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East Blue
The sea breeze blew gently across the rippling ocean, gliding along like a flock of seagulls searching for food, and finally swept toward a nearby island.
On one side of the island, a pirate ship was anchored, proudly flying a flag that combined a skull and heart motif.
There was no doubt—this was the ship of the infamous East Blue pirate, Iron Club Alvida, with a bounty of 5 million Berries.
"Who's the most beautiful woman on this sea?"
Alvida, carrying her giant spiked club over her shoulder, asked her signature question.
"O-of course it's you, Miss Alvida!!!"
Like clockwork, the entire pirate crew shouted in unison, their reactions hardwired into muscle memory.
"That's right!""Because I'm the most beautiful woman on the sea, I absolutely hate filthy things!""With my stunning looks, obviously I need a ship that's just as flawless!""Keep cleaning, all of you! I want this deck so spotless it shines!"
"Yes, dearest Miss Alvida!!!"
The deck crew immediately kicked into overdrive, scrubbing like their lives depended on it—because, well, they kinda did.
Meanwhile, tucked away inside a cluttered storage room on the ship—
"Wait, what? Koby, you fished up two barrels from the ocean?"
"Damn, what kinda luck is this? Who knew even a useless loser like Koby could be useful for once—haha!"
Three pirates hiding from work in the storage room sneered as they shoved aside a chubby pink-haired boy and dragged two wooden barrels inside.
"What are we waiting for? Let's crack these open and chug the booze!"
One of them, wearing a pirate bandana, rubbed his hands together with excitement.
"Uh..."
An older pirate with a thick beard hesitated, clearly thinking about their crazy captain.
"If she finds out we stole her alcohol, we're dead meat."
"C'mon, who's gonna find out?"
The third pirate—this one with long blonde hair and a sharper look than the other two—grinned and said:
"It's just us three in here. As long as that loser Koby keeps his mouth shut, no one's gonna know."
They all turned toward the pink-haired kid, who was trembling and shaking his head like mad.
"I-I didn't see anything! Nothing at all!"
"Alright then, let's crack this one open first!"
Just as the pirate raised his fist to smash open the first barrel—
BOOM!!!
The barrel suddenly exploded with a loud bang!
It clearly wasn't something the pirates had done—because the moment it burst open, a pair of stretchy arms shot out from inside, punching the blonde pirate square in the jaw and launching him across the room.
He flew straight into the second barrel.
"Looks like I'm saved!"
A cheerful voice—bright, carefree, like it didn't know the meaning of sorrow—suddenly rang out across the room.
Everyone turned in shock as a boy climbed out of the broken barrel.
He wore a red vest, blue shorts, and a pair of simple straw sandals. Nothing fancy—except maybe for the straw hat perched on his head.
The boy glanced around, then grinned wide with a sunny, toothy smile.
"Hey! Who are you guys?"
"That's our question!"
The two remaining pirates snapped back. The one with the bandana even rushed forward, grabbing the kid by the vest and shaking him like a ragdoll.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"
Luffy answered without hesitation, still smiling, like he couldn't care less about their threats.
The room went awkwardly silent for a beat.
Then—
"BWAHAHAHAHAHA! What kinda lunatic says that?! You?! A pirate king?!"
"Haha! If you're the Pirate King, then I'm the freakin' Fleet Admiral!"
The two pirates burst into laughter, howling like it was the funniest thing they'd ever heard. One even collapsed to the floor, pounding the deck.
Luffy just stood there unfazed. People who mocked others' dreams weren't worth explaining yourself to.
"U-um... are you going to the Grand Line to find the One Piece? The treasure Roger left behind?"
A small, nervous voice piped up. Luffy turned and finally noticed Koby standing off to the side.
"Yep!"
"Stop kidding around!"
No one knew why, but Koby—who was usually timid and weak—suddenly got emotional.
"That's the treasure every pirate in the world is after! There's no way you can get it!"
"You're gonna die for sure!!!"
"Shut up already!!! I'm not afraid of dying!!!"
Hearing Koby's words, Luffy suddenly raised both hands and shouted with a serious look on his face:
"I'm gonna become the Pirate King!!! Even if it costs me my life!!! I'll still do it!!!"
Luffy's voice got louder with each sentence, and Koby—who had just been all worked up—was left completely stunned.
Does he really have that kind of determination?
Koby looked at Luffy, full of confidence, and couldn't help but collapse to the floor, mumbling to himself:
"If… if I weren't afraid of dying either…"
"Then maybe I could chase my dream too."
"Could someone like me… really become a righteous Marine? Mr. Luffy?!"
By the end, Koby's face was covered in tears as he looked up and asked Luffy.
"How should I know?"
Luffy tilted his head, then flashed his usual wide grin:
"But I believe in you, Koby."
Anyone who has a dream deserves respect.
But just then, two annoying voices cut in again.
"I can't just ignore what I heard… Koby, you dreaming about becoming a Marine?"
"Are you as crazy as that Straw Hat brat? You gonna betray the captain now, Koby?"
The two pirates each drew their swords from their waists and started walking toward the two of them step by step.
"Marine or Pirate King, either way, both of you are gonna die right here!"
They raised their blades, ready to strike, and Luffy was about to jump into action when—
"Excuse me, but… is this a movie set or something?"
A new, unfamiliar voice rang out in the room.
Everyone snapped their heads toward the sound. That blond pirate Luffy had sent flying was still lying unconscious on the ground.
But now, beside him—aside from the smashed remains of some barrels—was a boy.
The boy had long hair, wore a blue robe with black pants, and simple cloth shoes.
If anything stood out about him, it was his face—handsome enough to make thousands of girls swoon.
Only… right now, that good-looking face looked completely confused.
Bai Ye stared at the group in front of him, faces that felt both familiar and strange. He rubbed his head, trying to make sense of it.
The guy in the red vest—is that Luffy? The pink-haired one must be Koby? Did I… just time-travel?
With those three questions echoing in his mind, Bai Ye came to a conclusion:
I must still be dreaming~
"....."