired boy cowering in the corner of the deck. His eyes were wide in shock. This stranger just showed up out of nowhere, proclaimed a dream surprisingly close to his own, and easily blocked an attack he had seen crack stone and shatter wood.
But Luffy didn't notice any of it, he was studying his hand in curiosity. His fingers flexed experimentally against the iron head of the mace, like he was testing spring tension in a machine. He tilted his head, mumbling to himself.
"Huh. That wasn't rubber recoil, just raw strength."
Alvida yanked the mace back, veins bulging with effort. "Let go, you little—!"
He released it at the last second. She stumbled backward two steps, nearly falling over her own men.
Luffy blinked thoughtfully.
"So that was her full power? That… wasn't much. Izuku's body felt weaker, but this form is stronger. How strong is "normal" in this world?"
"Hey Nami!" He called over his shoulder, momentarily snapping the orange haired girl out of her shock. "How strong is this big lady supposed to be?"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING BIG YOU ANNOYING BRAT!" Alvida screamed, irate at being insulted and ignored.
"Pretty strong," She shakily answered, "She's got a bounty of 5 million."
He grinned as he focused back on Alvida and raised his fists and settled into a loose, instinctive stance, a hybrid of Luffy's looser brawler stance and Izuku's more disciplined guard.
"Okay. She should be a good reference then, let's test this properly."
Alvida snarled and charged.
Luffy didn't move, staying in his relaxed guard and letting her come to him.
He ducked her initial horizontal strike aimed at his head, and threw a light jab. Well versed in reading his own strength output, he knew this would still be a decent blow in the world of heroes.
His first punch, purely physical with no One for All usage, landed square on her arm. Alvida grunted, but only stumbled half a step.
Luffy's eyes lit up.
"Ohhh, okay! You're a bit tougher than most of the villains back home. That's good to know."
Nami stared. "What kind of insane person compliments a pirate mid-fight!?"
Alvida swung the mace downward with a roar. Luffy slipped beside the blow, footwork clean and efficient, Izuku's shoot style influence showing, then landed an actual serious jab to Alvida's ribs.
Thud.
This one made her cough and stagger harder.
Luffy nodded to himself.
"Right. My base strength is much higher than a human's. Maybe on par with Mirko if I had to label it, though from what I saw in those visions durability would probably be much higher andstaminaeffeciencycanalsofactorintothecomparitivepowerscaling mumble mumble mumble mumble"
"What are you mumbling about, pay attention to the fight" A bewildered Nami and Alvida shouted, strangely on the same page at this moment.
Alvida launched a flurry of blows with her mace as Luffy still had his eyes narrowed in thought. Before Nami, or the observing Koby could yell a warning, he began casually dodging while still in thought.
"You, I would rank at…maybe about ten percent of Muscular?"
Nami screamed, "WHAT IS A MUSCULAR!?"
Alvida wiped her forehead of the sweat that had gathered during her assault and glared.
"Stop mumbling and fight!"
She slammed her mace horizontally. Luffy ducked, spun, and delivered a clean hook to the jaw.
CRACK. This time Alvida reeled.
Luffy exhaled slowly, almost academically.
"Okay. That's three clean hits. I think I get it. My body's not as rubbery now, more like adaptive reinforcement."
Every onlooker gaped as he began moving around his arms and shoulders. As he stretched his elbows seemed to hyperextend, his forearm pivoting at an awkward angle.
There was a small gasp and wince from Nami as he actually managed to join his palms together behind his shoulders. Every move seemed like it should dislocate joints or strain ligaments, but they always snapped perfectly back into place.
"So I can't just tank everything head-on… but my durability's still super high."
He inhaled once, short and controlled.
His pupils sharpened, as he once again focused solely on the fight.
"Alright, let's push it a little, see how I adapt."
He clenched his fist.
And the faintest spark of green energy flickered around it.
Just a trace.
Nami was the only person close enough to hear the whisper of "Full cowling: 1%"
Her mind reeled as she realized the implications. "All that strength… wasn't even a full percent?"
Izuku's calm analysis blended with Luffy's raw combat instinct. The world blurred slightly as power tightened through his muscles like coiled lightning.
Nami felt the air shift. A pressure, not heavy, but focused rolled off of him. "W-what is he?"
Luffy vanished.
No fancy marine techniques or devil fruit powers, just a single kick off. The wood under his feet splintered as he blurred from sight.
Alvida barely began turning when,
WHAM!
Luffy's fist buried itself in her gut. A miniature shockwave rippled out, blasting nearby pirates off their feet.
Alvida folded nearly in half around his knuckles, spit and traces of blood flying from her mouth as her mace slipped from her fingers.
She toppled backward like a collapsing tower, crashing through railing to a lower deck, a shuddering *thud* sounding out with the impact. Comically, a few of her subordinates groaned as she collapsed on top of her.
Silence.
Luffy lowered his fist, the glow fading as quickly as it came. He rolled his shoulder thoughtfully.
"Okay. One percent is already really strong here, it seems like it scaled with the world's power, good to know."
Steam rose lazily off his skin.
Then he turned back to Nami, smiling as if nothing extraordinary had happened at all.
"So! Want to finish that introduction now?"
Nami stared. Not at the bright smile, nor at the boyish excitement. Not even at the fact he'd just flattened a wanted pirate like he was swatting a fly.
No, she was staring at his hand, still faintly smoking from the impact. Looking down, she idly noted the deck under his feet, cracked like an eggshell. She even tried to take in the crater in Alvida's gut as her body rose and fell limply with each wheezing breath.
This guy…
was terrifying.
But before she could formulate even a single word, a shaky voice squeaked from behind a fallen barrel.
"Y-You… you beat her."
Luffy blinked, turned, and saw a trembling pink-haired boy clinging to the railing like a drowning cat. His knees were knocking so hard Nami half-expected him to topple overboard.
"Oh," Luffy said cheerfully, "you okay there?"
The boy made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a squeal and immediately bowed so fast he nearly snapped in half. "I-I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't hit me!"
Luffy blinked.
Nami blinked.
A pirate groaned under Alvida.
Luffy shook his head. "Why would I hit you? Did you do something bad?"
"No!" the boy yelped. "I mean,yes! I mean,NO!!"
He slapped his hands over his face and whimpered.
"Oh no, I messed up."
Nami exhaled. Hard. "Great. Another crazy person."
Luffy crouched beside the trembling boy, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Hey. It's okay. You're safe now."
The pink-haired kid peeked through his fingers at him like Luffy might strike him down at any second.
"You… you really beat Iron Mace Alvida…"
"Yep!"
"In… in one hit."
"Give or take!"
The boy swayed on his feet. "This is a dream. I died. I definitely died and this is some kind of weird pirate afterlife."
Luffy frowned.
"That doesn't make sense. There's no ocean made of stars or anything!"
"W-what—?"
Nami massaged her temples. "Ignore him. He's just kind of like that."
The cruise ship crew slowly emerged from hiding, eyes wide, every one of them trying to reconcile what they'd just seen with their understanding of reality.
The mast was cracked, half the pirates were unconscious, and the other half was too terrified to move.
The deck had a small crater.
And Iron Mace Alvida lay spread-eagle across her own men like a toppled mountain.
Luffy dusted his hands off. "So! We should probably do something about all this huh?"
Nami stared at him. "You did this."
He shrugged. "Hey, she attacked first!"
"That doesn't make it less insane!"
But before she could continue, the pink-haired boy approached timidly, still pale but trying desperately to straighten his posture.
"M-my name is Koby. I'm… I was… a cabin boy for Captain Alvida." He paused, then whispered in shame, "F-forced cabin boy."
Luffy's expression softened immediately. That quiet self remediation hit something in him, something tied to Izuku's heart. He could vividly remember those shackles of fear and helplessness.
"So she made you work for her," Luffy said gently.
Koby nodded, swallowing thickly. "She said she'd kill me if I tried to escape. And… and I'm not strong enough to fight her. Or anyone. I'm not strong at all. I'm a coward."
Luffy regarded him quietly for a moment.
Nami expected him to shrug and say something goofy. But to her surprise, his voice came out soft and comforting
"No, you're not."
Koby froze. "Wh-what?"
"You're not a coward," Luffy said firmly. "A coward would've given up. You didn't. You survived. That takes guts."
Koby's eyes went wide, shimmering like he'd never heard anything like that before.
"B-but… I'm weak…"
"So?" Luffy grinned, his playful tone returning. "Weak people become strong all the time. You just need the right direction."
Koby's breath hitched. "Direction?"
Luffy stood and stretched, not even noticing the absurd angle he was bending at as he cracked his back. "Yeah. Everyone needs a dream, right?"
Koby hesitated, voice trembling.
"I… I do have one."
"What is it?"
Koby clenched his fists. "I… I want to become… a Marine."
Nami recoiled like he'd said something offensive.
"A Marine?" Luffy tilted his head. "Why?"
"Because…because seeing pirates every day… seeing them beat and steal and hurt people… I can't stand it!" Koby shouted, tears welling. " So I want to be a marine! I want to stop bad people from doing this to others!"
Nami stared at him with a complicated expression, past pains and shattered hopes twisting together into one bitter knot in her chest. As she looked away she didn't notice a quick glance to her out of the corner of Luffy's eye.
Looking back, Luffy smiled wide.
"That's a good dream."
Koby blinked. "You… you think so?"
"Yep!" Luffy slapped him on the back, nearly knocking him overboard. "If that's what you want to do, then go do it. I'll help."
Nami's eyes bulged. "Help him?! Why?!"
Luffy shrugged. "He wants to help people, so why not?"
"Because Marines hunt pirates!"
Luffy paused, then grinned. "Good thing I'm not a pirate then."
Nami froze. "You… you did say you weren't, didn't you? You promised."
Luffy nodded. "I'm not."
"But you introduced yourself like one!"
"I said I'm gonna be the Hero of the Seas," Luffy corrected. "Heroes save people. Pirates don't."
Nami opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again. Nothing came out either time.
Koby, meanwhile, was trembling again, but this time with excitement.
"Th-thank you! I… I won't forget this!"
Luffy smiled warmly. "Good! Now let's go find you a Marine base so you can start your journey."
Nami stared between them, exasperated. "I can't believe this. I'm surrounded by idiots."
Luffy beamed as he gave her a thumbs up. "The best kind!"
As the group talked, they heard a groan sound from the pile of bodies. Alvida blinked groggily, her swollen face twitching in rage.
"You… brats…"
Luffy walked over calmly.
She froze.
His presence wasn't threatening, but it radiated a sense of power and confidence that shot a chill down her spine.
"Don't follow us," he said gently. "Or I'll hit you again."
She squeaked. She, THE Iron Mace Alvida, squeaked.
She immediately passed back out.
As the crew untied themselves and began securing the ship, Luffy leaned over the rails, gazing out at the bright horizon. The sea wind tugged at his messy, green-tipped hair,
He felt alive. As he basked in the sea breeze, he heard footsteps behind him.
Koby approached shyly.
"Um… Luffy?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. Really."
Luffy gave him a thumbs-up. "Anytime."
Koby hesitated, then said quietly, "You know… when I saw you punch Captain Alvida like that… I realized something."
"Hmm?"
"I realized… that maybe dreams don't have to stay dreams."
Luffy grinned, all sunshine and simplicity. "Thats the spirit!"
Koby swallowed. "I want to get stronger. Strong enough to be a real Marine. Strong enough that I never get scared like that again."
Luffy ruffled his hair. "Then let's sail until we find a base. You're gonna do great."
Koby's eyes welled again, but this time with pride.
Nami rolled her eyes. "Ugh. You two are disgustingly optimistic."
Luffy turned. "So what's your dream, Nami?"
She stiffened. "My dream? To map the whole world."
Luffy's smile softened, awe creeping in. "That's an amazing dream Nami."
Her cheeks warmed, but she scoffed. "W-well, someone has to."
Then she shot him a look. "But don't think this means I trust you."
Luffy just grinned. "That's okay. I trust you."
Nami's heart skipped, a familiar sense of guilt creeping in "…You shouldn't."
Koby watched them with wide eyes, as though witnessing the start of something huge.
While Koby was pondering the gravity of the situation, an idea sparked in Luffy's mind. Since his fight with Alvida he had been wondering how to proceed. He knew he didn't want to be a pirate, but going after corrupt marine officers would undoubtedly get him labelled as one.
It was thinking about Nami's situation that gave him the idea, the corruption of Nezumi making him think it was a shame that his grandfather never visited the waters around cocoyasi.
"Hey Nami!" he spoke, maybe a little too excitedly as the mentioned girl jumped slightly at her name. "This ship has a den den mushi right?"
"Yeah it should, why?"
Luffy was almost bouncing with excitement now as he grabbed her and Koby both. "Let's go, I need to use it, I have a great idea!"
Both of his unwilling passengers yelping in surprise as they were dragged along.
"You don't even know where you are going, you idiot!" Her and Koby bounced off of Luffy as he stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh," he said with a faint blush of embarrassment, he turned to Nami with a bright smile, ignoring the red on his cheeks. "So where are we going?"
Minutes later found the trio in a private room with a strange looking snail. With his improved memory from Izuku, he remembered that Garp had, in fact, given him the number to his private line. Luffy just never remembered it.
"Who are you even calling?" Nami asked, slightly aggravated at being brought along for a call.
"My gramps!" Luffy said cheerily, "He can help all of us!"
Nami gave him a dead pan stair, "And what could your grandfather help me with?"
While this new Luffy had seen Nami's story play out in Vellor's realm, he couldn't very well just come out and say everything he knew.
"I don't know," he smiled at her, "But you seem really upset about pirates, and you were crying alone when I first met you."
Nami's heart nearly stopped in her chest. The man in front of her was much more perceptive than she assumed. His goofy personality made it easy to underestimate him.
"No, there is nothing wrong, you don't need to-" before she could finish trying to dissuade him from calling anyone to what she assumed would be their deaths at the hands of the Arlong pirates, someone picked up on the other side of the den den mushi.
The face of the snail immediately turned taciturn, mouth turned down in a resting frown. A small hat sprouted on it's head, brim pulled down so low you couldn't even see its eyes.
"Who are you, and how did you get this number?" The two in the room with Luffy were slightly taken aback. Didn't he say he was calling his grandfather? This guy didn't seem like he was family.
"Oh hey, you must be Mr. Bogard. Is Garp there? Tell him it's his grandson Luffy!"
The expression on the snail turned surprised before shouting could be heard coming from the other end.
"What! That brat Luffy is actually calling his dear grandpa?"
The den den mushi immediately morphed into a white eyed snarling older man with a goatee.
"You brat! I can't believe you actually left Dawn Island! Don't tell me you are actually going through with that pirate nonsense!"
Nami almost imperceptibly stiffened at the word pirate.
"Shishishi, nah I'm not going to be a pirate, I want to be a hero!"
The line went quiet for a moment before a wide, goofy smile broke out on the snail's face.
"HAHAHAHA! I knew you'd come around! No grandson of mine will be a criminal! You'll be the next marine hero just like your old gramps!"
Nami and Koby both stilled at this. The name "Garp" and the title "Marine hero" were famous in the east blue.
Koby began to shiver as he put the pieces together.
"W-w-wait, Your name is Monkey D. Luffy right?"
Nami picked up where he left off, equally shaken.
"Are you saying your grandfather is…"
"Shishishi, yep!" Luffy cut in, laughing at their faces "Marine Hero: Monkey D. Garp!"