The Novelist System: Writing Story From Memory
Chapter 4: A Pink-Haired Cabin Boy
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Luffy stepped out onto the deck. The ship was old, creaking under his weight. The sky stretched wide above him, clouds slow and lazy. Seagulls passed by without concern.
He looked around.
Not a soul in sight.
"Guess I'll take this ship," he said casually.
Below deck, voices echoed. Footsteps. A group of pirates returned—rough men with worn faces. Luffy didn't hide.
One of them spotted him. "Who the hell are you?!"
Luffy smiled. "I'm Luffy. I'm gonna be King of the Pirates."
They laughed.
He didn't flinch.
The first punch was thrown. Luffy didn't dodge. It landed with a heavy thud—but the pirate's arm bent oddly. Luffy's body stretched like rubber.
The pirates froze.
He bounced back upright. "That hurt a little."
One of them backed away. "W-what are you?!"
"I'm a rubber man," Luffy said simply.
The chaos that followed was short. Luffy, laughing, sent them flying across the deck.
From the shadows, a small figure watched.
A boy with short pink hair, hands trembling, hiding behind a broken barrel.
Luffy noticed him after the fight.
"Hey," he called. "Who are you?"
The boy flinched. "I-I'm Coby. I'm… a cabin boy."
He hesitated. Then added, "I didn't want to join them. I got tricked. Now I'm stuck."
Luffy looked at him. Not with pity, just quiet interest.
"Then leave."
Coby shook his head. "I can't. If I try to escape, Alvida will kill me."
"Alvida?"
"She's the captain. She's a monster."
Luffy crossed his arms. "You want to join the Navy?"
Coby's eyes widened. "How did you—?"
"You're the type," Luffy said. "You're not a pirate."
Coby lowered his head. "I've dreamed of becoming a Marine… but it's impossible now."
Luffy sat down beside him, legs crossed.
"Dreams don't end because things get hard."
Coby looked at him, confused.
Luffy stood again, stretching.
"I'm hungry."
—
By the time the sun reached the center of the sky, Alvida's ship returned. Larger, louder, full of yelling voices.
Luffy stood calmly on the deck.
Coby hid behind the mast, heart racing.
From the ship's plank stepped a massive woman with wild, curly hair and a steel mace over her shoulder. Alvida. Her crew followed behind, laughing and drunk.
She spotted Luffy immediately.
"Who are you?"
Luffy tilted his head. "You're the captain?"
The crew went silent.
Alvida's eyes narrowed. "You've got guts, boy."
Luffy grinned. "You're not the Pirate King."
Her face turned red with rage.
Mace raised, she charged. The deck shook under her steps.
Luffy didn't move until she was right in front of him.
Then—
BOOM.
She flew across the deck and crashed into the mast, unconscious.
The ship fell silent again.
Coby stared, stunned.
Luffy smiled. "Let's go."
Coby whispered, "You… you really are crazy."
Luffy looked back. "You coming or not?"
The boy hesitated, then nodded.
That was the beginning.
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Thanks For Reading
By Mr.Midnight_21
To be continued…
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