Denial

Hello Everyone, Author here.

Thank you to those who waited. I'm fine now, so now we will go back to the schedule :)

Okay, that's all. Enjoy :)

....

"Huff... Huff... Huff..." Koby breathed heavily as he laid on the floor. Tears started to drip down his face, with sorrow and despair sinking in as he stared at the blurry ceiling. His memories of the 5 days slowly began to flash through his mind.

....

5 Days ago.

'Ahh... Where am I?' Those were the thoughts Coby had when he woke up. He sat up and looked around confusedly, which gradually grew into alarm.

The chamber he is in looks similar to a prison cell on a ship, but that isn't what alarmed him. Instead, the numerous men he recognized were once part of Alvida's crew. All of them had something in common that they wore wearing metal collars and chains around their injured bodies.

'Wait! what about me!' The boy thought in dread. He swiftly grabs his neck, only to hear the sound of metal rustling and to feel a large metal collar on his neck.

'No, no no No! This can't be happening!' Coby's face lost a little bit of color, but then his frantic thoughts were interrupted.

"So the princess is finally awake?" An overweight man wearing a blue and white striped bandana with a matching short-sleeved shirt. Said sarcastically. The sound of rustling metal awakened him.

"Poppoko!" Coby exclaimed in fear when he saw the fat man's state. He lost one of his arms and eyes in the battle. (A.N: He is the man Luffy punched accidentally after getting free from the barrel in the first episode )

"..." The Fat men just glared at the shivering boy. Just looking at him made him angrier them before. Especially How can this little shit still be alive and uninjured? While he lost an arm and an eye.

"What happened to you? Why are we in chains?" Coby asked with dread and panic gradually growing in his chest, which made him tremble intensely.

"Huh? you don't remember? We fought those filthy Baroque Works' Dogs and lost... Cough... Cough!" Poppoko's eyes widened for a second as his cough made him stop, but then he continued saying.

"Cough! Where were you when all this happened?"

Coby didn't hear the fat pirate's question as he sat there frozen in silence. He slowly remembered how he got there. The color slowly faded from his face as it got paler and paler the more he remembered.

'Why did they capture me? I'm not a pirate. I told them that! So why!' Coby's thoughts were in shambles. He couldn't understand why the two agents knocked him out and captured him even after listening to his plea.

"Why... Why did they capture me?" Coby muttered faintly under his breath, which the fat pirate, who was enjoying Coby's pale expression, had heard.

"Because they are planning to sell ya as a c0*k sucking slave..." Poppake said bitterly, making Coby's pale expression even paler.

"What? I.. I... Im... Impossible!"

"Hah! don't believe me if you don't want. You will see soon," The fat pirate scoffed, then closed his eye. He was no longer interested in talking with this coward.

Which the pink-haired boy understood. So he didn't ask any more questions but sat there clutching his knees tighter to his chest in silence.

He couldn't believe it. No, He doesn't want to believe what Poppake said. Baroque Works is working in Slave Trade.

He might be messing with him since he is bitter about his loss and subsequent capture. Yeah, that might be it.

And maybe they couldn't free him without a trial at Baroque Work's court of justice after investigating his background.

'Hahaha! I just need to wait. Soon they would free me, and I would show them my resolve to join them.'

Coby thought consolingly with a vague smile as he denied every sign before him because how can he accept that the Heroes of the East. Baroque Works. Who he dreams of joining is in the slave trade... He couldn't. So he denied everything and slowly fell asleep. But part of him was doubtful and uneasy that Coby tried to ignore or suppress with all he got.

But sometimes, the thing you deny or reject is the truth, no matter how much you try to deny it.

It wouldn't change or disappear since it is the truth whether you like it or not...

....

"Wake up, you filthy pirate!"

Splash!

An agent yelled as he and his fellow associates splashed seawater on all the pirates.

"Ahhh!"

"Bastard!"

"F**k you!"

The pirates woke up cursing when the salt in the seawater entered their wounds and hurt them even more.

Coby was also splashed and awakened with everyone. He stood in a daze, unable to take his eyes off the Baroque Works agents' expressions.

The agents had a frigid and uncaring look when they gazed at the pirates. It was like they weren't staring at humans.

But instead, at a filthy thing that needed to be scoured from this world. And what frightened Coby was that he was receiving the same look.

It frightened the pink-haired boy to the point that he dropped the idea of speaking with them.

"We have arrived at your new living quarters, So line up and walk without any noise."

After the Billion agents finished saying that, The other agents swiftly began to beat everybody into a line. Some pirates tried to resist, only to be pulled to the side and beaten by three agents into a bloody pulp.

Coby shivered in dread as he quietly walked in the line without struggling and out of the ship. Where he stood for a moment, marveling at the sight before his eyes.

He gazed at the port filled with ships with B.W insignia and countless agents, who were either swiftly riding their vessels to set out to capture pirates or were like them, returning after a fruitful venture.

This scene reminded Coby of a description he had read in the past, which made him realize where they were.

'Baroque Harbor. Baroque Works personally owned port in LogueTown. The dock is filled with endless Baroque Works vessels stretching beyond the human's sight.

On the land, you would see many of the valiant agents either returning from their long and arduous journeys or the beginning of their heroic and righteous voyages.

This is where Baroque Works began their expedition to apprehend all pirates and save the East Blu-'

"You what are standing there for? Move!"

An Agent yelled at Coby when he saw him standing there. Interrupting the pink-haired thoughts, the agent didn't stop there. He used a rod to beat Coby in his back.

"Ahhh!" Coby cried out in pain, and a few tears gathered in his eyes, but he abruptly stopped crying when he saw the agent raising the rod once again. He quickly walked into the line that led to the port while his back was throbbing in pain.

They didn't stay at the port for long as the agents quickly pushed them in carriages and took them to another place. Which Coby assumed it to be Eastormel Fort's Prison, where they would be sentenced for their crime. That was where he was placing his hope for freedom, as it was known to be a place of justice and fairness.

After all, many pirates were freed after finding out that they were innocent and were even given a chance to join the ranks of Baroque Works' agents.

So he sat quietly in the carriage as his body quivered slightly while the other pirate cursed out or tried to see outside and failed to see anything.

....

After some time, the carriage stopped moving for a little while, making the pirates and Coby a little bit anxious.

"What is taking them so long?"

The pirates either talked with each other or cursed at agents when suddenly the Door of the Carriage was open abruptly, allowing a piercingly bright light to pass through and blind all the men on the carriage.

"We've arrived. Get out!" Agent who opened the door shouted.

While the pirates were crying in pain and rubbing their eyes to see better, they were dragged out of the cart by force and thrown to the ground.

'Wow... are we underground?' Coby thought as his vision slowly improved, and he could finally see his surroundings better. The sight made his jaw drop a little.

On the carriage, he felt that they were going underground. He expected to see an underground dungeon or something similar, not this...

A cave that stretched endlessly with many paths like the roots of a tree that went everywhere. But that wasn't what shocked him but the immense line of men in chains in front of a building with a large sign that has Reformation Center written on it.

'Are all these pirates! Wow, amazing! Are they all waiting for their trial? If so, this might take forever.' Coby thought with his eyes shining a little bit, but it was quickly dashed when he thought he would need to wait for his turn.

"All of you! go and stand at the end of this line!" A Billion agent barked an order at them.

"What if I don't want to? What then? I'm sick and tired of you all acting high and mighty before us, The Alvida pirates! We might have lost, but we will not be willing to be insulted like this, right men!" One of the pirates with a goatee yelled as he stepped forward and glared at the billion agents.

"Yeah!"

"Let's kill those bastards!"

Only some pirates intended to fight back. But unfortunately for them, the agents were not interested in their shenanigans as they swiftly surrounded them and started killing each pirate that showed a hint of rebellion.

"..." Coby was frozen in shock by how ruthless they were. He couldn't believe that this was how they would treat the pirates when nobody was looking.

"What are ya standing there for? Move, Goddamit!" Poppoko, the fat pirate roared as he pulled Coby by force into the line.

"Huff, Huff. Thanks, Huff, Poppoko," Coby said after he realized what the fat man did.

"Tsk!" Poppoko scoffed and ignored Coby's thanks. And instead focused on what the men in the line were talking about.

"Sigh... how many would this count, now? Seven or ten?" one of the men in front of them said with a look of hopelessness and despair enveloping him.

"Don't know, but each batch has had this happen to them, so, hm... At least 30 per day, maybe?" another person said as he surged his shoulders.

"Quite Down! If I hear even a faint whisper, you will meet their fate!" The billion agent said while pointing at the corpse of the Alvida pirates.

Coby's expression changed into apprehension, and he nodded his head obediently.

"Tsk. f*_king pirates," The billion agent said after he stared at them one last time and then walked away, leaving all the work to the Million agents.