Chapter 11: The Pirate’s Feast

A ship with a duck-shaped prow, its mainmast crowned with a Jolly Roger, anchored at an island. Clearly a pirate ship, it belonged to a notorious crew that often used this uninhabited island as a base. They frequently rested here, deterring visitors, but today, unusually, they disembarked to camp. The fastidious captain typically shunned roughing it, yet today's mood seemed different.

The crew's captain was a woman, Alvida, with a 5-million-berry bounty. Known as "Iron Mace Alvida," her name struck fear in nearby seas. A stout, freckled woman wielding a massive iron mace, she was a stickler for cleanliness, intolerant of sloppiness. Even her crew faced her mace for mistakes, making her feared by nearby villages. Yet, her crimes were mostly looting gold and food, demanding tribute while proclaiming her beauty.

Famous in the East Blue, her crew was small-time globally. As they set up camp in the forest, a tense air hung over them. Though Alvida was oblivious, her crew knew their fear stemmed from her.

"Move faster! I want the feast ready before night!" Alvida barked, lounging in a chair against a tree trunk, arms crossed.

"Yes, Alvida-sama!" her burly men replied, scurrying like ants to please their queen. None dared object—none could. Defiance met her iron mace, a clear reign of terror.

Among the oppressed was a frail-looking boy, an oddity in the crew.

"Hey, Coby! Where's my stuff?!" Alvida snapped.

"S-Sorry, Alvida-sama! Right away!" Coby stammered.

Small, unathletic, with pink hair and glasses, Coby looked anything but a pirate. His timid face and trembling shoulders betrayed his fear of Alvida and the crew. A model citizen by appearance, he delivered wine and a glass, bowing obsequiously. Alvida, unimpressed, snorted and snatched them, placing the glass on a table and inspecting the bottle.

"You're so slow, Coby. Can't you move faster? How long will you make me wait?" she sneered.

"I-I tried to hurry…" Coby mumbled.

"Hmph. And you screwed up again, didn't you?"

"W-What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb!" Alvida hurled the bottle at him. He shielded his head, but it struck his arm, shattering. Wine soaked his white shirt red, the impact stinging though the glass didn't cut him.

As Coby fell, Alvida stood, fuming. "That's not the wine I asked for! Slow and deaf, are you?"

"I-I looked, but we didn't have it—"

"So you tried to trick me?"

"N-No! We ran out, so I brought a substitute to explain—"

"So I can't even listen right, huh?"

"T-That's not what I meant!"

"Got some guts, huh?"

She raised her mace. Coby flinched, eyes shut tight. Instead of striking, her foot slammed into his cheek, sending his small frame tumbling across the ground, battered and aching.

Clutching his face, Coby curled up, groaning, enduring silently.

Why was this happening? The world felt cruel, unjust, offering no salvation.

He felt the crew's mocking, scornful stares. Why this suffering?

Unable to voice his thoughts, he took Alvida's spit and cold glare as she sat back down, uninterested. "If we're out, raid a nearby town. You know whose ship you're on, right?"

"Y-Your ship, Alvida-sama," Coby replied.

"Not what I meant. A pirate ship. You're a pirate, too."

Coby's shoulders twitched at her words.

Oblivious, Alvida tossed a pistol at his feet. It hit his shoe, lighter than expected—a weapon he'd seen but never held.

His body shook at the order to wield it. He'd done any chore, but killing? That he couldn't bear. Kicks and tasks were endurable; murder wasn't.

Sweat poured as the realization hit, dulling his pain. His breathing quickened, exhaustion setting in despite stillness, his face paling. A new terror gripped him, his arms trembling uncontrollably.

Yet Alvida, unrelenting, sneered. "You remember the wine I want? Show some guts, and I'll forgive that kick. Fail, and—"

"I can't! Robbery, killing—I can't!" Coby cried.

"Then you die," she said, rising slowly.

Coby trembled as she hoisted her mace, tapping her shoulder, waiting. One swing meant death—she'd knocked out strong men instantly. Fear paralyzed him, visions of his end chilling his spine.

She approached deliberately, standing over him. Her menacing grin made him feel the world's end, voiceless with dread.

"Useless at everything but navigation," she said. "I overlooked your mistakes until now. But we've sailed these seas enough. Your defiance grates. Time's up, isn't it?"

"N-No…!" Coby whimpered.

"Worthless. At least die without running."

"Eek!"

Her mace rose, glaring down mercilessly. Coby felt death's despair, unable to seek help or save himself. Blaming the unfairness, he cursed his own weakness most.

There had to have been a way—smarter moves, an escape. A shred of courage could've changed his future.

He hadn't wanted this pirate life, had dreams he'd discarded from fear, too timid to take a step. If he'd had courage, even without strength, he could've fought.

Regret flooded him as his end loomed, overwhelming yet clear.

If he could redo it… he thought fiercely in his terror.

As Alvida's expression twisted, her mace poised to strike—

"Whoa! That's some huge meat!" a voice cut in.

Salvation or ruin? The voice froze time.

An unfamiliar voice shifted the air. All eyes searched for its source—a stranger in the clearing, not one of them.

As expected, a boy stood out, drooling over sizzling meat on a grill, oblivious to Coby and Alvida. His straw hat and carefree hunger stood out in the tense scene.

Alvida's mace halted mid-swing as he asked the cook, "Hey, can I eat this yet? Meat's the best, looks tasty!"

"Uh, it's ready, but—" the cook stammered.

"Sweet! Let's eat!" The boy, Luffy, grabbed the meat and bit in, grinning, oblivious to the tension.

The crew watched, stunned, as he ate. Something felt off, snapping time back into motion.

Alvida glared at a crewmate. "Who's that?"

"No clue, boss. Snuck in somehow," the man replied.

"Then why's he eating our food?!"

"S-Sorry, I don't—"

Ignoring the trembling crewmate, Alvida stormed toward Luffy, pointing her mace. "Hey, where'd you come from? Think you can steal our food for free? Got payment, huh?"

"I'm Luffy. The man who'll be Pirate King," he said, chewing.

"Luffy? Pirate King? Hah, not just a fool—a grand idiot. Never heard of you, spouting big dreams!"

"Mmm, shish deli-shous," Luffy mumbled.

"Stop eating!" Alvida roared, slamming her mace into the ground, dirt flying.

Her crew scattered, hiding behind trees, knowing her mace could crush a body like the earth. Its force was intimidation enough.

Yet Luffy kept eating, fueling Alvida's rage. Twirling her mace, she advanced. "Know what happens when you steal from pirates, rookie? No weapons, yet you claim Pirate King?"

"Mmph, I said it," Luffy garbled.

"Speak clearly, you brat! You need discipline!"

Luffy finished the bone-in meat, grabbing skewers and sashimi, devouring everything indiscriminately. His speed was inhuman, astonishing but infuriating in this context. The faster he ate, the more Alvida's veins bulged.

She considered hurling her mace. Then Coby, resolute, stood, sweating profusely, and shouted at Luffy, his voice echoing, "Run!"

"Huh?" Luffy paused.

Alvida's glare pierced Coby, but he didn't falter. "Please, Alvida-sama, do what you want with me, but let him go!"

Bowing, legs shaking, Coby spoke firmly, a newfound boldness—or desperation—unlike before. He seemed unaware of his own words, teetering on collapse.

He was terrified, yet resolute. He couldn't back down now.

What had he dreamed of? The memory surged vividly.

Trembling but strong, he shouted, "Since I was a kid, I wanted to be a Marine! I've been too scared to act, but if I run while an innocent's about to die, I'm truly a coward! A useless wimp, no better than pirates like you!"

"Coby, you know who you're talking to?" Alvida growled.

"I won't rob or kill. I can't. I'm fine with that. I'm not a pirate like you!"

Shaking, veins pulsing, Alvida glared, but Coby stood firm, driven by conviction unseen before.

Then, Alvida's scowl softened into an odd, gentle smile, startling Coby. His clenched fists relaxed, unaware of the shift.

"Well said, Coby. That's your true feelings?" she asked softly, a tone he'd never heard.

"Y-Yes…" he stammered.

"Two years under me, you've felt this way?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Really? Well done."

Her face twisted into a demonic snarl. Coby nearly fainted, legs buckling as he collapsed, paralyzed by her glare.

Had he ever felt death so close? This terror dwarfed before. He knew it was over.

He saw her movements with sickening clarity, amplifying his fear. Wishing for a swift end, he couldn't look away as she approached, his heart constricting.

"Think you can defy me and walk away? Stop mocking me!" she roared.

"Waaah!" Coby screamed, eyes locked on her.

He was certain of death. Unable to flee or stand, his short life flashed, filled with regret.

Yet, amidst crushing fear, he felt it was enough. He'd spoken his truth, overcome fear for one moment, and stood as more than a coward. For that instant, he'd bested Alvida.

No regrets. He screamed, convincing himself.

(I said it! I defied Alvida! I changed!)

As Alvida stopped before him, swinging her mace down, his screams echoed, desperate yet alive.

Mercilessly, the mace fell. Unable to close his eyes, Coby faced his end.

But mid-swing, something struck the mace, knocking it from her hand. It spun past Coby, grazing his cheek, drawing blood, and crashed into the camp's supplies, embedding in the ground with a cloud of dust.

Coby fainted, foam at his mouth, overwhelmed.

Alvida ignored him, focused on the impact. Her hand wasn't hit, but it tingled from the force. No crewmate would dare. Only one possibility remained.

Turning slowly, she saw Luffy, still chewing.

Her crew, witnessing it, muttered in shock:

"His arm… stretched!"

"What was that? A hallucination?"

"Alvida-sama's mace flew!"

"Why'd his arm stretch?"

"So, a Devil Fruit, huh? Someone really ate one," Alvida mused, smirking.

From their chatter, she deduced Luffy was a Devil Fruit user—troublesome, though his ability was unclear. His carefree eating seemed foolish, but the stretched arm suggested power.

Striding past the unconscious Coby, she retrieved her mace. To knock away a weapon that could crush iron was astonishing, if true.

Shuddering, she stared at Luffy's nonchalant face. He wasn't ordinary.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Told ya. A pirate," Luffy said, chewing, eyes on her. Pointing at Coby, he added, "He helped me. Now I'll help him."

"Help? Hah, Coby? Ironic. He just fainted from fear, didn't help you," Alvida scoffed.

"He told me to run. That's enough," Luffy replied.

His calm voice hinted at unseen strength. His dark eyes met hers, unafraid, unyielding—a first for Alvida.

Why didn't he fear her? She wondered most.

"I've decided. I'll protect him. Want to kill him? Beat me first," Luffy said, still eating.

"Come at me."

Biting into roasted meat, Luffy stood defiantly.