Chapter 40
Hancock was following Luffy around the beach of the Island both The Strawhat Pirates and The Kuja Pirates somehow managed to both be on at the same time, as Luffy and Usoop looked for seashells. The sun kissed the horizon, casting a warm glow over the sand and the waves gently kissing the shore.
Hancock was admiring Luffy's carefree attitude and the way the sunlight danced in her eyes, making them sparkle like the ocean. And Hancock felt his cheeks heat up even more every time he looked at Luffy’s outfit. It’s was a completely unbutton red button-up long-sleeve shirt, with nothing but a red lace bra underneath it, with ripped jeans short shorts with frayed edges the show off the bottom half of her ass cheeks and the strawhat Pirates Jolly Roger embroidered on the pockets, and her iconic straw hat with a red hatband, and sandals.
It’s not much different from what she was wearing when they met two years ago, everything is the exact same, but for some reason, it just looks so much sexier on her now!
But Suddenly Zoro’s, Luffy’s right hand man, voice Cut through his thoughts as he calls out to Luffy from his spot on the Thousand Sunny, standing beside railing beside the Gangplank where he was standing. “Luffy! Look who it is, it’s your crybaby boy toy!” He said, pointing at Koby who was walking a dock with a group of marines that included Helmeppo and a few unfamiliar faces.
Luffy’s demeanor shifted from carefree as she looked for seashells to pure unadulterated excitement. “LOOK, USOPP! IT’S KOBY! IT’S KOBY AND HELMEPPO!” Luffy yelled, as she pointed off to the dock, jumping up and down and shaking Usopp slightly.
Koby and Helmeppo, and three other marines, two women Hibari and Kujaku, and one man Prince Grus, were walking down the dock, Koby’s pink hair sticking out like a sore thumb in the sunset. They were both wearing their Marine uniforms, which seemed almost out of place on such a tranquil island. Hancock tensed up at the sight of them, his eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the Marines. He stepped closer to Luffy, not wanting to leave her side. And a better thought, why did Zoro call the pink haired boy Luffy’s cry, baby boy toy? That’s something someone would call someone’s partner to tease them. The thought made Hancock's stomach twist in a knot.
He took another step closer to Luffy, his hand going out to tentatively wrap around her wrist. But before one finger could even touch her wrist, Luffy was off in a flash, sprinting off towards Koby, her long legs carrying her across the sand with surprising speed. “KOBY! KOBY! KOBY! KOBY! KOBY!” She yelled, not giving the poor boy any time to process before she was barreling into him at the speed of a bullet, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist and squeezing tightly, nearly sending them tumbling over the railing of the dock and into the water.
The other marines looked shocked for a moment before a broad grin spread across Koby’s face, his pink hair ruffling in the light breeze as he wrapped his arms around Luffy’s waist to steady them both. “Luffy!” He exclaimed, equally excited, “It’s been so long! I can’t believe it’s you!”
Luffy pulled back slight, greening at him before leaning back in and kissing him. And it wasn’t on the cheek either, it was full on on the lips kiss.
And it wasn’t just a normal kiss on the lips. Their kiss was a kiss that would make you want to cry to sod with how much emotion is in it, with how tender the kiss is, with how much love is in that one simple gesture. It’s a kiss that makes you feel like you're watching some goodbye scene where the couple has to go to war or something and you know one of them isn’t coming back, but they don’t, and it’s beautiful. It’s like watching a scene from a romance novel play out in real life, it’s a kiss the two main characters in a book, a movie, a comic book, were the two people that are utterly and completely in love kiss each other because they know the world is going to end and they’re going to die in the end, but they’re happy that at least they had that one perfect moment together.
It’s a kiss that’s so soft, so gentle, so so so so gentle, so so so tender, it’s like watching a leaf flutter down to the ground on a calm autumn day. It’s like watching two people who have found their soulmate and they’re just taking in every second of their existence together. It’s like watching two people who have been together for a hundred years and they still find something new to love about each other every single day. It’s like watching a Romance movie where the two love interests have been reincarnated over and over and over and over and over and 100 times over again with all their past life memories intact and they finally found the love of their life that they haven’t seen since their first life and they finally get to kiss again, and it’s everything they’ve ever dreamed of.
It was the type of kiss somebody would share with the love of their life if the world—no the entire universe was ending right here and right now, and they both knew that they were going to die in each other's arms, but they were okay with it.
The entire world around them seemed to pause for a moment as their lips remained locked. The waves stopped crashing against the shore, the seagulls froze in mid-flight, and even the breeze seemed to hold its breath. Sanji and the rest of the Strawhat crew continued on their merry way, they’ve seen them kiss probably 1 billion times by now, while the Kuja Pirates stared in utter disbelief. Hancock's heart felt like it was in a vice grip as she took in the scene, her thoughts racing a mile a minute.
Finally, they parted, and Koby looked at Luffy with a dazzling smile that could outshine the sun. "I've missed you so much," he whispered, his voice filled with warmth and affection. Luffy's cheeks were flushed pink, and she couldn’t help but beam back at him. "I missed you too, Koby," she said, her voice filled with a sincerity that was as vast as the ocean they sailed upon.
The tension on the beach was palpable as the other marines and the Kuja Pirates looked on, trying to piece together what they had just witnessed. Helmeppo just rolled his eyes, he too like the Strawhat pirates have seen them kiss probably 1 billion times by now, while Hibari's blush deepened, and she quickly turned away, fiddling with her headphones to hide her emotions. Kujaku and Prince Grus’ eyes were wide, well, not because of the relationship. Everyone and their dog knew that Koby The Hero and the most loved and feared in equal parts pirate in the world Monkey D. Luffy are dating, but because they’ve never seen Koby act like this. He could get a single flower by a girl and his face would be redder than a ripe tomato and he’d be sweating bullets. But here, in front of a whole bunch of strangers, he was cool and calm, holding the love of his life without a care in the world.
Hancock, on the other hand, he was anything but calm. The revelation hit him like a ton of bricks, and the shock was written all over his face as he stumbled back a few steps, his grip on the seashells tightening until they crunched under his fingers. The color drained from his face, and he couldn’t believe what he had just seen. Luffy, the pirate he had obsessed over for so long, was in love with a marine? And not just any marine, but a marine the called a hero, which there’s only two of those. One is the hero of all Marines Monkey D. Garp, Luffy’s grandfather, and apparently this boy, Koby, who is holding up Luffy like she weighs nothing more than a feather.
Hancock watches as Koby spun around in a circle, still holding Luffy, who is laughing, as he kisses her again, still holding Luffy in his arms, her legs still wrapped around his waist, holding herself up, and Luffy was kissing Koby back.
Hancock's mind reeled as he took in the sight before him. This couldn't be true. Luffy, the woman he had sworn to make his, was in love with another man? His eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched. He had to be mistaken. It had to be some kind of trick.
Koby, seemingly oblivious to Hancock's turmoil, set Luffy down gently and introduced his fellow marines. "These are my comrades from SWORD," he began, gesturing to Hibari, Kujaku, and Prince Grus. "You already know Helmeppo, but this is Hibari, Kujaku, and Grus… Hibari, Kujaku, Grus this is Captain Monkey D. Luffy of the Strawhat Pirates, and my girlfriend.”
The words "my girlfriend" echoed through the air like a thunderclap, sending shockwaves through Hancock's entire being. He felt like he had been punched in the gut. Luffy, the woman he had been following around the island like a lovesick puppy, was taken? By a marine? By Koby? His thoughts were a tumultuous storm of anger, confusion, and pain.
Hibari, Kujaku, and Grus looked at each other, surprised by Koby's casual announcement. They knew about the relationship, everyone and their dog knew about it, but to see it in person, to see Koby The Hero so smitten was something else entirely. They quickly composed themselves, offering polite nods to Luffy, who returned the gesture with a grin.
"It's an honor to meet you, Captain Luffy," Hibari said, her voice shaky with nerves, her heart fluttering like a caged bird at the sight of the legendary pirate. Kujaku followed suit, a hint of admiration in her eyes. "We've heard a lot about you from Koby here, and Vice admiral Garp," she said, trying to keep her cool.
Prince Grus, the stoic one of the group, simply nodded in acknowledgment, his gaze sharp and assessing. "The famous Straw Hat," he murmured, his deep voice carrying a note of respect. "Your reputation precedes you."
Luffy's eyes sparkled with mischief as she looked over Koby's shoulder at the stunned group. "Oh, I hope it's all good stuff!" she exclaimed, waving her hand in the air. The tension between Hancock and the others was thick enough to cut with a knife, and she was blissfully unaware of the internal conflict brewing in the tall, beautiful man's heart.
Hancock watched Luffy exchange pleasantries with the Marines for a couple minutes, his mind racing with so many emotions that he couldn’t place. But before he could do anything, Luffy whispered something in Koby’s ear only Koby could hear, and it had him grinning like a fool as Luffy grabbed his hand, and all but sprinted towards the thousand sunny.
The marines hesitated for a second, before following, except for Helmeppo, who seemingly knew what Luffy and Koby were about to do and be very meekly tried to stop the other three marines by making a cutting gesture with his fingertips at him neck and shaking his head slightly. But the other three marines just gave him an odd look before following Luffy and Koby.
Leaving Hancock to pick his jaw up off the floor. He felt like he had been slapped in the face with the cold, hard reality of unrequited love. But he had to play it cool, he couldn’t let the marines see his turmoil, especially not Koby. He took a deep breath, his hand reaching up to grip Salome’s skull, his Snake Weapon, as he composed himself. He had to figure out what was happening here. Was Luffy really dating a marine?
And as if on cue his question was answered because as soon as Luffy and Koby’s feet hit the deck of the thousand sunny, Luffy pulled Koby in front of her, spinning him around and standing up on her tiptoes to kiss him again, pushing Koby’s Marine coat off of his shoulders, causing both of them to nearly slip on it when they step on it on accident. Causing both of them to laugh before stumbling backwards towards the captains quarters, and Luffy all but slammed the captains quarters doors closed behind her and Koby, the audible sound of a doors lock locking echoing soon after the door slammed close.
The three Marines stoped in their track, their cheeks flushing as they watched the couple disappear into the captain's quarters. Hibari's eyes grew wide, and her face turned crimson as she slapped her hands on her cheek cheeks. “OH MY GOD, that did not just happen, I did not just see Koby The Hero get dragged into the captain’s cabin of the Thousand sunny like that!” she squeaked, her heart racing, and her eyes wide with shock and disbelief. “That is not the Koby we know, the Koby we know can’t even talk to girl without going red in the face! Like I knew they were dating, everyone in the world does! But I thought? I thought he would’ve acted the same way with Strawhat like he did with every other girl he’s ever met, getting all flustered and shy and cute! Not...not like that!” She exclaimed, pointing at the closed and now locked door both Koby and Luffy disappeared.
Kujaku and Grus share a wide eyed look, their cheek flushed as they took in the scene before them. "Well, I'll be," Grus murmured, "It seems our young hero has quite the spicy relationship."
“I told you not to follow them!” Helmeppo called out from where he was still standing on the dock, his voice a mix of annoyance and amusement. The three marines looked at each other, then back at the closed cabin door, and then at Helmeppo.
“You knew about this?” Hibari asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and a hint of betrayal. Helmeppo rolls his eyes. “Of course, I fucking knew about this, I’ve known about their relationship since day one. You know it’s not a secret. All of you have admitted everyone in their Dog knows about it.”
Kujaku nodded in agreement. “It’s true, the practically whole world knows Captain Luffy and Captain Koby are together. It’s like the biggest romance in the world, like Romeo and Juliet but without the tragedy part, thankfully.”
Hancock, unable to shake off the shock, marched towards the dock where Helmeppo was still standing, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "How long have you known about this?" he demanded, his voice barely above a whisper, trying to keep his cool in front of his crewmates. Helmeppo shrugged nonchalantly, leaning against the railing.
“Since they started dating, so like… 2 years and a couple months, almost 3 years.” Helmeppo replied, his tone casual despite the turmoil brewing in Hancock’s chest.
Hancock’s jaw clenched, his hand unconsciously tightening around the railing. The revelation that Luffy, the person he had been pining over, had been in a committed relationship with a marine was a bitter pill to swallow. He had always thought that Luffy was different, that she would see through the façade of the marines and their so-called justice, and now this?
"But, but how could she?" he stuttered, his thoughts racing. "How could she be with one of them?"
Helmeppo raised an eyebrow at him, looking past him to they thousand Sunny, were the rest of the Strawhat Pirates were doing various activities on the deck like their captain wasn’t currently fucking a marine captain. Helmeppo shrugged. “I don’t know what you wanna hear, half of the chicks family are marines, so if you ask me, it would’ve been a given fact, she would’ve started dating a revolutionary, a marine, or a pirate at some point.”
Hibari's cheeks turned a darker shade of red, and she looked away, trying to ignore the mental images of Luffy and Koby that she hadn’t wanted to imagine. "Well, I suppose it's none of our business," she said, trying to sound more composed than she felt.
Kujaku nodded, her gaze lingering on the cabin door. "It's just surprising, that's all. I mean, they're so... public about it. It's like they don't care who knows."
"That's Luffy for you," Helmeppo chuckled. "She's never been one to keep things hidden. If she's happy, she's going to show it. And Koby, well, he's pretty straightforward too."
Hancock felt a twinge of something akin to anger in his heart. Luffy, the pirate who had captured his own heart, was with a marine? It was as if the universe was playing a cruel joke on him. He took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. "But, they're on opposite sides of the law," he pointed out, his voice strained.
“Dude. Strawhat’s dad is the leader of the revolutionary army. She couldn’t give less of a shit what someone’s occupation is.” Helmeppo said, waving his hand nonchalantly in the air. “If she likes someone, she just does. No matter if they’re a pirate, marine, or even a fish-man.”