Chapter 31: Haven't We Met Somewhere Before?

"Is it really impossible to change fate?"

Kaito Sakamoto sat on the boat, gazing into the distance with a sigh.

"Hahahaha."

"We never expected to run aground, did we, Kaito? At least the weather is nice now."

"Even though this huge whirlpool is terrifying, we're both Devil Fruit users and can't swim."

"There's no one around to call for help, either."

Luffy remained optimistic, even in a dire situation where the only other person he could rely on was also a Devil Fruit user.

"Yeah, yeah."

Kaito responded dismissively, patting Luffy on the shoulder. As soon as Luffy turned around, he shoved Kaito into a barrel.

Seeing the two barrels in the ship's hold, Kaito felt an inescapable fate closing in on him.

"When disaster strikes, everyone scatters. Remember to come find me, Luffy!!"

Before Luffy could respond, Kaito kicked the barrel into the sea.

As the ship was completely engulfed by the whirlpool, he quickly dove into the remaining barrel.

In the next moment, the whirlpool swallowed the fishing boat, and Kaito's barrel plunged into the ocean.

Everything around him spun wildly, and before long, he lost consciousness.

...

"Ugh..."

Kaito slowly opened his eyes to find himself in what seemed to be a large square, surrounded by towering walls.

He felt as if he were "God," bound to a wooden cross.

Turning his head to the right, a splash of green caught his eye, and he smiled. Their first meeting was quite nice.

"You look a bit familiar, sir. Have we met somewhere?"

Zoro kept his head down, not really listening to Kaito's words.

Seeing Zoro ignore him, Kaito simply chuckled and checked his situation; he was tightly bound.

"You'd better hurry up and rescue me, Luffy."

"My body is weak."

...

"Wow, that was a great sleep!!"

"What the heck!!!"

Meanwhile, Luffy had arrived safely at the island where the pirate, Abida, had paused.

He expected the barrel to be filled with booze, but Abida's subordinates were startled by Luffy's sudden appearance, nearly popping their eyes out.

"Who are you?"

"Where's Kaito?"

Luffy asked, bewildered.

"Who are you!!!?"

"Who is Kaito!!!?"

The group of nameless bystanders shot back.

"Don't slack off!!"

Before Luffy could say more, Abida hurled a spiked club at him, smashing the entire warehouse. Luffy, caught in the chaos, rolled into the nearby forest.

.....

"Are you okay? That shock sent you flying!"

The future pillar of the Navy, compared to the "Grand Admiral," had yet to go through any "makeover," sporting a very round chin and a timid demeanor.

He explained to Luffy that they were on the island where the pirate, "Iron Club" Abida, had paused.

But Luffy wasn't concerned about that.

"Is that so? That's not important."

"Do you have a boat you can lend me?"

"I got separated from Kaito when we encountered a whirlpool at sea, and I need to find him."

"You encountered a whirlpool at sea!!!"

Koby was shocked by Luffy's luck, but soon he led Luffy to see the boat he had secretly built for two years... sort of.

"What is this?"

"A coffin?"

"This is a boat. I secretly built it for two years just so I could escape one day," Koby explained.

"Two years? Are you just going to give it away?"

Luffy asked, doubtful that Koby would just hand over a boat he had worked on for so long. He also worried about whether this small boat would sink halfway out to sea.

"I have things I want to do too, but when I think of Miss Abida, my legs go weak, and I can't escape..."

Thinking of Abida's round face and her spiked club, fear washed over Koby's face.

"You really are weak; I hate you."

With a wide grin, Luffy said it without any reservations.

Koby felt as if he had been deeply stabbed by Luffy's words.

"The Kaito you mentioned—is he your partner, Luffy?"

"What do you plan to do at sea?"

Koby changed the subject.

"Oh, I want to be the Pirate King."

Luffy said it with a smile, a declaration not borne from countless trials and battles.

Koby's jaw nearly dropped at Luffy's response as he warned Luffy that it was a dangerous aspiration.

Luffy then delivered a swift kick, causing Koby to bump his head and roll on the ground in pain.

Luffy took off his straw hat, placed it over his heart, and his gaze turned serious.

"I said I want to be the Pirate King, and I would risk my life for it."

Koby, who had always been timid, was profoundly shaken by Luffy's unwavering determination.

"Could I... also do it?

"Can someone like me join the Navy?"

"Although that would make me your enemy, joining the Navy has been my dream since childhood.

"I want to catch all the bad guys, including Abida!"

Koby's passionate declaration about his dream elicited a simple response from Luffy.

"Oh."

At that moment, Abida rushed in, swinging her spiked club. Even if she missed Koby, the impact on the ground sent him stumbling back.

"Who did you say you wanted to catch, Koby?!"

"That guy is your bounty hunter hired to catch me? So it wasn't Roronoa Zoro."

Kaito: I can confirm, it's definitely not Zoro, especially since we're currently together cosplaying.

Seeing Luffy's expression, Abida realized that the unexpected visitor was not Zoro, and she breathed a sigh of relief.