A bright sun rose over the ocean, climbing toward the center of a cloudless sky. The sea stretched out flat and still in every direction, smooth as glass, without so much as a ripple to break the surface.
"You missed a spot!"
Not for the first time, a bucket of filthy seawater was kicked across the deck of the Miss Love Duck. The boot that kicked it belonged to a pirate named Poppoko, a big, overweight man with a large jutting chin and small, mean eyes. His black-and-white striped bandana matched his short-sleeved shirt, both straining against his gut.
"At this rate, you'll be scrubbing until we reach the Grand Line!" said Poppoko with a laugh. He took a swig of stolen rum and let out a belch loud enough to scatter the seagulls from the railing.
The crew nearby joined in, slapping their knees and elbowing each other like it was the funniest thing they'd heard all week. It probably was. Not much happened on the Miss Love Duck between raids.
Koby pushed his round glasses up his nose with a trembling finger and went back to scrubbing. The sun climbed higher. The deck dried and got dirty and Koby cleaned it and it got dirty again. Poppoko settled onto a crate near the mast with two other pirates and started a card game.
"Ship! Ship off the starboard side!"
Koby looked up. The shout came from Peppoko, Poppoko's younger brother, though you wouldn't know it to look at them. Where Poppoko was wide and heavy, Peppoko was short and scrawny, with the same jutting chin but half the weight. He wore the same black and white striped bandana as his brother, and it sat loose on his smaller head, sliding down over one eye every time he moved. He clung to the crow's nest with one hand and pointed with the other.
"What kind of ship?" called Poppoko, not bothering to get up from his card game.
Peppoko squinted into the distance. "Big one! Three masts! Looks like a luxury liner!"
That got Poppoko's attention. He heaved himself off the crate and lumbered over to the railing. The rest of the crew followed, abandoning their cards and bottles. A luxury liner meant rich passengers.
"She's flying a merchant flag!" called Peppoko. "No cannons I can see!"
A grin spread across Poppoko's face. "No cannons. Boys, I think we just found today's entertainment."
Pirates who had been half asleep moments ago were suddenly on their feet, checking weapons and tightening belts. The Miss Love Duck was coming to life.
Koby's grip tightened on the scrub brush. Another raid. That meant running weapons to the crew, dodging swords and cannonballs, and hoping nobody decided to take a swing at him just for fun.
A shadow fell over him. Poppoko shoved an armful of cutlasses into his arms.
"Arm the crew!" said Poppoko, already walking away. "And if you drop one, I'll make sure the captain hears about it!"
Koby hugged the swords to his chest as he ran across the deck. He shoved cutlasses into the hands of pirates, one after another. Their rancid breath and blackened teeth made his stomach churn, but he forced himself to hurry.
After passing out the last of the weapons, he ran to the railing to join the rest of the crew and their captain, Captain Alvida.
The self-proclaimed pirate queen was short but extremely wide. A long, thin grin spread across her face as her stringy black hair fluttered in the breeze. When her ship, the Miss Love Duck rounded on the luxury liner they were planning to raid, she raised her huge, spiked club into the air.
"Fire!"
On her order, all of the cannons on the Miss Love Duck roared as lead balls sailed across the ocean. Water exploded around the luxury liner. One shot smashed into the ship's mainmast. The tall wooden pole splintered and crashed to the deck, its mainsail draping over the fleeing crew.
"Ko-by!" yelled Captain Alvida.
"Y-yes ma'am?" stammered Koby, straightening his glasses as the Miss Love Duck neared the crippled liner.
Alvida's face twisted. "What was that?"
Koby swallowed. "Yes, Captain ma'am!"
Alvida nodded and lifted her chin. "Who's the most beautiful woman on the sea?"
Here we go again.
Koby shuddered and forced a smile. "It's you, of course, Captain Alvida! You're the most beautiful woman on all the seas!"
"Yes, it's true," agreed Alvida. She flicked a strand of hair off her shoulder. "I'm gorgeous!"
The rest of the crew forced smiles and nodded along. Even after two years on the Miss Love Duck, Koby had never gotten used to this. Captain Alvida obviously wasn't the most beautiful woman on the sea. But when she wasn't barking orders or swiping her iron club at Koby, she asked the question every chance she got to force compliments from her crew, and anyone who gave the wrong answer got the mace.
Her first mate, a muscular man with a thin mustache, pointed toward the liner. "What about the ship, Captain?"
"Let's take 'em!" roared Alvida, and she howled with laughter.
The crew scrambled to the railing as the Miss Love Duck pulled alongside the luxury liner. Grappling hooks flew through the air toward the other ship's rigging and when their lines were set, one by one, the pirates grabbed their ropes and swung across to the crippled ship.
Koby flung a hook of his own. He grabbed the rope with both hands, but his feet wouldn't move. He stood there, holding the rope, staring at the gap between the two ships. Fear had glued his feet to the wooden deck. He knew he had to swing across, because if he didn't then—
"Koby!" barked Alvida. "What are you doing?"
"I can't move," said Koby. Sweat soaked through his white shirt. "I'm too afraid."
Alvida stomped toward him. "Am I hearing things, or did you just dare to talk back to me, you weasel?"
"Ahh! I'm sorry Captain Alvida, ma'am! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"Get over there!" shouted Alvida, and her boot caught him square in the back.
Koby flew over the railing and tumbled across the deck of the luxury liner, skidding to a stop against a broken piece of mast. When the sky went dark and a massive shadow fell over him, he scrambled out of the way just before Alvida came crashing down, shattering the deck boards where she landed.
Around them, the rest of the pirates flung themselves onto the luxury liner, landing on the deck, hooting and laughing.
"Let's go, men!" said Alvida, and she stomped toward the interior of the ship. Her spiked club dragged behind her, carving deep gouges in the deck.
While the crew raided the ship, Koby tried to stay out of the way. He lingered at the back of the crowd as the pirates stormed the luxury liner's ballroom.
It was a big room with chandeliers, polished floors, and long tables covered in white cloth. The ship's guests were pressed against the far wall. Men in fine suits, and women in silk gowns, all cowering together, staring at the pirates in terror.
Alvida's first mate pointed his sword at the man closest to him. "There's nothing to fear. We won't take your lives, I swear it," he said. Then he grinned. "But we will take everything else you've got."
"That's right!" said Alvida, smacking her mace against her palm. "And anyone who fights back will be eating their dinner off the bottom of the ocean!"
The pirates spread through the room, descending on the frightened passengers like a swarm of locusts. Too terrified to do anything else, the guests didn't try to fight or argue. They handed over their valuables with shaky hands as the pirates moved through the crowd collecting wallets, purses, and jewelry. Necklaces were ripped from soft necks, rings from trembling fingers, and watches from silken pockets.
I can't watch this, thought Koby as he slowly moved back towards the door. He hated to see people treated so badly. While the crew was busy, he slipped out of the fancy ballroom and climbed the stairs to the main deck. He just needed to find somewhere to hide until the raid was over. Somewhere out of the way, where nobody would bother looking for him.
He was almost to the top of the stairs when something heavy came rolling down and slammed into him. Koby hit the ground hard, his glasses flying off his face. He patted the deck until his fingers found the wire frames, shoved them back on, and looked up.
A large wooden barrel lay on its side next to him, rocking gently with the motion of the ship.
Where did that come from. . .?
Koby got to his feet and started rolling the barrel out of the way. He found a storage room to hide in, and if the crew did find him, he could say he found this barrel.
"You little coward!"
Koby spun around. Three of Alvida's pirates stood in the doorway. The first was Heppoko, a mean-looking man with a tattoo across his face. Next to him stood Peppoko and Poppoko.
"Hiding away while the rest of us do the real work!" said Poppoko.
"T-t-t-that's not it..." stammered Koby. He glanced down at the barrel. "I was, uh, thinking that maybe we could use some extra beer!"
The three pirates looked at each other.
"Not a bad idea," said Heppoko, eyeing the barrel.
"I agree," said Poppoko, stepping forward. He picked up the barrel and set it on end.
Koby laughed nervously. "Heavy, right?"
"Can't be water inside," said Heppoko, scratching his head.
"Then what?" asked Peppoko.
"Time to find out." said Poppoko. The big pirate cracked his knuckles and raised his fist over the barrel. "A knuckle sandwich ought to do it."
Koby stared at him. What kind of idiot tried to smash open a barrel he thought was full of liquid?
Then, just when Poppoko's fist was about to come down, the top of the barrel exploded.
A boy burst from the barrel like a giant jack-in-the-box. One of his fists, still mid-stretch, slammed into Poppoko's jaw. The big pirate flew backwards and hit the deck hard. He didn't get up.
Koby, Heppoko and Peppoko all stared.
The boy in the barrel yawned and stretched his arms wide. "That was a really great nap!" he said.
A Marine cap sat crooked on his head, like it had been knocked sideways during his nap, and he was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt with the word "MARINE" printed across the back, tucked into blue trousers.
A real Marine, thought Koby. He couldn't believe it. For two years he'd dreamed of someone from the Marines showing up. He'd given up believing it would ever happen. But here one was, climbing out of a barrel in the middle of a pirate raid.
The Marine looked around. His eyes landed on Poppoko, flat on his back and out cold.
He laughed. "Strange place to fall asleep."
Heppoko drew his sword. "A Marine?"
"Get him!" said Peppoko, pulling his own blade.
The two pirates rushed forward, swords raised. Koby's stomach dropped. The marine was going to get cut to pieces.
"Iron Body," said the Marine.
Both blades came down on his shoulders at the same time. Koby flinched and looked away.
But there was no scream. No sound of steel cutting through flesh. Just a strange, dull clang, like someone had struck an anvil.
Koby opened his eyes.
Heppoko's blade had bent sideways. Peppoko's had snapped clean in half, the broken tip spinning through the air and sticking into the deck.
The Marine hadn't moved. "You could hurt somebody with those, you know," he said.
Heppoko and Peppoko stared at their ruined swords, then at the Marine, then at each other.
Without a word, they each grabbed one of Poppoko's legs and ran, dragging their unconscious brother out of the room.
"W-who are you?" asked Koby.
The Marine stepped out of the barrel and held out his hand with a big grin.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy."