One Piece: Legend of the Star Sea

"Alex, are you stupid or something?"

Luffy asked suddenly while stuffing his mouth full of meat.

Pfft!

Alex was happily enjoying his meal when Luffy's words caused him to spray food all over Luffy's face without mercy.

"What are you babbling about? Out of all of us here, you're the last person who should be calling anyone stupid."

Alex wiped his mouth and replied bluntly.

"If you weren't dumb, you wouldn't drink tea with dessert. Obviously, the best drink to go with snacks is delicious meat broth. Your tongue must be broken."

Luffy's words left Alex speechless.

Screw it. Not worth arguing with this guy—filling my stomach is the real priority.

Seeing Luffy act like an idiot again, Alex wisely shut his mouth.

"Let's move on from that. Since you're sailing under the Pirate King's banner, I assume you've gathered more people by now? Where are the others?" Zoro asked from the other side of the table. He recalled how Alex had drawn the Marines' attention despite being wounded—definitely a solid crewmate. Surely, Luffy had found others just as good?

"They're all here," Luffy said matter-of-factly.

Zoro blinked in confusion, looking at Luffy and Alex who were both devouring their food. "Wait... you mean it's just the three of us?"

"What's the problem with that?" Luffy said, too busy chewing meat to notice Zoro's stunned face.

"A pirate crew with only three people? What kind of joke is that?"

Zoro was speechless. As a former pirate hunter, he'd never seen such a tiny crew.

"So what? Alex and I can both take on dozens by ourselves, and you're no slouch either," Luffy shrugged.

Zoro glanced at Alex, recalling his ferocious fighting style. The guy really wasn't average. Still, something felt off. "What about the ship? Where's the pirate ship?"

Luffy pointed to the window of the restaurant. "See for yourself."

Zoro got up and looked outside. At the distant harbor, he saw a tiny, pitiful little wooden boat, all alone by the dock. A white dog was even peeing on the stone post the boat was tied to. Zoro was dumbfounded.

"Heh... hehe..."

Zoro let out a dry, defeated laugh.

"Don't be too disappointed. I have a boat too," Alex chimed in. He remembered the small boat he and Nami had arrived in—if it was still there, that is.

"Where's yours?" Zoro perked up. Maybe Alex's was better?

"If it's still around, you should be able to see it from the window."

Alex sipped on some broth and licked his lips contentedly.

Zoro looked again and, sure enough, there was another small boat docked not far away. But compared to Luffy's, it looked even smaller—Zoro nearly lost it on the spot.

Looks like Nami really did leave that boat just for me...

Seeing Zoro's furious expression, Alex grinned. "Hey, technically we now have two ships. If you want, I can give you mine. That way, you get your own boat. No more complaints, right?"

"You idiot! We're in the same pirate crew—how can we split up like that?!"

Zoro snapped at him.

"Truth is, you're just afraid of getting lost alone at sea, aren't you?" Alex poked right at the heart of the issue.

Zoro's hand twitched, tempted to draw his sword and slash Alex on the spot.

"Don't worry. One day, we'll have a ship this big!" Luffy finally stopped eating and spread his arms dramatically to show the size, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Ahahaha!"

Zoro burst out laughing, his expression exaggerated. "Keep dreaming."

"And we'll have our own pirate flag too!" Luffy added between bites of meat, already lost in his fantasy.

"I'm guessing Captain Luffy left his ability to plan behind in the womb," Koby commented, watching the madness unfold with a sympathetic look.

"I actually called this guy my captain..." Zoro muttered to himself, veins bulging in frustration.

"Big brother, is it true you want to become the Pirate King? You're really amazing!" Rika walked over to Luffy, eyes wide with wonder.

"Yup! I'm super amazing—but I'll be even stronger soon, because I'm going to be King of the Pirates!"

Luffy smiled brightly at Rika, meat still stuffed in his cheeks, completely confident.

This guy's even bragging to a little girl... I give up.

Alex glanced at Luffy and grumbled inwardly.

Then Zoro asked what Luffy planned to do next.

"Obviously, we're heading for the Grand Line!" Luffy shouted, excited as ever.

"What? Are you nuts? There's only three of you! Going to the Grand Line now is basically suicide!" Koby exclaimed, startled. He was still dressing Alex's wounds, but his hand slipped from the shock and pressed hard on the injury.

"AHHH!!" Alex let out a pained yelp as his bandaged back got jabbed again.

Koby apologized profusely, then turned to Luffy with panic in his voice. "Don't you know how dangerous the Grand Line is?! That place is crawling with ruthless pirates from all over the world. If you rush in, you'll be torn apart!"

"It's really that scary?" Rika asked, eyes wide.

Koby froze midway through wrapping Alex's wound. So Alex called Rika over to finish the job.

"Of course it is," Koby said, face serious. "There are two great seas in the world. The Red Line separates them, and at its center is a small town. The sea route that wraps around the globe at a right angle through that place—that's the Grand Line.

"Legend says the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, once ruled the world. He hid the greatest treasure, One Piece, in the Grand Line. That's why countless pirates have rushed into it, leading to endless bloodshed."

"The Grand Line has become a battlefield, a pirate graveyard. No one knows how many pirates have died there."

Koby's voice trembled. His round face was filled with genuine concern.

"I've heard it too," said the restaurant owner's wife as she cleaned a plate nearby. "They say no one ever comes back from the Grand Line."

"If One Piece is there, then we're definitely going," Luffy said without hesitation.

"We don't have a choice. That's where we're headed. I'm in," Zoro added.

Koby looked helplessly at their unwavering determination. He rushed over to Alex and grabbed his hand. "Alex! Please, talk some sense into them. It's way too dangerous to go there now!"

The sudden tug made Rika accidentally poke Alex's wound again. His lips twitched in agony.

Why?! I didn't even say anything! And now my back's been jabbed twice!

Alex sat up straight and told Koby, "You're not coming with us. Why are you so worried?"

"Because... because I care about you guys!" Koby shouted. "Is that not allowed? Can't I care about you?"

"You should be worried about yourself," Alex replied, making Koby pause.

"He's right," Zoro added, lightly thwacking Koby's head with the hilt of his sword. "You were a slave on Alvida's ship for two years. Don't underestimate the Navy's intelligence-gathering. If they find out, you can kiss your Navy dreams goodbye."

Koby's expression dropped. "I've never had real friends... no one who'd risk their lives for me. It's because I'm a coward."

He turned to Luffy. "Even though we haven't known each other long, can someone like me... still be considered your friend?"

His voice was barely audible—Rika's breathing was louder—but there was hope in his eyes.

"Of course! Even if we go separate ways, we'll always be friends!" Luffy grinned.

Koby's eyes lit up behind his thick glasses. He nearly cried on the spot.

"Thank you... I've learned something important from you all: People should live for their beliefs."

He looked at Luffy, Zoro, and Alex. Each had made sacrifices for their dreams. That's how they grew stronger.

"You're right," Luffy said. "That's why we're heading to the Grand Line."

"Exactly," Zoro agreed.

What annoyed Alex most was that Koby suddenly nodded like a brainwashed cultist. "Yeah... you're right."

"Wait, no! I still think it's too dangerous!" Koby shook his head, realizing Luffy had nearly convinced him.

"Koby, if you really want to join the Navy, you've got to change," Alex said firmly. "If you only dream without taking action, you'll never get anywhere."

Seeing Koby reminded Alex of his own younger, hesitant self.

Koby perked up at Alex's words.

"Alex is right! That's why I eat so much meat. If I just dream of it and don't eat, I'd starve!" Luffy chimed in.

Alex's face darkened. He almost lost it.

Just then, the restaurant doors opened—and a group of Marines entered.

"We heard you're pirates. Is that true?" a square-faced Marine officer asked Luffy.

"Yup! We just recruited a new crewmate, and now we're heading off to do pirate stuff!" Luffy answered cheerfully.

"You caused a ruckus at the Navy base, but you also saved us and this town. We're grateful. But now that we know you're pirates, we can't ignore it."

The Marine officer pulled his hat lower and said, "Please leave. We won't report this to HQ—but you must go."

"Hey! What kind of nonsense is that?" someone in the crowd shouted. "You were all terrified of Morgan! Without them, we'd still be living in fear!"

"They're heroes!" another added.

The townspeople were furious. After being freed from Morgan and Helmeppo's tyranny, they couldn't believe the Marines were treating Luffy and the others this way.

"It's fine," Luffy said, rising from his chair with a smile. "Thanks for the food, ma'am—it was delicious."

Alex and Zoro followed without complaint. But the Marines all flinched when they saw Alex.

After all, the one who'd beaten them the worst back at the base... was him.

"Are you one of them?" the Marine officer asked Koby, who was staring at the trio's backs.

"Uh... I..." Koby froze. What was he supposed to say?

"We'll always be friends, even if we part ways," Luffy's words echoed in his mind.

He bit his lip, heart heavy. The others hadn't even walked far, and now he was being forced to deny their friendship.

"I'm not... one of them!" Koby said, tears welling in his eyes.

"Wait!" the officer shouted to Luffy. "Is that true? He's not one of you?"

"I know what this guy used to do," Luffy said, turning around and pointing at Koby.

"Luffy..." Koby's heart dropped. Is he going to expose me?

"I don't remember where it was, but there was this super-fat lady pirate... I think her name was Yarta-Tata or something?"

Luffy gestured comically.

"You idiot. It was Alvida," Alex corrected him.

"Oh, so you know her too!" Luffy said, then started walking toward Koby.

Please... don't say anything... If they find out I was on a pirate ship, I'll never join the Navy. Please... don't tell them...

Sweat beaded on Koby's forehead. He clenched his jaw, heart pounding.

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