Chapter 014

So he leapt forward, grabbing Kuro right out of his attack, and threw him. He collapsed on the ground and growled in frustration before picking himself up. "You know," Luffy began. "You suck as a fighter, but as a pirate you fail miserably."

"Neither of those things bother me," Kuro responded. "I am no longer a pirate, and after this, I will never have to fight again."

Luffy shook his head. "That's just the thing. You look down at the life of a pirate, but the fact remains that you couldn't handle it. You ran away with your tail between your legs." Kuro's eyes narrowed. He didn't like what this kid was implying. He wanted a life of peace, but a coward he was not. Luffy smiled, knowing he had struck a nerve. "Your will is weak," Luffy continued. "Usopp's ambition is much greater than yours."

This time Kuro scowled fiercely. "What kind of joke is this? You're comparing me to that pretend pirate?" Luffy shook his head.

"Did you even hear me? Like I said, you can't compare to him. You're nothing, just a butler with a get rich quick scheme. There's no one in my crew whose ambition doesn't shit all over yours."

Kuro was really getting frustrated now. "Enough! Just how am I inferior to that play pretend pirate!? Fame? Power? Intellect? Tell me! And don't give me that 'willpower' bullshit! Foolish ambitions will get you nowhere in this world!"

Luffy's grin grew positively bestial. "Would you like to test that out, then? Let's see who will get farther between you and my crew members." Luffy raised one hand to his straw hat and let loose the most powerful blast of Conqueror's Haki that he had used so far in this timeline. Kuro immediately fell to his hands and knees, his eyes widened to epic proportions. He looked up at Luffy with an infuriated and terrified glare. He gritted his teeth and sweat poured down his face as he tried to fight off the darkness that was claiming him, but after a few seconds he gave in and his head fell to the ground with a thud.

Zoro felt the pressure from the blast on his psyche, and raised an eyebrow as he brushed off its effects. Why had Luffy even bothered aiming it at him? Had he just decided to bombard the entire area? His eyes widened slightly at the thought, and he turned toward Nami and Usopp. They were both kneeling on the ground, eyes open but unfocused. Beads of sweat trailed down their faces and their jaws were clenched, as if they were fighting off some unknown foe. After about 10 seconds they both recovered, panting for breath, and looking around frantically. Luffy looked a little guilty as he looked back at them proudly. Zoro snuck a glance at Kaya. She had been unaffected, wondering what was going on with everyone. At least Luffy had left her out of it. Zoro didn't think a whiff of the King's Disposition would help her condition.

Zoro speculated briefly about what Luffy's motive was. The obvious answer was that he wanted to expose them to the effects of the King's Will. Fighting off its effects naturally strengthened one's willpower if done successfully. It was like exercising a muscle. The next time Nami and Usopp encountered a blast of that magnitude they would have a significantly easier time with it. But why so early?

Zoro was confident that Luffy was the only awakened Conqueror in East Blue. Even in Paradise they were scarce. It wasn't until one sailed the New World that the power became somewhat common and resistance to it became a must. Was Luffy just getting a head start with their crewmates? That was assuming, of course, that Luffy wasn't just trying to prove a point. He'd always had a lot of faith in his comrades.

"What should we do with the Black Cat pirates? They'll just wreak havoc when they wake up," he said as Luffy walked by.

"They won't be waking up for a while," Luffy replied. "The Marines will be here before they do." Zoro nodded. If Luffy had aimed his Haki at the entire area, then it wasn't just Kuro that would be out for a while. Nami and Usopp had fully recovered and walked over.

"What the hell was that just now? I felt like death was looming over me," Nami said shakily. Usopp voiced his agreement.

"Ah, sorry. That was me," Luffy replied. Nami rounded on him, infuriated.

"What the hell do you mean it was you!? What the hell did you even do!? And whatever the hell you did, why the hell did you do it to us!?" she yelled with her fist raised.

"Aw, come on Nami, it was just to prepare you. And it builds character," he said cheerfully.

"You still haven't told us what it was," Usopp said curiously. Luffy thought for a moment as if having an inner debate with himself. Eh, what the hell, he thought.

"It's called Conqueror's Haki. One in a million people in the world are born with it. It allows you to forcefully overpower the minds of those with weak wills. Traits like self-confidence and mental discipline help one resist it, but the most important factor is willpower. A person with an unbendable will won't even bat an eye in the face of the most powerful Conqueror. Not doubting. That is true power."

Nami and Usopp took in the explanation with thoughtful expressions, and then they both nodded. Who knew that such a thing existed? The world truly was vast.

That afternoon, after Merry had been bandaged up and briefed on the situation, he and Kaya told Luffy, Zoro, and Nami to meet them on the south shore. When they arrived, Nami's eyes filled with glee. Anchored near the coast was a white caravel that strongly resembled a goat.

"It's called the Going Merry," Merry said. "It's an older model, but it should be helpful to you. Consider it a thank you gift." Nami agreed wholeheartedly. It was still a relatively small ship, but it was much more spacious than what they'd been using up until now.

Luffy and Zoro stared at the ship for a little while. Memories flashed through their mind: some happy, some painful, but all meaningful. After a while Luffy just looked at Merry and Kaya. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Usopp was looking at the ship fondly as Luffy, Zoro, and Nami boarded, but he also looked a bit uncomfortable. He looked from Luffy, to the ship, and back to Luffy. "Um…" he began awkwardly. "I was wondering if your offer to join your crew was still was still in effect." Luffy looked at him confusedly.

"Huh?" was all he said.

Usopp looked down. "Well, it's OK if it's not. I'm sure we'll meet on the sea someday," he said.

"What are you talking about?" Luffy asked, confused. "You already joined, remember? Now get on."

Usopp's eyes widened before a wide grin spread across his face. "I'm…I'm the Captain!" he shouted, jumping into the air with his fist raised.

"Not a chance," Luffy said as Usopp climbed aboard. "But if you want you can be second in command when Zoro's hung over."

"I don't get hung over!" Zoro sputtered indignantly.

Luffy smirked. "You might as well. With the way you sleep, there would be no difference."

Zoro scowled. "Why do people with low tolerances always try to make up for it by talking shit?"

Luffy's smirk grew wider. "You speak as if those swords don't compensate for anything."

It took all of a second for that to sink in before the two were full out brawling on the deck of their new ship. It lasted for a full two minutes before Nami and Usopp decided to risk their well being to pull them apart. They had to set sail at some point.

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