A small port on a quiet island.
Monkey D. Luffy stepped off his small dinghy and surveyed the town, a heavy thought weighing on his mind.
'I was born into this world as Monkey D. Luffy, but at seventeen years old, I am fundamentally different from the original.'
'It wasn't a sudden possession where the original seventeen-year-old Luffy died in an accident and I took over his body. I have been here since the beginning.'
'The name is the same, but the soul within is different. Consequently, I've found myself forced to do things the original Luffy never did.'
'After Ann left, I spent my time traveling to the islands surrounding Foosha Village. I hunted down a few pirates I encountered there, and I even followed my grandfather, Monkey D. Garp, to Marine Headquarters.'
'Perhaps because of those detours, I missed meeting Zoro—the man who was supposed to be Luffy's first companion.'
As he stepped onto the cobblestone path, Luffy exhaled a long sigh, his thoughts drifting further as he walked.
'Roronoa Zoro. It's a pity I missed the one who was the strongest among the original crew, but there's no helping it.'
'Besides, I don't feel obligated to recruit the exact same people the original Luffy chose as his nakama.'
'Life on a ship is grueling. Unless there is a strict hierarchy like in the Marines, personal temperaments and clashing egos will inevitably lead to conflict.'
'But I have no desire to be the captain of a crew governed by rigid military discipline. If I liked that sort of thing, I would have listened to the old man and stayed with the Marines.'
'My personality is different from the original Luffy's. It's entirely possible his original crew wouldn't even get along with me... Hm?'
Lost in thought as he entered the town proper, Luffy noticed several people sprinting toward him from the distance.
He focused his gaze on the woman leading the pack, her hair a vibrant, unmistakable orange.
'In my entire life, the only orange-haired person I've seen is Dadan. It's a rare color.'
'Wait. I recall the original Luffy meeting her here, in Orange Town... Could it be?'
"Stop right there, you thief!"
"We have to get it back! That's the chart for the Grand Line!"
"You're damn right! If we don't find it, Captain Buggy will have our heads!"
The woman with the orange bob was being hounded by several armed men. Catching sight of Luffy walking toward her, she suddenly let out a frantic cry.
"B-Boss, save me! I stole the chart just like you ordered!"
"Boss? Are you talking to—?"
Before he could finish, she darted past him and vanished into a narrow alleyway.
'Ah... I remember this. She dumped the trouble on Luffy and ran in the original story too. To think I'd actually fall for it.'
"Pant, pant... Are you that wench's boss?"
"No, I'm not anyone's boss. I just—"
"Bring her back here right now, you bastard!!!"
While Luffy's head was turned, the three pursuers had already closed the distance. One of them screamed in his face and, before Luffy could respond, swung a blade with murderous intent.
CLANG!
"Why did you ask a question if you weren't going to let me finish the answer?"
"The... the sword...!"
The blade struck Luffy's raised forearm and recoiled violently, the steel shivering against his hardened skin. It was as if the pirate had struck an iron pillar.
"What are you?" Luffy asked, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous register.
"W-What?"
"I asked, who the hell do you think you are?"
"Well, that is..."
The men recoiled under Luffy's piercing gaze, their weapons lowering instinctively as they took several steps back.
"And you—I know you're hiding back there. Come out."
"W-What are you talking about..." the lead pirate stammered.
"I'm telling you to come out while I'm still asking nicely. Otherwise, you're next after these idiots."
Luffy turned his head back, and the three pirates followed his gaze.
"Hehe... How did you know?"
"The sound of your footsteps faded, then grew closer again."
"You! You little thief...!"
The woman from earlier had returned. She peeked out from behind the corner of a building to address Luffy, ignoring the fuming men.
Luffy turned his attention back to the pirates brandishing their steel. "Who do you people think you are, running around with drawn swords?"
"W-We're the victims here! That thief stole our property, so we were chasing her!"
"Hey. Are you a thief?" Luffy asked Nami.
"Y-Yes, but these guys are pirates! They're the scum of the earth who rob innocent people and kill whenever they feel like it!"
She pointed a finger at them defiantly. "I'm nothing like them! If I steal from bastards like this, it's basically justice!"
"You little...!"
Luffy looked the men over. "So you're pirates? Killed a lot of people, have you?"
"Why are you even asking them?!" Nami shouted. "You can tell they're pirates just by looking at the way they charge with swords!"
"You never know. Maybe they were honest people and you just stole something so precious it drove them to madness?"
'Realistically, if things were following the original plot, these three would definitely be pirates. The problem is that I've lived my life differently from the original Luffy.'
'I missed Zoro. A single small action I took could have spiraled into a massive change for someone else down the line.'
'The butterfly effect is real. It's better not to assume that things will happen exactly as they did in the manga.'
'Which means I need to verify the facts for myself.'
While Luffy mused, the woman and the pirates continued their shouting match. Eventually, the woman screamed at him in exasperation.
"Oh, for heaven's sake! They are pirates!"
"And not just any pirates! They're subordinates of Buggy the Clown, a man with a fifteen-million-Berry bounty!"
"T-That's right! We serve Captain Buggy!"
"Well, look at that. A voluntary confession," Luffy remarked. "I'm glad I don't have to keep questioning you."
"Don't act so tough! Even if you're a bit stronger than us, you'll never defeat Captain Buggy!"
"Yeah! Even the famous Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro was captured by our Captain and the rest of us!"
"...Zoro?"
"That's right! Given Captain Buggy's temper, do you really think he'll let you go after interfering with us?"
"Even excluding us, there are over thirty of Captain Buggy's men in this town!"
'I came here after passing through Shells Town, where the Marine base is located.'
'In the original story, Zoro was nearly killed in Shells Town because of Helmeppo, the bratty son of Captain Morgan—the corrupt Marine who extorted the citizens. Saving Zoro and making him a companion was supposed to happen there.'
Luffy briefly recalled a past memory. He saw himself grinding his heel into the back of a man in a white uniform. The man beneath him had a massive axe for a right hand.
'I beat Morgan half to death years ago and handed him over to the Marines myself. That's why I thought I missed Zoro. But he's here? He was caught by Buggy instead of Morgan?'
"Ah, I see. So he's here. That saves me the trouble of searching for him."
"Exactly! So stay out of our business and—!"
"But tell me... do you think you're the only ones with bad tempers?"
SWISH—SLIGHT!
In a blurred motion, Luffy swung his right arm horizontally. The movement was so swift and powerful that it functioned like a blade, shearing through the necks of the two pirates in front.
"My personality isn't exactly great either."
"Wh... huh?"
"That's the reason you aren't going to have a peaceful death."
As the two heads tumbled past the third pirate, his legs gave out, and he collapsed into the dirt in a heap of terror.
Without missing a beat, Luffy's hand clamped onto the man's head.
"W-Wait, please—!"
"Why do you idiots swing swords without listening to a word someone says? Well... not that it would have mattered. I wouldn't have let you live anyway."
"S-Stop!"
Luffy's expression grew terrifyingly grim as he poured crushing strength into his grip.
"Because evil humans have no right to live."
CRUNCH...!
The sound of shattering bone echoed through the alley. As Luffy released his grip, the pirate's limp body slumped to the floor, face distorted, with blood pouring from his eyes, nose, and mouth.
Nami approached with hesitant steps, her voice trembling.
"Hey, was that... was that really necessary?"
"Like you said, they were pirates. People who rob and kill innocents at their own whim."
Luffy turned to her. "If that's what they do, then it stands to reason they can be killed just as easily."
"I..."
"And do you even realize what I just did for you?" Luffy continued. "Do you have any idea what would have happened to you if those men had caught you?"
"Well, I know that, but..."
Nami looked down. The sight was grisly—two decapitated corpses and another with a crushed skull leaking blood onto the street.
She stared at the blades the fallen pirates had held.
'That's right... these men are only receiving what they've dished out to others. There's no need to feel pity for them.'
'If you're prepared to hurt others... you have to be prepared to get hurt yourself.'
Steeling her nerves, Nami forced a bright, albeit awkward, smile.
"A-Anyway, you're incredibly strong! And more importantly, what was that golden glow around your hand?"
"So you only show yourself once the fighting is finished, huh?"
"Aww, don't be like that!"
As she approached him with a practiced, flirtatious laugh, her short orange hair bounced at her shoulders. She stood at about 170cm, with a slender waist contrasting her curvaceous figure.
She looked roughly twenty, or perhaps a year or two younger, but her features were sharp and striking. Her light brown eyes, illuminated by the sun, shimmered with a hue nearly identical to her hair.
She gazed at Luffy and continued, "When such a beautiful lady is being chased by pirates, you could at least—"
THWACK!
Luffy's fist descended lightly but firmly onto the center of her head.
"Ouch! What was that for?!"
"That was a forehead flick, what else?"
"Why would you hit me?!"
"You dragged a bystander into danger. You deserved a lot more than a flick."
"But you were stronger! You didn't even get hurt!"
"If I had been weaker, I could have died."
"Well, that's..."
"You said it yourself—that you're different from those pirates." Luffy leaned in closer. "If I had died because of you, do you think you'd still be able to say that so proudly?"
"..."
Nami met Luffy's fierce, unwavering gaze. After a long moment of silence, she looked away.
"I'm sorry... for getting you involved."
Luffy's expression softened. "Look, if things get desperate, it's natural to ask for help. And if someone asks, it's only right to save them."
"That's just how people help each other survive. That's life."
"...You're right."
"So next time you need a hand, don't play tricks. Just say it."
"Say what?"
"Say, 'Help me.'"
Nami, who was slightly shorter than Luffy, looked up at him. The intensity in his face had vanished, replaced by a sincere kindness. Her face began to flush a deep crimson.
'Telling me to ask for help... no one has ever said that to me before.'
'Why are you saying that? I met you today, and I put your life at risk...'
As Nami's face burned with embarrassment and something else she couldn't name, Luffy went back to his own reflections.
'I've thought about this many times over the last ten years, but I'll never be a magnanimous man like Shanks.'
'If I were in Shanks's shoes ten years ago, I would have broken every bone in Higuma's body and beat him until he begged for forgiveness before finally ending him.'
'The original Luffy was a broad-minded soul, but I'm just a petty man, so a flick to Nami's head was the best I could do.'
'Then again, the original Nami was a truly good girl... was I too harsh?'
"Why are you just standing there? Did I hit you too hard?"
"N-No! It just took me by surprise... Thank you for helping me."
"Sure. In the future, just ask for help and say thank you when you get it. That's all there is to it."
"Um... what's your name?"
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy. And yours?"
"My name is Nami. I'm a thief."
'So this is how it happens. I've met Luffy's second companion, Nami.'
'Or does she count as the first now? Well, we'll see.'
"Nami, can you tell me what's going on in this town?"
"Right now... look, I'll explain everything at the house where I left my things. Come with me."
"Lead the way."
Nami began to walk ahead, and Luffy followed closely behind. As they moved, he looked down at his blood-stained right hand.
'Since Ann left, I have killed many people.'
'They were murderers, or at least committed crimes equivalent to murder. But I can't stop wondering—did they truly deserve death?'
Luffy glanced back over his shoulder at the dead pirates.
'No human is perfectly black or white. That's my belief.'
'The ones I kill are simply those whose shade of gray is too dark for this world to bear.'
'I must keep questioning if I am right. That is the only way to stay on the correct path.'
'And that is how I will keep moving forward.'