"Fate, is it truly impossible to change?"
Bai Yun sat on the ship, sighing as he gazed into the distance.
"Hahahaha."
"We didn't expect to run aground, Bai Yun. At least the weather is nice now."
"Although this giant whirlpool is terrifying, we're both Devil Fruit users, and we can't swim."
"There's no one around here, so calling for help is useless."
Luffy remained optimistic. Even though he was a Devil Fruit user whose only companion was also a Devil Fruit user, he was still cheerful despite the disaster at sea.
"Yeah, yeah."
Bai Yun replied dismissively, patted Luffy's shoulder, and as soon as Luffy turned around, he shoved him straight into a barrel.
The moment he saw those two barrels in the cabin, Bai Yun knew that fate was inescapable.
"Every man for himself when disaster strikes! Remember to come find me, Luffy!"
Without waiting for Luffy's reply, Bai Yun kicked the barrel directly into the sea.
As the ship was being completely sucked into the whirlpool, he immediately climbed into the remaining barrel.
The next second, the whirlpool swallowed the fishing boat, and the barrel containing Bai Yun also plunged into the sea.
Bai Yun felt the world spinning violently, and before long, he passed out... "Ugh..."
Bai Yun slowly opened his eyes. What greeted him seemed to be a plaza surrounded by tall walls.
He was tied to a cross-shaped wooden stake, like a figure of "God."
Looking to his right, a splash of green caught his eye. Bai Yun smiled; this first meeting was quite something.
"You look a little familiar, sir. Have I seen you somewhere before?"
Zoro kept his head down, letting Bai Yun's words go in one ear and out the other.
Seeing Zoro ignore him, Bai Yun simply chuckled and assessed his own situation—he was truly tied up tightly.
"You better hurry up and save me, Luffy."
"My body is so weak."
... "That was a great nap!"
"What the—!!!"
Meanwhile, Luffy had arrived safely on the island where Alvida was anchored, perfectly following the track of fate.
Alvida's subordinates, who had expected wine inside the barrel, were so startled by the sudden appearance of Luffy that their eyes nearly popped out.
"Who are you guys?"
"Where's Bai Yun?"
Luffy posed his profound questions.
"Who are you!?"
"And who the heck is Bai Yun!?"
The group of nameless extras retorted.
"No slacking off!"
Before Luffy could continue, Alvida hurled her spiked mace, smashing the entire warehouse. Luffy, who was inside the tavern, was sent rolling into the forest behind it... "Are you alright? You were shaken pretty far away just now."
Coby, the future backbone of the Marines, appeared!
Although he hadn't had his "makeover" yet, he had a super round chin and a timid demeanor.
Coby explained to Luffy that this was the island where the pirate "Iron Mace" Alvida was anchored.
But Luffy didn't care about any of that.
"Oh really? That's not important."
"Do you have a boat I can borrow?"
"Bai Yun and I got separated in a sea whirlpool, and I need to go find him."
"You survived a sea whirlpool!!!"
Coby expressed astonishment at Luffy's luck, but then led Luffy to see the... boat he had spent two years building—at least, that's what he called it... "What is this?"
"A coffin?"
"It's a boat. I secretly built it for two years so I could escape one day."
Coby explained.
"Two years? And you're just giving it away?"
Luffy asked. A boat built over two years, and he's just handing it over? He also doubted whether sailing out on such a small craft would cause it to sink halfway.
"I have things I want to do too, but whenever I think of Miss Alvida, my legs turn to jelly, and I haven't dared... to escape..."
Remembering Alvida's large face and spiked mace, an expression of fear appeared on Coby's face.
"You're really weak. I hate you."
Grinning widely, Luffy said this without any reservation.
Coby felt deeply wounded by the comment.
"That Bai Yun you mentioned, is he your crewmate, Luffy?"
"What are you two trying to do by sailing out?"
Coby changed the subject.
"Me? I'm going to be the King of the Pirates."
Luffy said this with a smile, a goal that could only be achieved through countless trials and battles.
Coby was so startled his jaw nearly dropped, and he warned Luffy that he could die attempting that.
Luffy immediately gave him a sharp knock on the head. A bump appeared on Coby's head, and he rolled on the ground in pain.
Luffy took off his straw hat, placed it over his chest, and his eyes instantly hardened with determination.
"I said I'm going to be the King of the Pirates, and I don't care if I have to give my life for it."
The timid Coby was profoundly shaken by the magnitude of Luffy's resolve.
"Can I... do it too!"
"Can someone like me join the Marines!"
"Although it means becoming your enemy, Luffy, joining the Marines has been my dream since childhood."
"I want to arrest all the bad guys, in- in- including Alvida!"
To Coby's emotional declaration of his dream, Luffy's reaction was:
"Oh."
Just then, Alvida rushed over and swung her spiked mace. Even though she didn't hit Coby, the impact on the ground shook him, forcing him to stumble backward repeatedly.
"Who did you say you were going to arrest, Coby!!"
"Is that guy the bounty hunter you hired to catch me? So it wasn't Roronoa Zoro after all."
Bai Yun: I can testify that it definitely wasn't Zoro, seeing as the two of us are currently tied up together, cosplaying.
Seeing Luffy's appearance, Alvida realized the unexpected visitor wasn't Zoro, and she let out a sigh of relief.
...
A/N: The journey continues! If you're eager to read far ahead and support this story, consider joining the Eternal Phoenix community. You can find me on Patreon by searching for "Eternal_Phoenix".
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