Kon sat in a cramped rowboat bobbing on the East Blue's waves, his straw hat tilted back, the arrow mark on his forehead visible.
Goku, his four-armed monkey, perched on his shoulder, snoring softly, tiny pistols holstered at his sides.
Across from him, Luffy rowed with a grin, his own straw hat bouncing, while Zoro, the green-haired swordsman, took the other oar, grumbling under his breath. The boat creaked, barely big enough for the three of them and Goku.
Kon leaned back, crossing his arms. "Ehh, you don't even have a real boat," he complained, kicking the side. 'This thing's tiny,' he thought, pouting. 'I could fly faster than this.'
Luffy stopped rowing, throwing his hands up. "I just started my journey!" he shouted, his voice echoing over the water. "I have yet to find a good pirate ship worthy of the King of the Pirates!"
Kon rolled his eyes. "The last pirate ship I was on, the Ironfang Pirates' Iron Serpent, was so big. Way bigger than this! They always partied, had amazing ice cream, and there was tons of space. This boat's so small we're practically sitting on each other."
'I miss that ice cream,' he thought, his stomach rumbling. 'And the parties!'
Zoro snorted, pulling his oar. 'This kid's whining about ice cream?' he thought.
We're pirates, not on a picnic. Agh, Why did I join the crew anyways?'
"Quit complaining," he muttered, but Kon ignored him, turning to Luffy.
"So, how'd you get your straw hat?" Kon asked, adjusting his own.
'Bet his story's not as cool as mine,' he thought, smirking.
Luffy's grin widened. "Shanks gave it to me. He was a pirate captain, super strong, and he said this hat's his treasure. I'm keeping it till I'm Pirate King!"
Kon nodded, impressed. "That's cool. I wear mine 'cause my parents and Old Man Iroh told me to keep the arrow mark on my head a secret."
Zoro's eyes narrowed, glancing at Kon's forehead. 'Arrow mark? Avatar?' he thought, his mind tugging at a memory.
'I heard something about that… somewhere. Why can't I remember?' He shook his head, focusing on rowing. 'Doesn't matter now. Just keep moving.'
Luffy leaned forward, curious. "What's the arrow mark mean?"
Kon hesitated, remembering Iroh's warnings but Luffy's grin felt safe. "It's 'cause I'm the Avatar. It's a long story, but it means I can bend air and stuff."
Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Awesome! You're gonna make us the best crew!"
The boat rocked as they talked, the sea stretching endlessly around them. Kon yawned, his eyelids drooping.
'Talking's fun, but I'm tired,' he thought, curling up against the boat's side. Goku snuggled next to him, still snoring, his tiny guns clinking. Soon, both were fast asleep, Kon muttering, "Sweet rice balls…" in his sleep.
Zoro, still rowing, glanced at Luffy. "How far are we from the next town?"
Luffy blinked, confused. "I don't know. I thought you knew where we're going."
Zoro's jaw dropped. "What? You don't even know how to navigate? And you wanna be the Pirate King? We're fucking lost! We're gonna die of hunger out here!"
Luffy just laughed, pointing at a big bird soaring overhead. "Hehe, there's our dinner!"
Before Zoro could react, Luffy's arm stretched like rubber, shooting into the sky. He grabbed the bird's leg, but it squawked and clamped its beak around him, flying off with Luffy dangling.
"Whoa!" Luffy shouted, his voice fading as the bird soared away.
Zoro's eyes widened, and he started rowing furiously. "Wake up, you idiots!" he shouted, glaring at Kon and Goku.
'Our captain's gone, and these two are snoring?' he thought, his temper flaring.
Kon muttered, "Sweet rice balls…" while Goku's snores grew louder, one arm twitching. "Useless vice-captain! Useless sniper!" Zoro yelled, rowing harder, his eyes scanning the sky for the bird.
'Where'd that idiot go?' he thought, panic creeping in. The bird was gone, lost in the clouds.
An hour later, Kon stirred, stretching and yawning. "Nice nap," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. He looked around, blinking.
"Hmm… where's Luffy?" He asked scratching his head.
Zoro's face turned red. "Now you wake up?!" he roared, slamming his oar down. "Our captain got snatched by a giant bird while you were dreaming about rice balls!"
Kon blinked, then burst out laughing. "A bird took him? That's hilarious!"
'Luffy's probably having fun up there. He is experiencing the joy of flying just like I did when I first flew,' he thought.
Goku woke up, chattering and mimicking a bird flapping, making Kon laugh harder. "Goku thinks it's funny too!"
Zoro's eye twitched. "It's not funny! We're lost, and our captain's gone!"
'I'm stuck with an idiot and a monkey,* he thought, groaning. "Just help me row, you idiot."
Kon grabbed an oar, still chuckling. "Okay, okay, let's find him." He said pulling the oar.
They rowed for hours, the sea stretching endlessly. Kon's arms got tired, but he kept going, he used air bending to give the boat small boosts.
Zoro muttered curses, his swords rattling as he rowed. 'If we don't find land soon, I'm eating the monkey,' he thought, glaring at Goku.
Finally, a cluster of colorful buildings appeared on the horizon. "Land!" Kon shouted, pointing.
"Must be Orange Town," Zoro said, his voice gruff. "Let's hope the bird dropped Luffy's here," he said tying the boat to a small dock.
Kon jumped out, Goku on his shoulder, and stretched. "Let's find Luffy and get some food!"
They stepped onto the dock, hoping Luffy was somewhere in Orange Town.
----Author Notes---------
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