Chapter 6: Divergence

"Mommy, we need more meat!"

Ririka looked up from the hot stove she had been working over tirelessly for the past two hours. Her tavern, The Magic Conch, was abuzz with activity today. Nearly every citizen of Shells Town was packed into the building and the surrounding area, trying to catch a glimpse at the 'heroes' that had saved them. If they did see them, they would immediately looked away in disgust as their 'heroes' devoured platter after platter of food.

Coby watched in disgusted awe while he slowly ate his meal with his uninjured arm. He wasn't particularly surprised by the way Luffy ate, used to his gluttonous ways from their trip there, but Kuina was a different story. She ate like a wild animal, shoveling food into her mouth-at least she used a fork-and draining it down with mug after mug of apple juice. Apparently, she didn't like the taste of beer. 'I guess I can't really blame her, she hasn't eaten in nearly a month.'

"Ahh," Kuina sighed as she slammed down her mug and leaned back. "I didn't think I could eat that much, but I guess a couple weeks of starving will do that to you."

"No way I could've made it a whole month!" Luffy shouted, half chewed food spilling out of his mouth.

Kuina cringed, "Jeez, how can someone so scrawny eat that much? And don't talk with your mouth full, it's gross." Luffy chuckled as he stuck an entire leg of meat into his mouth and tore it off in one bite without a scrap left behind.

Coby sighed, turning to Rika as she delivered another platter of meat for Luffy to devour, "I'm sorry about them, they're just really hungry. We don't have any money, but we can wash some dishes and some other-"

"Don't be crazy," Ririka poked around the doorway to the kitchen, "You already saved us from that monster, Morgan. You can eat as much as you want, it's the least we can do." Touched by her kindness, Coby nodded and quickly cleared off his plate. Once he and Kuina, were full, they sat back and watch Luffy continue to disintegrate any food that came near. A few other customers found their food pilfered by a mysterious hand, though they didn't complain. It was the hand of a savior after all.

Coby smiled at his gluttonous friend as a sad aura overcame him. He stood up, nervously fiddling with his bandages. Luffy slowed his eating and all eyes were on Coby.

"I'm...I'm really glad I met you two. I haven't known you very long, but...you're the best friends I've ever had! No one, not even my own parents ever supported my dreams, but you two...you two taught me to live for my dream." Coby looked at them with tears in his eyes, "So thank you, and I hope that we can stay friends."

Luffy laughed while Kuina smiled at the little pink boy. She hadn't really talk to him much, so she wasn't sure she had really taught him anything, but if he felt that way, she wasn't going to stop him.

"Of course we'll stay friends, ya idiot!" Luffy yelled, "Doesn't matter what happens or where we go!"

Coby wiped away his tears, glad that he wouldn't be losing his first ever friend. "Right. So..where are you going?"

"The Grand Line."

"WHAAAT?!" Coby's jaw hit the floor and the cold fingers of fear enraptured his heart. "You-You can't go there, it's a death trap! They call it the Pirate's Graveyard! That's way too dange-" Coby stopped his rant as he realized who he was talking to. 'It doesn't matter if I die, as long as I reach for my dream.' Luffy had said that on Alvida's ship and he'd stand by it. A man's dream is his life.

"I don't know about it being dangerous. My friend said it's more like a Paradise for pirates." Both Kuina and Coby looked at Luffy curiously.

"Paradise? What friend told you-"

"Excuse me!" Standing in the doorway, a group of Marines gathered with one man with a scraggly beard stood in front. This was Lieutenant Ripper, the new head of the Shells Town Marines after Morgan's dethroning. It should've been the Lieutenant Commander, but he was very recently executed for insubordination. With all eyes on him, Ripper spoke, "I'm sorry to interrupt your meal, but I have to ask, are you really all pirates?"

Now, Coby and Kuina were ready to deny the claim, not wanting to cause more trouble or fight after a meal, respectively, but neither of them were fast enough to stop the loud mouthed straw hat.

"Heck yeah! I just got my First Mate, so we're officially pirates!" He jabbed a thumb at Kuina who waved cool while her other hand reached for her blade.

Ripper nodded, "Well then, even though you saved this town and us, we, as prideful Marines, can't allow you to stay here any longer. Please leave immediately and we won't report this to headquarters."

Ripper's declaration immediately anger the townsfolk, booing and throwing rotten tomatoes-someone always had some-at the Marines. They stopped when Luffy and Kuina stood up in unison. A few Marines reached for their swords, before Luffy spoke, "Alright then. Let's go, Kuina."

The townsfolk and Marines looked at the pair in confusion as they made their way to the door, but Coby understood what they were doing. All Luffy had wanted was to recruit Kuina and Kuina just wanted to leave. No need to fight people who were really doing them a favor by just asking them to leave.

"Hey, kid," Ripper pointed at Coby, "are you with them?"

"Huh? Oh, I...I…" It felt wrong to say he wasn't, especially with them right behind him. It was like denying their friendship after everything they'd been through. 'But Luffy would want me to, if it's for my dream. He said we'd be friends no matter what.'

"I'm not with them!" Ripper stared at Coby for a moment, looking over his strained expression before turning to Luffy in the doorway.

"Hold on a second, please," he pointed at Coby as Luffy and Kuina looked at him, "Is this boyd telling the truth? He was with you at the base and freed the Pirate Hunter." Luffy stood silent for a moment before pointing at Coby.

"Well, I don't know that but I know he used to work on a ship with a big fat pirate lady. I think her name was Aleta or something. She was super ugly and mean with a big mace."

Sweat built up on Coby's forehead as Ripper's look darkened with every word. 'What is he doing? If he tells them about Alvida, then they'll never let me join the Marines! Luffy, please stop talking, you're going to ruin my dream! Why are you doing this?!'

Despite Coby's mental protest, Luffy kept going, "And this guy was on her ship for two years, working as a-"

"STOP LYING!" Coby couldn't control himself as his anger boiled over. Out of nowhere, he cold clocked Luffy in the side of the face, knocking the boy into a table. The pirate smirked as he came at Coby, punching him to the ground and getting ready to kick him when Ripper pushed him away.

"Alright, that's enough! I can see that you two aren't friends, so you can leave!" Ripper glared at Luffy, who just smiled at him. He glanced at Coby and winked before turning to leave with Kuina. The townsfolk and the Marines made way for the pair, the people muttering words of thanks to the two. Coby sat up, watching them leave.

'Luffy...you did that on purpose, didn't you?' Tears burned the back of his eyes, 'Even now, after calling you a liar and hitting you, you're still helping me because I was too useless to do it myself. Standing up, Coby wiped the tears from his eyes. He turned to Ripper and bowed his head. Determination steeled his heart. 'Luffy gave me this chance and I'm not going to waste it!'

"Mr. Ripper, sir, please allow me to join the Marines, sir! Even if I have to do demeaning chores, I'll do it!" His request was met by silence until another Marine stepped up.

"Sir, I'm against this." Fear gripped Coby's heart, "We can't just accept anybody off the streets, especially not someone associated with pirates, even if they did save us. We don't know if we can trust him or not, he could easily be a spy." Thundering heartbeats deafened Coby's ears. He was so close and still more things go in the way. If they looked back into where he came from, they would find out about Alvida and never let him join. They'd probably arrest him. 'Nononononononono!'

Before Ripper could even speak, Coby stamped his feet, looked the man dead in the eye, and screamed, "I AM A MAN WHO IS GOING TO BECOME A MARINE ADMIRAL! I WILL UPHOLD JUSTICE AND PUNISH CRIMINALS! THAT IS MY DREAM!"

The Marines looked a the boy, feeling the intensity coming off his small form. There was a glint in his eye that sent shivers down more than a few spines. They had seen it in the eyes of the higher ups, an ambition brighter than the sun.

Ripper looked at the accusing Marine sighing as he turned back to Coby, "Alright, kid, you can start as a chore boy." A smile spit Coby's face in half and tears began flowing from his eyes. "But, remember that we know about your association with pirates. We'll be watching you closely."

"Right! Thank you sir!" Coby saluted as tears and snot ran down his face. This was his first step down a new road, a road leading to his ultimate dream. And he had a few people he needed to thank.

"So this is it?" The dinghy rocked as Kuina stepped into it, sinking under her weight. Luffy sat at the very front, staring at the horizon. "So it's just you, me, and a crappy little dinghy? Some pirate crew ya got, Captain."

"Mmhm! But we're just getting started. Next, we're gonna get a navigator, a shipwright, a musician, a cook-

"Why is cook after a musician?!"

Luffy looked at the swordswoman like she had grown another head, "Because pirates love singing. My friend told me that you can't have a good crew without a musician."

"Is this the same friend who told you that the Grand Line is a paradise?"

"Yep!" Kuina was beginning to think that maybe this 'friend' of Luffy's was either an idiot or a giant asshole. She was leaning towards the latter right now and was going to voice her complaint when Coby came running up to the docks.

"Hey! Wait!" The two turned to their friend as he stopped. After catching his breath, he stood straight and saluted them with joy. "Thank you two, for everything! I promise that I'll never forget you and I'll keep going after my dream!"

"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed, waving, "Alright! We'll meet again someday, I'm sure of it."

"Never thought I'd see a Marine saluting pirates." Kuina gave a small wave to the pink haired kid. She hadn't known him long, but she was going to miss him.

The two pirates boarded their ship and set sail. Letting loose the white sail, a timely wind blew in and pushed them out to sea. As they moved farther away, the Marines and townsfolk began gathering around Coby, watching their heroes leave.

"Men! Group Salute!" In perfect unison, the Marines of Shells Town snapped into a salute, honoring their saviours while the townsfolk shouted their thanks and well wishes. "Alright men, we have dishonored our position as Marines by saluting a pirate! No food for a week!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Luffy laughed and cheered, waving at all the people with his big, dumb smile spreading from ear to ear. Kuina sat back on the boat with a small grin, pulling out Wado Ichimonji for a cleaning and a polish.

The wind picked up and blew the two far away from Shells Town in the direction of their destiny. Truly, the journey to reach their dreams had begun. What challenges would lay ahead of them and would they be ready to face them? Kuina didn't know for sure, but she had a feeling everything would be okay.

A Day Later

"We're going to die on this dinghy." The merciless sun beamed down through the cloudless sky, striking down with burning fury upon the sea. Kuina swore she could see waves turning to steam in mid-air. She had taken off her boots and rolled up her pants to her knees and was considering taking off her shirt. Luffy was suffering an equal hell, laid over the edge of the boat with his tongue hanging out as he starved to death and baked under the sun.

"I bwish Id habn't eaben ald dab foob."

"How are you even hungry? You ate enough for ten families yesterday." He had also eaten every bit of food on the ship, leaving the supplies barren, not that there had been much when Kuina got on. She was starting to think that Coby might've joined the Marines for more than one reason. "How long until we get to the neck island?"

"..."

"...Luffy, do you not know where we're going?"

"...No."

Kuina was going to die out here. She had fought hundreds of deadly duels, sailed across the East Blue, faced down bloodthirsty pirates, and escaped an execution by firing squad, only to die of starvation and/or dehydration because her new captain was a gluttonous moron. Maybe the lack of food had addled her brain when she decided to join up with him.

"Oi! Kuiaa! Bir!"

"Luffy, please, out your tongue back in your mouth! I can't understand a word you're saying!" All she could see was the teen pointing up into the air at a bird. "Wait! A bird! That means there's somewhere to land!" And somewhere to land meant they could get food and water and a map and a better boat.

Not only did Luffy put his tongue back in his mouth, he stood up, readjusted his hat, and smiled. He turned to Kuina and nodded at her, "Watch the boat, I'm gonna go get lunch!"

"Wait, what does that-"

"Gum-Gum Rocket!" Luffy latched onto the mast of the ship, using it as leverage to launch himself into the air. He stretched out his arms to catch the bird and drag it back down with him. He simply stretch his arm down and reel himself back to the boat. Foolproof plan.

A small rule of optics is the fact that objects that are farther away from a person will appear smaller than they actually are. The bird that, to those on the ship, appeared to be no larger than a seagull, was actually the size of their dingy itself. Only as he got closer did Luffy realize his mistake. The giant pink bird caught Luffy in its mouth, squeezing his head in its mouth.

Most people would've been terrified by this sudden change of plans, but Luffy had proven that he was not most people very well.

"Hey! Stop eating me! You're the lunch here!" Luffy yelled and kicked, trying to free himself from the beak as the bird flew towards the island in the distance. There it could stop and figure out how to eat this chewy meal.

Kuina stared up into the sky, watching her Captain get dragged away by the massive bird. "...I guess I should follow him." As much as she was regretting her choice before, she had promised to stick with him on his journey, and Kuina never broke her promises. On the horizon, a blurry black landmass appeared. "That's probably it. Time to start rowing."

Orange Town

The Big Top

"Captain Buggy! Unidentified flying object coming in through the clouds! It looks like it might be holding something!"

From within the shadows of the cream-and-orange striped tent, a gruff voice barked back, "Then load the cannon and shoot it down!" A man stepped out with light blue hair, ghostly white paint on his face, piercing eyes, and a big, fat red nose. A knife danced between his fingers in a way that should've subtracted a few digits, yet not a drop of blood fell. "And where is that thief?!"

"Get that thief!" Five men armed with swords raced down the empty cobblestone road of Orange Town. Their boot smacked against the stone and echoed through the ghost town. They had been chasing their target for half an hour now, determined to catch her and take her back to their captain. If they didn't, they'd be better off not returning.

"She went down the alley!" The lead man lifted his sword and swerved around the corner of a building, ready to strike down the burglar. Just as he caught sight of the thief, it was replaced by a wooden pole slamming into the side of his head, bashing him against the wall and knocking him out.

His compatriots caught, staring shocked at their down crewmate and then at his attacker.

It was a teenage girl with bright orange hair tied back into two separate ponytails. Scars covered her exposed arms and stomach, one going from her hip and up under her white tank top. The metal that covered her brown boots scraped against the ground as she lowered into a stance, stretching her torn up black jeans. One leg was cut short above the thigh and was replaced with a long blue and white sock. She smirked at the four men.

"You boys ready to play?"

Fyr3Flyt3: And there is Nami. With this being a sort of What If? world, I figured that I could use an old design for Nami featured in the first Color Walk. That one has her with a giant axe, but that's kind of inconvenient for a thief to have, ya know? The Nami in this AU will be a bit different from the one we know in canon, but you'll see more of that in the next chapter.

Sorry these are coming out so slow, I have the attention span of a goldfish and that's giving myself a lot of credit. I want to get deep into the story, at least to Baroque Works. That's where things get fun, at least to me.

Also, the story is now almost at 1,500 views, so I'd like to thank the people that have review, followed, and favorited this story, your support is greatly appreciated. I hope you'll stick around for more.

Anyway, that's it for this chapter. Next Chapter will be Nami, The Pirate Thief. Until Next Time! Bye!