Chapter 1: Barrel Brothers and the Iron Mace Lady
"Hey, Koby! Hurry up and roll that barrel over here—we brothers are gonna drink it dry!" a burly man with a thick beard shouted, calling out to Koby.
Once Koby pushed the barrel over, the other pirates warned him not to say a word out of line. They were just about to crack it open and party hard.
Suddenly, the barrel exploded. Two figures burst out from inside. Luffy stretched lazily and burst into laughter. "Man, that was a great nap! Right, Sol?"
Sol slammed a fist straight into Luffy's face, sinking it deep. "Idiot Luffy! You slept like a baby—I've been starving for two or three days straight! And where the hell did all the food I packed go? There's only one bag left!"
Luffy struggled to pry Sol's fist off, making a loud "pop" as it came free. He grinned and rubbed his cheek. "I was hungry, Sol. When I saw food, I ate it. Sorry!"
Sol stared at the completely shameless Luffy, speechless. He should've known—after all these years, whenever Luffy stole his food, he always had that same infuriating look. His fist clenched again on reflex.
At that moment, the pirates demanded, "Who the hell are you two?"
"Atrias Sol Dragnir," Sol introduced himself coolly.
Luffy beamed. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy! The man who's gonna become the King of the Pirates!"
"Who was yelling about sleeping so comfortably just now?!" Alvida's voice boomed.
The pirates tried to speak up, but a chill ran down their spines. They dodged to the sides as a massive spiked iron mace came swinging through the air. Sol caught it mid-swing and, in an instant, melted it into a puddle of molten iron.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Sol inhaled deeply and unleashed a blazing torrent of dragon flames from his lungs, scorching everything in front of him. The targets hit screamed as the intense heat burned them.
"Sugoi! That's so cool, Sol! That move's awesome!" Luffy's eyes sparkled in admiration.
Alvida shoved aside a charred pirate blocking her view, sweat pouring down her forehead from the heat. "What the hell is this guy? How can his mouth spit fire?!"
She grabbed a new iron mace from a nearby rack and charged at Luffy. "I'll take out one first!"
The mace slammed down hard on Luffy's head—but the impact felt wrong. No brains splattering, no crunch. Alvida looked down in confusion.
Luffy was grinning ear-to-ear, his arms stretched long like rubber. "Gomu Gomu no… Rocket!"
A powerful punch rocketed forward, blasting Alvida straight through the ship's wall and sending her flying out to sea.
The remaining pirates, seeing their captain taken down so easily, immediately surrendered. Sol and Luffy took full control of the ship. First order of business: make the crew prepare a mountain of food.
As the two devoured everything on the table like starving beasts, Koby clenched his fists and timidly approached.
"U-Um…" His voice was barely a whisper, drowned out by chewing noises.
"Luffy! That's my roast meat! Spit it out!" Sol lunged, snatching the steak from in front of Luffy and swallowing it whole. Oil glistened on his lips.
Luffy's cheeks puffed out like a hamster's, mouth stuffed full. He could only mumble "Mmph mmph mmph!" in protest, but his wide eyes screamed, "You dared steal my meat?!"
Koby tried calling out a few more times, but the two were too busy in their food war to notice. Finally, he took a deep breath, shut his eyes tight, and yelled at the top of his lungs:
"I—I want to become a Marine! To fulfill the dream I've had since I was a kid!!"
The dining room fell silent for a full second.
Sol and Luffy froze mid-bite, half-eaten meat still hanging from their mouths. They slowly turned to stare at Koby.
"…Huh?"
They chugged the last of their drinks, forced the food down their throats, and wiped their mouths.
Sol raised an eyebrow at Koby. "If you wanna be a Marine, just go be one. Why yell it at us?"
Luffy nodded with a grin. "Yeah, yeah! We're pirates!"
"Eh—?!" Koby's eyes bulged, jaw dropping. He'd mustered the courage because he thought these two were just shipwreck survivors—who else drifts at sea in a barrel?
Sol waved lazily at his shocked expression. "Don't freak out. We were on a ship, but it sank in a storm. Had no choice but to hug a barrel and float here."
Koby took another deep breath, fists white-knuckled, and finally roared out his pent-up dream:
"I'm going to become a great Marine! Catch every evil pirate out there—that's my lifelong dream!"
Luffy grinned wide, slapped the deck, and jumped up. "That's interesting! Hey, you guys—" He pointed at the trembling pirates. "Get Koby a small boat right now! He's off to join the Marines!"
The pirates scrambled to lower a lifeboat. As Koby nervously climbed in, he heard Sol call after him teasingly: "Good luck, future Marine Admiral! Don't go easy on us next time we meet!"
The little boat drifted away. Sol suddenly turned to the pirates. "By the way, where's the nearest Marine base?"
"Uh? B-But we're pirates!" one stammered, stepping back. "Going straight to a Marine base would be walking into a trap…"
Sol's smile grew brighter. His knuckles cracked ominously. "Oh? We haven't officially 'debuted' yet… Mind 'sponsoring' some startup funds, guys?"
The air froze. The pirates sweated buckets, torn between freedom and survival. After three seconds, they sobbed and turned the ship around. "Shells Town! The 153rd Branch is there!"
Meanwhile, Koby rowed furiously. He blinked in disbelief as the pirate ship sailed right alongside him. As the black sails passed, every pirate on deck awkwardly pretended to admire the scenery.
Koby: "If I'd known, I would've asked for a ride! Why am I rowing myself?!!!"
By evening, Sol and Luffy strutted out of the Marine base. Sol jingled a fat pouch of Berries and loot, grinning in satisfaction. "Not bad—more than I expected."
Luffy scratched his head, puzzled. "Sol, we're pirates… Isn't it kinda weird to cash in bounties at a Marine base?"
Sol rolled his eyes and hooked an arm around Luffy's neck. "Idiot! We're not wanted yet, and we don't have our own ship. How else do we get startup cash to recruit a crew? Rely on your dumb face?"
Luffy blinked, then smacked his fist into his palm. "Oh yeah!"
His eyes lit up as he leaned in. "So how much do we have now?"
Sol shook the heavy pouch, coins clinking. "Let's see… about six million Berries!"
"Woo-hoo!!" Luffy sprang three meters into the air, rubber arms flailing excitedly. "Sol, let's go eat a ton!"
Sol laughed and slung an arm over Luffy's shoulders. "Great idea! The Marines mentioned a famous tavern here in Shells Town…"
They started walking—then both stopped dead.
Luffy rubbed his chin. "Wait, Sol…"
Sol: "What?"
Luffy looked serious. "Did we forget something important?"
Sol snapped his fingers. "Ah! I remember!"
Luffy: "What? What?"
Sol: "We gotta save some money for a proper ship!"
Luffy: "Right! …Eat the barbecue first, then buy the ship?"
Sol: "Deal!"