What if the Straw Hat pirates went back in time.

The sea was deceptively calm as Luffy lay sprawled on his tiny boat, his straw hat tipped over his eyes to shield him from the glaring sun. A loud growl erupted from his stomach, breaking the stillness.

"Man, I'm starving…" he groaned, rubbing his belly. He sat up, squinting at the endless horizon, hoping for any sign of land—or food.

But before he could dwell on his hunger, the calm sea began to churn. The water swirled unnaturally, and the gentle waves transformed into rippling currents. A faint, distant roar reached Luffy's ears, growing louder with each passing second.

"Huh?" Luffy muttered, standing and gripping the edge of his boat. His brow furrowed as he stared at the horizon, where the ocean began to spiral. The current grew fiercer, pulling his tiny vessel closer to the vortex at its center.

"A whirlpool?" he muttered, blinking in confusion. The wind picked up, whipping at his hair and hat. "Whoa, this is bad!" he shouted, steadying himself as his boat was dragged into the swirling waters.

The whirlpool roared like a hungry beast, towering over his tiny craft. Luffy's instincts kicked in. He grabbed his straw hat, crammed it onto his head, and dove into the barrel he'd been using as a storage container.

Inside the barrel, everything went dark. The sound of the whirlpool roared around him, muffled but deafening. Luffy sat still, his hands pressed against the barrel's interior.

"This feels… familiar," he murmured, his voice tinged with confusion. "What the heck just happened?"

As he floated in the chaos, memories began to surface. He saw flashes of the same situation, the same desperation, the same barrel…

"Wait a minute," Luffy said, his eyes narrowing. He tapped the side of the barrel thoughtfully. "This is just like how I started my journey! But… why is it happening again?"

The barrel lurched suddenly, and Luffy felt it rolling across the deck of a ship. There were muffled voices, followed by someone laughing loudly. The barrel stopped abruptly, and Luffy heard footsteps approaching.

The lid of the barrel creaked open. With a grin, Luffy burst out, accidentally headbutting one of the men above him. The pirate dropped like a stone, unconscious.

Luffy stretched his arms with a yawn. "Man, I slept great!" He looked at the two remaining pirates, who stared at him in shock.

"Who the hell are you?!" one of them barked, his hand trembling as he reached for his weapon.

Luffy blinked. "Huh? Oh yeah, I should be asking that!" He tilted his head before pointing at the man on the ground. "But hey, that guy shouldn't sleep there. He'll catch a cold." Then, as if realizing it for the first time, he laughed. "Ohhh! I knocked him out, didn't I?"

The pirates exchanged a glance, clearly unnerved. Luffy didn't seem to notice their fear as he casually stepped past them, spotting a pink-haired boy cowering nearby.

"Hey, you got any food?" Luffy asked, grinning widely.

The pirates snapped out of their stupor. "You little punk!" one of them growled, drawing a rusted sword. "You think you can just—"

Before he could finish, Luffy's fist shot out in a blur, shattering the blade with a single punch. The broken pieces clattered to the ground as Luffy turned to the second pirate, who froze in place.

"what's the deal?" Luffy asked casually, tilting his head.

The pirates didn't wait for a second invitation. They bolted, shouting about demons and curses as they disappeared below deck.

Luffy chuckled, scratching his head. "Guess they're not very brave."

He turned back to the pink-haired boy, who was staring at him with wide eyes. "Oh yeah! Hey, do you know someone named Koby?" Luffy asked suddenly, the memory finally surfacing.

The boy flinched, his face turning red. "I—I'm Koby…"

Luffy's jaw dropped, and his finger shot out to point at the boy dramatically. "YOU'RE KOBY?!" he shouted. Without waiting for an answer, he began circling him, inspecting him like some rare specimen.

"No way! What happened to the confident Koby I knew?"

The boy's cheeks flushed deeper as he adjusted his glasses nervously. "C-Confident? I—I don't know what you're talking about!"

Luffy scratched the back of his head, his expression baffled. "Huh. Guess you're not there yet. Weird…"

Without another word, Luffy walked off, sniffing the air. He followed the scent of food to the ship's storage, where he found barrels of provisions. With an eager grin, he began tearing into the supplies, devouring everything in sight.

Koby watched in stunned silence from a distance. Who is this guy? he wondered.

Luffy paused mid-bite and turned to Koby, crumbs on his face. "Oh yeah! I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm gonna be the Pirate King!" he said proudly.

Koby's jaw dropped further. "P-Pirate King?! That's impossible!"

Luffy chuckled. "Not for me. By the way, isn't your dream to join the Marines and become an admiral?"

Koby's face turned pale. "W-What?! How do you know that?!"

Luffy shrugged casually, taking another bite. "I just know it."

Koby's fists clenched, determination flickering in his eyes. "Then I'll do it! I'll join the Marines and leave Alvida's crew for good!"

Before Koby could say more, a loud crash echoed behind him.

"You'll what?!" Alvida roared, her massive frame appearing in the doorway.

Koby paled and stammered. "I-I mean… you misheard me, Captain Alvida!"

Luffy laughed heartily. "Man, I used to hate how cowardly you were."

With a single glance, Luffy focused his haki. Alvida and her men dropped to the ground, unconscious. Koby gawked in disbelief.

"W-What was that?!" Koby asked.

"Haki," Luffy said simply. "Come on, let's go. I need to gather my crew."

As they prepared to leave, Luffy noticed a small ship approaching. A familiar figure stood aboard it.

"Nami?" Luffy whispered, recognizing her instantly.

Stretching his arm, he grabbed hold of the boat and launched himself toward it, nearly tipping it over in the process. Nami gasped, gripping the mast tightly.

Koby stood frozen, pointing at Luffy in shock. "Y-You stretched your arm?!"

As Luffy launched himself onto Nami's boat, his wide grin was met with a less-than-enthusiastic reaction.

"Luffy!" Nami shouted, her eyes blazing with irritation. She pulled her fist back and punched him squarely on the head.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Luffy whined, rubbing the new lump forming on his head.

"You almost tipped the boat over, you idiot!" Nami scolded, arms crossed. Despite her angry tone, there was a flicker of relief in her expression.

As Luffy grumbled about how much it hurt, Nami sighed. "At least you remember me. That's something…" she muttered, more to herself than to him.

Luffy tilted his head, confused. "Of course I remember you, Nami! Why wouldn't I?"

Nami's brow furrowed, her suspicion growing. If he remembers me and still has his powers… then maybe we really did go back in time.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Koby, who stood frozen on the larger ship, staring at her in bewilderment. "W-Who is she?" he stammered, pointing at Nami.

Luffy, despite the pounding in his head, gave a wobbly smile. "S-She's one of my crewma—"

Before he could finish, Nami's fist connected with his head again. "We're friends," she corrected sharply, glaring at him.

"Friends…" Luffy mumbled weakly, slumping against the boat's mast with cartoonish swirls in his eyes.

Koby blinked, still processing the interaction. "Uh….yea," he said hesitantly while sweating nervously.

Nami ignored him, focusing on Luffy. "So, where are we headed next, Captain?"

Luffy perked up, instantly forgetting the pain. "We're going to a Marine base! I need to gather my crew!" he said with his usual enthusiasm.

Koby raised an eyebrow. "The Marine base? Why there?"

Luffy grinned. "That's where Zoro is!"

Koby paled at the mention of Zoro's name. "You mean… Roronoa Zoro?! The demon pirate hunter?!"

"Yep!" Luffy said cheerfully, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Nami sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "This is going to be a headache…"

With Luffy leading the way, the trio began their journey toward the Marine base, the horizon stretching out before them.