Meeting The Captain

My Little Pirates: Nakama are Magic

Meeting the Captain, Parts One and Two

The sun was high and hot over the marine base at Shells Town. In the execution yard, a lone stallion was tied to a cross. A black bandana obscured his grey eyes and short, green mane. The three gold earrings in his left ear jingled in the breeze. He'd been tied up there for three weeks without food or water, and in that time, he'd had only one thought on his mind: I can't die here.

The green Pegasus had been surviving on nothing but willpower and pride. The three katana on his flank symbolized his commitment. It should've only been two, but after what happened to Kuina... He couldn't die. Not yet. He carried her sword as a tribute, and built his fighting style around that. At the thought of his promise, his wings twitched. They'd promised that one of them would become the greatest swordspony in the world, and now... he had to. No matter what, he had to become the best. He had to train harder. He thought back to how he got himself in this predicament: He'd been downing sake in the town's bar when in burst a light green Earth Pony Marine with an ugly haircut, a pink-and-purple suit, and a pseudo-rabid dog. The Marine, who happened to be the son of the base's tyrannical Captain "Axe-Hoof" Morgan, had threatened a little girl, so the pegasus had offered a deal: if he could survive one month in the execution yard, the Marine would stop treating the townsponies so poorly.

After all, what's a month without food, water, or movement? Simple: It's great endurance training. One problem, though: the Marine who'd tied him up had no intention of honoring their agreement. He was to be executed, even if he survived the month.

"Hey. Are you Three Sword?"

"Get lost."

Three Sword didn't need to look up. He'd noticed the scrawny red stallion leaning over the wall earlier.

"Are you strong?"

Why wasn't this kid leaving? How stupid could he be?

"What do you care?" Three Sword spat back.

"If you're strong, I wanna get you to join my pirate crew."

Well, that was a surprise.

"What? Why would I join a pirate crew? I h--" Three Sword's shouts were cut off by the loud rumbling of his stomach.

"H- hey. You see that rice ball?" the pegasus nervously asked, pointing his head towards what was once a rice ball brought to him by the little filly he'd protected three weeks ago. That stupid Marine had stomped on it because it was made with sugar instead of salt.

"Uh, yeah. I mean, it's not really a rice ball anymore, though. It's basically a clump of dirt," replied the scrawny red colt.

"Give it to me."

"What?! I'm not even sure if it's still food!"

"GIVE IT!" shouted Sword, desperation dripping from his voice.

"Alright, alright!" replied the straw-hatted Earth Pony, scooping up the former rice ball in his forehooves, along with a significant amount of dirt. He then brought it up to the mouth of Sword, who immediately began devouring it like a wildebeest might devour a gazelle. Wait, that might have been too violent a comparison. Anyway, he soon finished the clump of what had once been a rice ball.

"Was it good?" asked the black-maned stallion whose name you've probably figured out.

"It was the best thing I've ever tasted. Thanks," Sword replied, looking the stallion in the face for the first time.

"Hey, you use a katana, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"If I get it for you, you'll have to join my crew!" replied the stallion, grinning like a certain pink pony that you all know.

"Hang on, just who the hay are you?" Sword asked the red Earth Pony in front of him.

The stallion grinned at Sword, and placed a hoof on his straw hat before answering: "I'm Luffy, and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

It was a normal summer day in Hoovesha Village. Well, normal for this summer, at least. The only bar in the small town, Party's, was filled with "Red-Maned" Shanks's pirate crew, as it had been virtually every day this year. Among them was one little colt who had become something of a mascot in their time there. The scrawny red colt sat at the bar with a glass of orange juice and a white stallion. This stallion's messy red mane was topped with an old straw hat, and almost hid the three scars over his left eye, and his Cutie Mark, an anchor, made it obvious that he was a sailor.

"Hey! Stop laughing!" the colt shouted at the, well... the entire bar.

Of course, this just made the pirates laugh even harder. All of them. Longshot, Lucky Roo, even the ever-serious Buckmann managed a hearty guffaw. Of course, that only further upset the red-coated colt. After all, he'd only said that he was going to be a pirate, too.

"Seriously, stop it! There's nothing funny about me becoming a pirate!" the colt shouted at them.

"You've gotta be kidding, Luffy. Shouldn't you at least learn how to swim first? You're just a kid. "

"Am not!"

"I've got a kid your age, Luffy!" Longshot chimed in, teasing the seven-year-old colt.

"So you're ol--" Luffy snapped, before being cut off.

"Relax, Luffy," the captain interjected, "Drink your juice."

Hearing this, Luffy turned around and noticed that the barmare had brought him his orange juice. He nodded and began happily drinking the beverage. Seeing this, the Red Mane Pirates burst into a renewed fit of laughter, headed by their captain.

"See?! You are a kid!" the pirate captain shouted, pointing his hoof at Luffy, "I don't know any pirates who drink juice!"

Realizing that he had been tricked, the little colt turned to his left to voice his displeasure toward the behatted captain.

"No fair, Shanks!" Luffy exclaimed, "You tricked me!"

Of course, this just made the pirates laugh harderntil the door slammed open.