Luffy began to grow restless in the barrel after waiting for over an hour to reach Alvida's ship. As he floated his expression soured.
"Damn, how long will it take to get to one dumb ship?" Luffy grumbled. He wanted to break the barrel so bad, but it would be tiring if he tried to swim (which he could because there was no Gum-Gum Fruit to eat). So all he could do was stay still and wait.
After a few more minutes, Luffy spotted a ship through the hole in the barrel: Alvida's ship. Luffy grinned with excitement as his adventure was finally beginning. The ship got closer and closer. Suddenly he felt the feeling of being hoisted up. He heard muffled voices from outside the barrel.
"Hey Koby. What's that you got there?"
"I don't know, it must be a barrel full of rum?" That voice was unmistakably Koby.
"Well then, bring it to the ship, lad."
Luffy began to spin as the barrel was being rolled on the ship. Luffy activated his Observation Haki and saw everyone but Alvida was gathered around the barrel. With that, he enthusiastically broke out of the barrel, causing splinters to shower onto the deck.
All the pirates on the ship were shocked as Luffy laughed with his hand on his hip. "Hahahahahahaha! Finally some fun!!" he exclaimed without caring about the stunned expressions on everyone's faces.
The pirates were making comments on the ship.
"Who is he?"
"A pirate?"
"He looks real young…"
"What was he doing in the barrel?"
"Should we tell Captain Alvida?"
"Why is he laughing?"
Luffy stopped laughing and looked around at the crowd. "Huh, what's wrong?" He dropped that comment like he was genuinely puzzled about why they looked at him.
The pirates were stunned by the comment. One of them said, "Do you know where you are?" Luffy responded by saying, "Duh, we're on a ship."
While the pirates were taken aback by this comment, Luffy walked up to the timid Koby and asked, "So you're pirates, right?" Koby nodded slightly.
Luffy then said, "So how about all of us get acquainted?" He said it with a wide smile on his face and a thumbs up.
The pirates eased and let their partying instincts take over as they gathered barrels of sake onto the deck. Soon everyone but the captain was gathered on the deck, drinking sake and talking. Luffy sat near the figurehead with Koby, with a barrel of sake at his side. Luffy drank a full cup and refilled his cup with sake from the barrel.
Luffy decided to engage Koby. "So, who's your captain? Is he here right now?" Luffy asked, acting oblivious, as he already knew who the captain was.
"Our captain… she's the ruthless 'Iron Mace' Alvida. She!s very tough and merciless even to her crew. She thinks she's the most beautiful woman in the East Blue, but she's quite ugly…"
As Koby spoke, Luffy sensed a new presence on the deck, but deliberately ignored it, knowing full well who it was.
"… she's feared across the East Blue due to her menacing demeanour and physical strength. I hope… one day I will capture her when I join the Marines!" Koby finished.
At this point everyone was looking at Koby on the deck, even Alvida, who had gotten to the deck at some point. She glared at Koby with deep hatred and anger in her eyes. Veins appeared on her face and her teeth were grinding.
She spoke like a murderer ready to kill. "Say it again Koby… you plan to CAPTURE ME???" Her voice shook the hearts of her crew.
She screamed again, like a madman. "SAY IT AGAIN KOBY ! YOU WANT TO CAPTURE
ME?! GO AHEAD AND TRY!!
Koby wanted to shrink back but Luffy held his shoulder firmly. Koby gained a little bit of courage and screamed:
"I S-SAID IT ALVIDA! I'LL CAPTURE YOU AS A MARINE! I'M TIRED OF YOUR TYRANNY! AND YOU ARE FAT AND UGLY!" Koby immediately grew surprised at what he said.
Alvida's face contorted with rage. She hauled her mace up and yelled, "I'll teach you to shut your dirty little mouth, you puny bastard!!" She brought down the mace with all the force she could muster.
Suddenly, the straw-hatted visitor pushed Koby away and blocked her mace with his arms, which were covered with a black hue. Alvida looked at the scene in shock. She did not think much about the visitor when her crew told her about him. The only people who struck her as a threat were two certain pirate captains and a bounty hunter with green hair.
But suddenly this kid showed up with a power she struggled to learn.
Haki.
The shock on her face was evident. Luffy smirked wildly when he saw it. He pushed back Alvida and put his hand on his hat covered head and said, "Iron Mace Alvida, I'm here to bring you down."
Author's note: Did you know for every powerstone you send my way, a natural disaster is prevented? So send me them stones please? 👍👍