A seconde chance : Between Land and Sea

"Aaaaaah, that feels so good!" he said, yawning as if his jaw might fall off. He turned his head and noticed Koby, frozen in place, his foot still raised, eyes wide with surprise.

"Hey, thanks for letting me out!" said the stranger, smiling brightly, completely unfazed by the situation.

Koby, stunned, stood there speechless for a few seconds. Then, the scene seemed to overlap with a faint memory, a nearly forgotten story about a boy with a straw hat and a rubber body who wanted to become a pirate.

"My name's Luffy," the boy introduced himself, tapping his hat. "Nice to meet you! Thanks for the kick—or the push, or whatever—you woke me up just in time."

"You… were in that barrel?" Koby asked, his voice calm but incredulous.

"Yep, ha ha!" Luffy replied, beaming with enthusiasm.

By now, Luffy had gotten to his feet, inspecting the corridor they were in as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Koby could still hear the sounds of battle outside—cannons, swords clashing, and people screaming—but he took a deep breath to steady himself.

"Nice to meet you…" Koby said evenly. "I'm Koby. But… do you realize you're on a ship in the middle of a pirate raid?"

The distant clash of swords echoed faintly, reminding them of the urgency of the situation. Luffy raised an eyebrow, his expression as innocent as ever.

"Really? I fell asleep hiding in that barrel after my boat got sucked into a whirlpool. I seriously thought I was going to die! Hahahahaha!"

A slight smile flickered on Koby's lips, but his eyes betrayed his deep contemplation. This boy was, to say the least, baffling—both for his nonchalance and his honesty.

"So, are you one of the pirates attacking this ship?"

Koby slightly shook his head. The sounds of battle reminded him that every second mattered, yet he couldn't help but size up this boy in the straw hat.

"No," he replied evenly, as if carefully weighing each word. "I'm not one of them. I'm…" He hesitated briefly. "Forced to sail under their orders."

Luffy grinned, seemingly unaffected by the danger. "Ah, I see!" he said, scratching the back of his head. "You got dragged into it? That sucks."

Koby chuckled softly. Luffy's sincere simplicity intrigued him. Crossing his arms, he adopted a thoughtful stance, though his mind was racing. Slowly, almost like a professor lecturing, he explained:

"The pirates attacking this ship… they work for a woman named Alvida. She rules with an iron fist, and most of her men are ruthless brutes. They're drunk on looting and violence."

As if on cue, a cannon blast rumbled in the distance, making the hull shudder. Luffy didn't seem more disturbed by the explosion than if it had been a firecracker, continuing the conversation as if nothing had happened.

"Alvida? Never heard of her. But if she's mean, I'll knock her out if she gets in my way!"

Koby gave a faint smile, both incredulous and contemplative. At least he's confident, he thought. Then, adopting the serene tone that defined him, he added:

"I don't think they'll just let you do that. They're numerous, and quite ferocious. You know they've already ravaged more than one ship?"

Luffy shrugged, still smiling cheerfully.

"Doesn't matter. I'll beat them all anyway." He tilted his head as if struck by a sudden idea. "And you? What do you want to do?"

The question caught Koby off guard. He wasn't used to people asking his opinion, let alone so directly. His eyes dropped to the floor before returning to Luffy, who still wore his trademark grin. He wasn't sure he could open up to a stranger who had just popped out of a barrel… but something told him he could trust this boy, at least a little.

"For now," he murmured, "I just want to get out of all this. But, in the long run… I want to sail the seas, see things no one's ever seen, hear sounds no one's ever heard, breathe in scents no other nose has smelled, and taste flavors completely unknown. I'd like to challenge the strongest man in the world, exchange ideas with the wisest minds, and write the greatest story ever told, to… maybe even seduce the most beautiful woman—"

Koby let the words hang in the air, realizing how much of himself he had just revealed.

Koby let the words hang in the air, realizing how much of himself he had just revealed.

Koby paused for a moment, slightly embarrassed by how openly he had shared his dreams. However, he didn't regret his words. If someone mocked him for it, so be it.

But Luffy, far from being shocked or mocking, broke into a wide smile. He tilted his head slightly, his enthusiasm almost contagious.

"Shishishishishi, that's so cool! So, what was the end of your sentence? 'Seduce the most beautiful woman in the world,' right?" he teased, finishing the phrase that had been left hanging.

Koby burst out laughing, almost against his will. If he were honest with himself, it felt good to think about something other than the bleak life he'd been living for the past two and a half months.

"Yeah, something like that," he admitted with a slight shrug and a smile.

Then, slowly raising his chin, he regarded Luffy as if he were some sort of phenomenon.

"And you? What's your goal?" he asked calmly.

Luffy tapped his hat with a sense of pride.

"I'm going to become the King of the Pirates and find the One Piece."

A brief silence fell, as if his words echoed in the air. Koby blinked, slightly taken aback—the One Piece, no less… He had heard of that grand dream in vague, hazy memories, like a fairy tale told at bedtime. Yet here was a boy with a dazzling smile proclaiming it with unwavering confidence.

"…That's ambitious," Koby acknowledged, taking a deep breath. "But… I suppose we're in the right place to start."

For a moment, the two young men locked eyes, as if nothing else in the world existed. In the background, the clash of the ongoing battle raged on—cannons, swords, and the cries of pirates and sailors caught in the chaos of the raid. But here, in this narrow corridor, time seemed to stand still.

Koby inhaled deeply, as if to convince himself that all of this was real. A small smile touched his lips. He admired the sheer confidence Luffy exuded—a mix of honesty and absolute certainty that drove him to aim for the top of piracy.

"The King of the Pirates," he repeated softly, a spark of interest in his gaze.

"Shishishi!" Luffy responded, as proud as a rooster. "I won't stop until it's a reality."

A crash sounded from the nearby corridor—likely another assault from Alvida's pirates or a counterattack by the ship's crew. The walls trembled, and a sharp crack signaled that a partition had just given way. Luffy, no more fazed than if it had been a passing breeze, turned briefly toward the noise before shifting his attention back to Koby.

"They're going to get here any second," he observed, then grinned. "So, are you coming with me?"

Koby felt his heart beat faster. He knew this wasn't just a casual question. But as he met Luffy's determined gaze, he found himself accepting the invitation, knowing that a part of him had already crossed that line. Somehow, in just a few minutes of conversation, they had formed an inexplicable bond.

"Alright, let's go," he said, his voice calm but firm. "…Captain," he added with a faint smile.

Luffy let out his signature laugh, the light of an excited child gleaming in his eyes. In this narrow corridor, with the sounds of the battle ringing all around them, their budding alliance seemed both improbable and entirely natural. There was something about Luffy's energy that had already won Koby over, despite the briefness of their encounter.

"Hahahahaha… Welcome aboard, then!" Luffy declared, tipping his straw hat confidently.

With an unspoken agreement, they moved forward through the corridor. Koby, true to his thoughtful and composed nature, kept a sharp eye on every door and corner that might conceal an adversary. Luffy, on the other hand, walked with a disarming ease, as if he were strolling through a bustling market in broad daylight. It was almost easy to forget the chaos of the battle raging just a few meters away.

Luffy turned right, where the flickering light of a lantern cast dancing shadows on the walls. The sound of footsteps and shouting grew closer. Koby tightened his grip on his staff, ready to act if needed.

"So, Captain, do you have a plan?" he asked, slowing down to match Luffy's pace.

"A plan?" repeated the straw-hatted boy with a wink. "We go forward, and we hit things! Shishishi!"

A soft chuckle escaped Koby. Against all odds, he felt more alive than he had in months. This wild adventure wasn't something he would have chosen for himself, but now that it had presented itself, he had no reason not to embrace it wholeheartedly.

"Well, then, forward we go, and we hit," he concluded, a faint smile tugging at his lips as his composure gradually returned.

They passed through a cluttered passage where a cannon had visibly torn through the partition. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood. In the distance, the silhouettes of pirates seemed to signal the nearing end of the fight. Koby cast one last glance at Luffy, who returned it with a sparkling look.

"Together," Koby said simply, as if answering an unspoken question.

And with the sound of boots against the floor, the two stepped into the fray, an unlikely duo bound by the promise of the wildest adventures.