"Dad!" a seven year old girl with bright crimson hair squealed as the handsome man she knew as her father walked into the tavern that Wendy had been taken to by her caretaker. Dawn Island has been her home since she came into the world, her father having brought her in hopes of her growing up relatively safe. His good friend Dadan, an old lady with a short temper but tall stature, took care of his young Wendy.

The man, Monkey D. Luffy, gave his daughter a grin as she rammed into him, sending him to his knees, wrapping her arms around his neck in a suffocating hold. He couldn't say anything to stop her, his face going pale and eyes turning to 'X's. He dumped against her grip and she pulled away. "Dad?!" She shook him violently, trying to wake him up. "Makino! Dad is dead!" The lady with faded green hair walked out from behind the bar, her wrinkled face lighting up with a smile. "Don't worry, he's just being dramatic. Get some meat in him and he'll be back to normal in no time." The mention of food brought the King of the Pirates back to earth and his mouth watered.

"Meat..." he drooled, like father like daughter, his red-haired child sat next to him with a similar expression. Makino chuckled at how similar they were in both behavior and antics.

'Maybe she'll make friends as easily as he does.'

As the sun rose, Straw Hat Luffy knew that his beloved daughter would rise with it. He had to act quick if he wanted to leave without her knowledge.

The night prior to this morning was exhausting for the young teen, who had stayed up all night to have her last hours with her father before he left once again. She had overslept now, hours more than usual, and her father was quite pleased. He knew that this may be the last he ever saw his daughter, and oh, how he dreaded not being there for her every step she took, and it ate away at his heart.

But he had hope. Something that he always made clear. "If you don't believe in yourself and your friends then you can never become a pirate!" Is what he would tell Wendy every time she asked of his adventures. She had only one friend, a small boy named Pete, who, while clumsy and easily frightened, was extremely smart. His bright orange hair and small stature made him an easy target for bullies, but with Wendy with the boy he knew he had nothing to worry about. Gosh, could his little girl throw a mean punch.

He remembers the time he had came back to the island after a year and found his little girl tending to a bruised Pete, while about five much older boys lay unconscious and bloodied not to far behind her. Oh how proud he was.

He gazed at the angel that slept cozily in her bed, her legs tangled in a cotton blanket he had gotten from an island in the New World. 'I'm gonna miss you so much' She stirred slightly, her crimson hair falling into her face. The father gently pushed the locks over her shoulder and took his beloved hat off of his head. In it, lay his vivre card.

He knelt down, placing the straw hat on her nightstand and leaning in. His lips lay a soft kiss on her forehead, his last chance of expressing his fatherly love for a while. He stood back up, walking to the door, hesitantly stepping out of the room. He froze at a quiet whisper that erupted from his daughter. "I love you dad..." she was dreaming of him. Of sailing with him and his crew.

His crew that had grown almost as attached to her as he was. They had all visited a few years prior, and fell in love with the young girl. How she would laugh at Brook's skull jokes no matter how bad they were, or how she would constantly challenge Zoro to an arm wrestling competition(which he would let her win, curtesy of Nami's threatening). She always listened to Robin's stories, and would help Nami count the amount that the rest owed her. She would be goofy with Usopp and compliment Chopper every chance she got. She cheered Franky on whenever he built new works, and wouldn't stop until he had a finished product.

He was going to miss her so much, and he had no doubt she would feel the same way. He grinned, drowning out his bad thoughts and stepping out of the room.

It didn't take long for the news to settle in Wendy's stomach that her father had left and was going to be gone for a long whileShe took it quite well actually, or at least it seemed like she did. She wore his hat every day from that morning and on. Pete could see that while she grinned like she always did, behind that grin was a lonely girl who just wanted to see her father again.

Four years passed, and Wendy had changed quite a lot, as well as Pete. The orange haired boy grew much taller, his voice grew deeper, and his hair turned spikey. He called Wendy a strawberry to annoy her, and had grown out of his clumsiness. Now, he stood a good foot taller than her and was basically a six foot tower compared to her very intimidating height of five foot three.

Wendy stood before a medium sized ship, Pete at her side as they looked at the ship they were to sail on as far as they could. "I'm gonna miss the island." Pete said suddenly, breaking the silence. Wendy nodded in agreement, her hands settled on her hips. "Me too, but we have to do this!" She stated.

Four years ago, with Monkey D. Luffy, Pete's parents disappeared as well. Vinsmoke Nami and Vinsmoke Sanji, his mother and father. They were part of the reason that Wendy and Pete were such good friends as kids, but she would have gravitated to him anyway. They had a sibling complex, one that many mistaked for 'young love'.

Wendy was just as dense as her father, and on top of that the same personality. She would do anything for a friend, and wouldn't hesitate either. If her dad had taught her anything, he taught her about what it meant to be a pirate. She needed a dream, a goal to achieve by the end of her voyage. Her first thought was I'll find my father but she realized he would be incredibly disappointed if that was her only dream, so she really thought about it.

Makino could remember the day Wendy ran into the tavern just before closing, stood on a clean table and screamed at the top of her lungs, "I'm gonna be Queen of the Pirates!" While the men and women surrounding her laughed, it gave the older woman a sense of deja vu.

Pete and Wendy stood side by side on the boat, staring back at the villagers, Dadan Bandits, and the mayor. "Bye guys!"

And on they went in their journey, the journey to find their parents and new friends. To become infamous Pirates of the Grand Line and New World.

The two now rookie pirates sailing into the far ocean marked the start of a new era. One that would send the World Government crumbling and make a new definition of justice.

The New Pirate Era