Hi guys, another chapter for you, if possible leave comments, they help a lot to cheer me up and give me good feedback on the story, if possible drop some stones, bye bye!
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"Ohh, it looks even cooler seeing this in person." With a nostalgic gleam in his eyes, Goraku smiled as the familiar scene unfolded before him. "Well, it's time to meet the Straw Hat in person, huh?" As he spoke, the oni crossed the ropes connecting the two ships with surprising agility for someone so large and heavy.
But halfway through, a shout from Luffy caught his attention.
"Whoa! It's the Marines, they came at the perfect time! Hey, Koby! Go on!"
With a swift movement, the rubber boy jumped toward the Miss Love Duck, leaving Koby behind... and Goraku completely confused by the situation.
"Shit, this really happens? I didn't remember." Muttering to himself, the oni immediately started running in the same direction as Luffy.
"Hey! Straw Hat, wait for me, otherwise I'm screwed too!"
While both of them rushed toward the lifeboats, Nami was also running, preparing to get out of there as quickly as possible. But a strange shadow on the water left her puzzled, as if something big was falling from the sky into the sea.
"Huh?... Shit!"
Her face twisted in fear as she saw the object causing the shadow — another boat, being thrown right beside her. Clutching her precious bag of bellys, she let out a sharp scream.
"Haaaaa!"
"You're crazy!"
In what felt like a split second, Nami, Luffy, and Goraku exchanged glances — three people who had no idea how fate would unite them in the future. Luffy, with his classic giant grin; Nami, shocked and worried about her bellys; and Goraku, wide-eyed as he stared at Luffy.
"Hey! Luffy! Wait for me!"
As the boat landed completely on the water, a small pink-haired figure leapt — Koby, who had finally gathered the courage to jump from such a height. 'Bad idea!' Realizing that jumping from so high onto a solid wooden boat wasn't exactly smart, Koby began to panic, shutting his eyes and flailing his arms desperately.
"Gotcha. Koby, right?"
Hearing that strange voice so close, he opened his eyes and came face to face with a smiling Goraku, who had leapt nearly 4 meters into the air to catch him safely.
"No need to worry, kid. Now, let's get the hell out of here."
Carrying Koby, Goraku landed on the boat. Luffy was already untying the sail, and the moment they touched down, the boat began moving away from the Marines.
"Hey, big guy, we gotta get out of here! Row fast!!" With a worried grin, Luffy tossed a pair of oars into Goraku's hands. "Row! Row fast!" Without thinking twice, the oni dropped Koby onto the deck and started rowing as fast as he could. Nami, still with her mouth agape, finally snapped out of it and began fleeing at full speed as well.
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[Timeskip]
In a calm sea somewhere in East Blue, a small boat with three passengers sailed quietly after narrowly escaping the Marines. Looking back for any signs of pursuit, Koby spoke:
"Somehow, we managed to get away."
"Ha ha ha, that was so much fun!" As he stood up from the floor, Goraku glanced at Luffy's smiling face, a vein popping on his forehead.
"Why wasn't it you rowing, Straw Hat? Shit, I've never rowed so much in my life."
At that, Luffy went silent, staring directly into Goraku's eyes as if processing something. Suddenly, his face lit up.
"Ohhhhh, the big guy came with us! Hey, Koby, look, look!"
"Uhm, Luffy... he's been here for like two hours already."
Ignoring Koby, Luffy grabbed Goraku's shoulders, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Hey, big guy! What's your name? Are you strong? Are you a pirate? I need strong people in my crew! Ohhhh, are those horns?!"
Excited, the Straw Hat began poking at Goraku's muscles and horns. Goraku only raised an eyebrow at the barrage of questions.
"My name is Goraku, Straw Hat." The oni spoke as he stood up and stretched his back. "Look... I'm relatively strong. I've got more brute strength than you..., but you seem faster, I think. Still, if there's one thing I can guarantee, it's my defense and stamina. It'd take a lot more than that hit you gave Alvida to hurt me." Putting a hand to his chin, he continued, "No, I'm not a pirate, at least I've never joined a crew. And yes, these are horns."
Sitting cross-legged with his hand on his chin, Luffy seemed to mull over the information. "Oh? You also ate a Devil Fruit? That's awesome! Which one?"
"Uh, no, I didn't eat a Devil Fruit. It's just a trait of my race. I'm an Oni. We're born with horns."
Taking his hand from his chin and clapping them together, Luffy seemed to make up his mind. "Hey, Goraku." With a serious expression, he looked into Goraku's dark eyes. "My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates..., but I need a strong crew to chase the One Piece."
Realizing what Luffy was about to ask, Goraku looked surprised. 'Seriously?'
"Goraku, do you want to join my crew and be my first nakama?" Looking at Luffy's serious and confident face, Goraku couldn't help but pause for a moment.
Frowning, he nodded slightly while glancing down, then back into Luffy's eyes. "Luffy... I'll be your shield. Your shield, and the shield of our future nakamas. I'll bleed every drop of blood from my body and fight with all my will..., but I need you to promise me something." Clenching his fists until his nails dug into his palm, the oni extended one bleeding hand toward Luffy, to form a blood pact.
"I want to see the sea, Luffy. Every part of it. To feel the breeze in every beautiful place of this endless blue... And when the time comes, I want you to be a true captain, one who helps his nakamas, even if it means fighting against the entire world... If you promise me that, I'll be your shield. I'll stand by your side as the shield of this crew, through every fight, every victory, and every defeat. I'll bleed alongside my nakamas."
Luffy stood silently for a few seconds, staring at Goraku's hand, before breaking into a huge grin.
"I promise, Goraku!" With a little hop, the Straw Hat stood tall and, with some force, made his own hand bleed before gripping Goraku's outstretched hand, sealing the blood pact. "Welcome to the crew! Nakama!"
Following his new captain, Goraku also broke into a wide smile.
"Aye aye, Captain."