NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11: The Start of a Crew (Luffy Age 15)
Summary: Luffy get's his first crewmates!
Chapter 11: The Start of a Crew (Luffy Age 15)
Luffy gaped at Kunia. He looked at Zoro next to her and realized they were both dead serious.
"Well? Will you take us or not, Captain? That is what I should call you, yes?"
Luffy gathered his scattered thoughts, wrestling his whirring brain back into order after Kuina's totally unexpected plea for him to take them away from the village.
"I…had always intended on asking you two to crew with me. You're both strong as hell, and you'll need to travel far for one of you to take the title you want. So, to be clear, I'm absolutely saying 'yes.' But why now? I hadn't intended to set sail for my own proper journey to the Grand Line for another couple of years."
Kunia looked…furious. She'd become far more emotive, with Luffy and Zoro at least, since he'd first met the pair. But she was very rarely this expressive. Clearly, he didn't know the whole story yet. Given she looked like she was about to attack the next thing that pissed her off, he was actually sort of glad it was Zoro that answered.
"Her old man decided that, since she's eighteen now, it was time to arrange to marry her off. Regardless of what she wants."
There was anger in Zoro's voice too, even if it was more understated than Kuina's. Perfectly understandable, given the way the two of them had been dancing around each other for the last few years. Luffy grimaced, then grinned.
"Well, sure then! I've been doing some bounty hunting on the side anyway. With you two along we can clean up some of the bigger names in the East Blue, properly challenge ourselves a bit before we hit the Grand Line! And, of course, you two can finally act on your mutual crushes!"
Luffy laughed as Kuina went from red with fury to nuclear blush in three seconds flat, with Zoro making an incoherent choking noise right next to her. Of course, the next moment he had to dodge four blades. But that was okay, hopefully their moment of mutually homicidal rage against their new Captain would finally get them over the awkwardness!
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Luffy's, by now slightly worn, catamaran slid into the hidden bay on the far side of Goa from Foosha or the Capital with its usual near-silent grace. This wasn't the original, tiny bay that he'd build his current smallish catamaran in. Instead, it was a much larger bay with a full drydock. Something he'd put together himself with years of painstaking work, aided by Ace, Sabo, and some of the Mountain Bandits. Ace and Sabo had been gifted a modest ship of their own for their help. Not a catamaran like Luffy's, but a solid caravel that would be a perfect starter ship for Ace. Sabo had set out with him at the time, intending to tag along until Ace picked up a few crewmen, than head off to the Revolutionaries. The bandits had cheerfully taken supplies in exchange for their own help, glad for a steady source of some of their harder to get luxuries.
Sitting in the sole, unusually shaped drydock cradle was the frame of a new, far larger, catamaran. At 145-feet in length, with a 54.5-foot beam, she was impressive even as just a frame. Finished, she'd be comparable in size to most Marine schooners, but faster and considerably more stable. Comparatively more lightly armed, as well…but Luffy had some ideas there to make the few guns she would carry pack an unreasonable punch. Given how nearly-immune to regular cannon fire high level Pirates and Marines made their vessels simply by being able to intercept said fire, he considered the trade off of fewer but better guns to be reasonable. Particularly as it meant being able to run with a smaller crew. As few as three people could handle her for sailing, as few as six in battle. Though he'd designed the ship for a total crew of around fifteen. There was enough leeway to increase that up to twenty comfortably, just in case. He wanted a larger crew than original Luffy might have settled for, but he fully intended to maintain a high standard in who he recruited.
"Okay, wow. I can see why you're not planning to fully set sail for another two years, Luffy."
The comment had come from Kuina as both she and Zoro stood on the deck, looking over the project as Luffy took their smaller ship in. The pair had both been extremely impressed with his current catamaran. Despite being made so one person could sail it, he'd designed it to comfortably hold three or four people. He'd been thanking himself for that foresight, as it had helped the older pair take him seriously. They knew he was strong, and access to a clearly exceptional ship suitable for carrying them around the East Blue had obviously been a major point towards them seeing him as an actual leader. As had his competence in handling said ship. Seeing his drydock and the ship being built there was clearly only reinforcing that idea.
"That's an impressive ship, even if I still say the design is odd. You're sure she'll hold up to the Grand Line?"
Zoro's voice was more skeptical than Kuina's, but Luffy could tell it was forced. The green-haired teenager was clearly impressed he'd managed to do this all effectively on his own, while keeping it hidden, too.
"Absolutely. I'm confident she'll hold up to at least the half the veterans call Paradise. The second half of the Grand Line, the New World where the true monsters like the Yonko rule…that might take some upgrades. Hard to say, really. We'll have to see how she handles Paradise. One way or another, I know she's a hell of a lot tougher and harder to sink than anything else built in the East Blue."
Luffy was proud of his ship design, okay? He had every damn right to be, too, considering it was actually his highest skill other than Observe. He'd pushed hard these last few years to make the most important part of his long-term plans real. He'd even taken some perks to help make the ship better than just his skill would have allowed.
"Anyway, clearly she's not ready to live aboard yet. But I've actually got a small hideaway hidden nearby. I built it when my sworn brothers hadn't left for their own journey's yet, so there are a couple of free rooms the two of you can use when we aren't out to sea. Assuming you don't want to share one~!"
Both of them blushed darkly at his teasing tone…but they didn't react with violence this time. To his immense satisfaction, his teasing over the last three days had actually caused them to take the plunge and become a couple. Even if they were still feeling their way into their new dynamic. He was happy for them, even if his own teenage hormones were also mildly jealous of Zoro's good fortune. Kuina was unquestionably gorgeous, after all.
She'd grown into refined features on lightly-tanned skin, a surprisingly large chest considering how active she was, and gorgeously sculpted muscle. Not a weightlifter's bulging biceps, but a swordswoman's understated but powerful musculature, built for the amazing speed with her sword that let her match all three of Zoro's. Add in dark eyes and raven-black hair kept in a artfully arranged ponytail, and there was no question that she was a beauty. The fact that, once she'd ditched her training kimono for fairly tight pants and a loose top, it had become obvious she had legs for miles and the sort of tight rear only a lifetime or training could produce? Yeah, Luffy wasn't ashamed of the fact his eyes had lingered a few times, even if he'd done his best to keep from perving on her, given her and Zoro's status as a new couple.
Zoro, meanwhile, was already most of the way to the powerful frame he'd have in a few more years. His sword style was far more strength-oriented than Kuina's and it showed in the far more prominent muscle he boasted. Luffy himself would likely end up somewhere between the two of them in build, though he still had a few years of growth left. Despite favoring a fast, dexterity-based style like Kuina, without the Gomu Gomu no Mi, Luffy's genetics had shown through. Garp and Dragon were both tall and broad, and Luffy's general build was following the same lines. It was only his training, and perhaps his Gamer stats, that were streamlining that size into something more like a swimmer's. Ironic, given he definitely couldn't swim, despite years of working with his Spirit Fruit and making some serious progress with the help of the Guide.
"So, we live and train here, while taking bounties and helping finish the ship?"
Kuina had broken the silence again as they'd tied off the smaller vessel to a small pier in the cove. Luffy shrugged and nodded.
"If you're alright with that plan, yes. I won't hold it against you if you want to take on more bounties than I can afford to split my time toward, what with the ship construction and my crazy gramps still visiting to put me through hell-training from time to time. He does that a lot less these days, though."
It was true. With Ace gone and Luffy already something of a dangerous powerhouse, Garp had been going longer and longer between visits. Something which suited Luffy just fine.
Kuina nodded.
"We'll see how it goes. But I imagine we'll get more out of training with you, if you stop holding back with your Devil Fruit, than just taking bounties."
Zoro added his own nod, along with a scowl. He'd grown more and more irritated that Luffy wouldn't use his Fruit powers anywhere off Dawn Island, still trying to keep a low profile. He was clearly looking forward to Luffy no longer having that excuse, wanting to get a true feel for where he stood again his new 'Captain.' Luffy only smirked, more than willing to let him find out. After all, Luffy had a good idea where they all stood. In fact, as they made their way to the small cave Luffy had dug out farther to create his hideout, he took a solid look over their respective stat blocks and compared it to his own.
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Status
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Name: Shimotsuki Kuina
Title: Sword Saint
Age: 18
Level: 31
Spirit Fruit: N/A
Stats:
Strength: 70
Dexterity: 117
Endurance: 79
Intelligence: 58
Wisdom: 49
Charisma: 63
Luck: 35
Description: The Youngest member of the Shimotsuki Family and heir to its famous sword style. Irritated with her father's misogynistic views, she had struck out on her own to prove she can be the World's Greatest Swordsman.
Relationship to Gamer: Admiring Friend, Loyal Crewmate. Despite being three years older than Monkey D. Luffy, Kuina had grown to greatly admire her new Captain's strength and capabilities. She believes following him will provide her the path to overcome her greatest challenges.
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Status
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Name: Roronoa Zoro
Title: Sword Fiend
Age: 17
Level: 29
Spirit Fruit: N/A
Stats:
Strength: 115
Dexterity: 85
Endurance: 112
Intelligence: 38
Wisdom: 37
Charisma: 41
Luck: 70
Description: An orphaned (distant) descendant of the Shimotsuki Family, Zoro has created his own Three Sword Style, proving him to be an exceptional talent with a blade. Defined primarily by his love of swords and love/rivalry of/with Kuina, Zoro is determined to one day beat not just her, but anyone else he has to in order to be acknowledged as The World's Greatest Swordsman.
Relationship to Gamer: Admiring Friend, Crewmate. Despite being two years older than Monkey D. Luffy, Zoro respects new Captain's strength and capabilities. His loyalty is still primarily to Kuina, however, seeing overcoming her as his best path to being the World's Greatest Swordsman.
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Status
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Name: Monkey D. Luffy
Title: The Shipwright
Age: 15
Level: 33
Spirit Fruit: Mythical Zoan - Model Raijū
Money: 8,345,000 Belli
Shop Points: 5,550
Perk Points: 9
Spirit Coupons: 0
Stats:
Strength: 95
Dexterity: 105
Endurance: 123
Intelligence: 100
Wisdom: 75
Charisma: 72
Luck: 69
Free Stat Points: 150
Perks
Gamer's Body: Grants a body that allows for the user to live the real world like a game. Wounds healed on rest. Status Effects removed on Rest.
Gamer's Mind: Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Gamer can suppress negative emotions at will.
The Will of D: Bearer holds the inherited will of the Family of D. Effect: Live in Interesting Times, ?, ?
Outsider's Perspective: Imported save data increases relevant stats, as well as relevant skills when acquired.
Danger Sense: A combination of Haki and gut instinct for trouble lets you sense dangers to you and others near you. Whether or not you can do anything about them is up to your skills.
Designer (General): You're exceptionally talented at more than one field of design! You have an intuitive sense of how best to optimize designs you've come up with!
Empathy: Beyond merely your Haki, you have a very good idea what the people around you are feeling. You're nearly impossible to lie to and everyone finds you easier to open up to.
Gifted Hands: You are naturally good with your hands. Anything from art to martial arts gets a helping hand. Your instincts for all such things are 10% better than they should be, and you get a 5% boost to XP gain for any skill based around working with your hands.
Gun Nut: Despite your age, you've managed to learn a lot about guns! How to clean them, how to make them, and even a little bit about how to shoot them! Gain instinctive knowledge of any gun you handle, as well as 10% faster XP gain for the Gunsmith and Gunslinger skills.
Haki Expert: Having proven talented with all three forms of Haki at a young age, you are 20% better at wielding it and 10% better at teaching it.
Inspired Design (Ships): You never run out of inspiration when working on designs for a ship! The results of you following your inspiration improve the end quality of any ships you personally work on by 20%.
Inspired Design (Weapons): You never run out of inspiration when working on designs for a weapon! The results of you following your inspiration improve the end quality of any weapons you personally work on by 20%.
Intuitive Combatant: You are naturally gifted at learning combat. You are 15% faster at learning any type of combat, from the use of guns to punching lights out with your bare fists!
Training Expert 3: Get the most out of training! Not just for yourself, but for your crew too! Gain instinctive knowledge of the best ways to tweak your training for those GAINS BRO! +35% XP for Training your own skills, or for Training others in skills in which you outrank your trainee by at least 10 points.
Sage's Curve: You learn intellectual pursuits much faster than normal, and retain the knowledge more completely. You have a 20% boost to learning speed and memory retention of any intelligence or wisdom-based skills.
Sword Enthusiast: Despite your age, you've managed to learn a lot about swords! How to clean them, how care for them, and how to identify them! Gain instinctive knowledge of any sword you handle, as well as 10% faster XP gain for the Blacksmith(Sword) and Swordsmanship skills.
Sword Savant: You have created a new sword style at an incredibly young age. Know its flaws and how to fix them instinctively.
Quick Shot: You have incredible accuracy with firearms while on the move. +100% natural aim while firing without sights.
Quick Draw: You are an incredibly fast draw with any weapon, be it sword or blade.
Weather Sense (Intermediate): You can predict normal weather with considerably accuracy, everywhere but the Grand Line.
Spirit Manipulation: By training with both Haki and your Spirit Fruit, you've learned how to manipulate Spiritual energies in their raw form. You can temporarily boost your speed, strength, or endurance at the cost of being exhausted when the boost wears off.
Spiritual Recovery: Meditation allows you to tap into the Spirit of the World to recover your own more quickly.
Spirit Healing: By learning a certain amount about medicine and a great deal about the manipulation of Spiritual Energy, you've learned to heal others by infusing them with your Spirit. Accelerate someone else's healing by 500% so long as you are actively healing them.
Status Effect Resistance: You are extremely resistant to being poisoned and virtually immune to disease.
Bonus(Dex): Ambidextrous! Through hard effort, you've become genuinely ambidextrous. Provides a major bonus to attempts to dual wield, the ability to pat your head and rub your belly at the same time, and more!
Bonus 2(Dex): Heightened Precision! Through extreme training and body awareness, your movements have become far more precise than a normal person can achieve. From dancing to heart surgery, your body moves the way you want it to, often in ways that baffle others.
Bonus(Endurance): Damage Mitigation. You've toughened up to the point that 15% of all physical damage dealt to you is mitigated outright.
Bonus 2 (Endurance): Damage Mitigation 2. You've toughened up to the point that 30% of all physical damage dealt to you is mitigated outright.
Bonus(Intelligence): Accelerated Thought. During moments of intense effort or danger, you can think much faster than a normal person, allowing you to break through blocks in your workflow or create desperate plans on the fly!
Bonus 2 (Intelligence): Eidetic Memory. You remember everything you've ever read or heard with near perfect fidelity. Works retroactively do to synergy with The Gamer status.
Bonus(Strength): Power Strike. You've gained the ability to focus all your strength to a fine point, doing far more damage with your hits than you ought to, though only in short bursts.
Bonus(Luck): Fortune's Favor. Lady Luck likes you, in any situation involving luck, you can feel what the results will be, as if dice were tumbling in your head. Is it truly chance if they fall more often in your favor than not?
Bonus(Wisdom): Voice of the World (Faint). You can hear the history of a place or objects speak to you, from time to time. Grants a type of Psychometry that lets you know the history of objects or places that had a strong enough spiritual presence.
Bonus(Charisma): Magnetic Personality. People are drawn to you, even if they don't know why. How that manifests varies from person to person. Friendship, hate, love or lust, all of them can be the result of your magnified Charisma. Everyone agrees that you simply stand out in a way they find pulls them to you.
Skills
Brawling: 68
Blacksmithing: 64
Carpentry(Ships): 78
Gunslinger: 57
Gun Smithing: 53
Haki(Conquerors): 25
Haki(Observation): 87
Haki(Armament): 59
Knowledge (World History): 54
Knowledge (Navigation): 49
Medicine: 37
Observe: 80
Sailing: 63
Sciences: 56
Spiritual Manipulation: 35
Spirit Fruit (Model: Raijun) Master: 33
Sword Mastery(Wave Dancer Style): 73
More…
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Luffy was both happy with how far he'd come…as well as seriously impressed with his two new crewmembers. Even without the Gamer ability, the two of them were within shouting distance of his own power. Admittedly, that was in part his own doing, having pushed both of them and introduced them to several abilities and techniques over the years. Not just Haki, but also Soru once he'd mastered it, among other things. Ultimately, though, he'd rarely been able to be present more than a month out of any given year, meaning that these two had mostly pushed each other to the heights they were at. And now he had two years to sharpen them even farther. Though, if he wanted any of his other potential recruits in the East Blue to be even close to as good, he probably ought to try giving them a boost now. Nami he'd already started on, working with her on her staff skills and introducing her to the concept of Observation Haki during their second bounty together.
The others, though…Luffy sighed as he realized he was coming to a decision point. Soon, he would have to determine if he wanted to recruit two people he'd found annoying as fuck to watch as Alex, just because they were potentially quite good. One of them he was likely going to recruit. The other, well, he'd wait and see. Hopefully, the show Alex had watched had played up both of their particular...eccentricities.
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A/N: Sorry that this chapter is a bit stat-block heavy. But I needed to show at least an initial look at where Kuina and Zoro stack up...