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Author Note:

So, after getting a few reviews on 'Era of Dreams' about adding chapters or making it into a drabble fic, it inspired me to create a drabble fic. Thanks to everyone that gave reviews.

WARNING: This fanfiction will have SPOILERS for most of the series, including spoilers for EPISODES 482-506, a major event in the series and more information about Luffy's past.

If a particular chapter has spoilers, there will be a specific alert AT THE BEGINNING OF SAID CHAPTER. Not all chapters include spoilers. Assume that all chapters include possible spoilers for episodes preceding and during the Alabasta arc.

Thanks. Just want to avoid complaints XD

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"The what?" Luffy sat chewing in what was considered to be one of the only safe bar in Edge Town. He swallowed, and surprisingly enough, ceased eating in his hopes to receive an answer from the men sitting at the barstools to his left.

The man closest to him, who had first mentioned what Luffy was inquiring about, turned to face him.

"What, do you live under a rock, kid?" The man twirled a fork between his fingers. "You can't honestly tell me you've never heard about it. It's what caused this uproar in pirates for almost seventeen years."

"Just tell me! What is it?"Luffy furrowed his brow leaning on the counter and looking at them with mild interest.

There was a bit of a silence as the man looked at his friends as if trying to think of a way to put it.

"What's this One Piece thing?" He placed his palms flat on the table now, a slight sparkle in his eyes. The man to his right gave a glance to his friend, who had dark, curly hair pulled into a braid. The friend spoke.

"Well, kid. Do you know about the previous Pirate King, Gold Roger?" Luffy gave a quick nod, of course he did, the guy was Ace's father…though Ace didn't want him saying that, for some reason. "Well, when he was executed, he said this:" The man got down from his stool, and stood dramatically as if giving a drama performance, and began speaking slowly-

"He said: 'My treasure? If you want it, you can have it. Search for it! I left it all in that place!' and then BAM! They killed the King right then and there!" The man flung himself back onto his stool in a final act of drunken stupor as his bar mates clapped loudly. "And that very treasure, kid, is what people call the 'One Piece'!"

Another man, closer to Luffy, walked over between Luffy and the first man, smiling.

"They say it's the greatest treasure in the world. The treasure of wealth, fame and power- any guy would kill for that." He ventured back towards his own barstool.

"The greatest treasure in the world?" Luffy smiled, gripping his hat tightly.

"Ah. But don't get any ideas, kid. Tons of pirates are clamoring for the thing, getting themselves killed on the Grand Line to find it. To actually reach the pinnacle and get, damn…to get there, you'd have to be the strongest, heck, the next-"

"Pirate King…?" Luffy was twitching in excitement, like the only thing holding him back from going to the Grand Line right then and there was the world's strongest glue on his stool. The men looked at him like he was crazy, but Luffy ignored them, stuffing whatever was left on his plate into his cheeks as he took off through the bar doors.

A waiter burst out the door after him, throwing whatever he had at the dine-and-runner as he sprinted down the street. In only a few minutes, he had crossed most of gray terminal and was heading towards the meeting place he'd set up with Ace.

Wait, Luffy stopped and looked around at his environment. Was it left at the metal scraps and right at the old ship…or was it the other way around? Luffy scratched his head in confusion.

After several more minutes of confused wandering, Luffy found himself at the edge of the middle forest.

"Eh? How'd I get here?"Luffy's confusion was interrupted by his brother's fist.

"You dumbass! You're late AGAIN! You're such a burden, making me worry all the time!" Ace huffed, and he and Luffy exchanged glances. Ace smirked.

"You've got one of those looks, what happened?" He leaned against the nearest tree.

Luffy looked in what he knew was the direction of the coast- he could feel it- and smiled his classic, face-splitting smile.

"I've decided," He paused. "I'm going after the One Piece." His words were firm, his smile softened, and his eyes locked onto his brother's.

Ace's eyebrows rose, in some combination of shock and recognition. He gained a sort of contemplative look, tilting his head back to look at the sky.

"Do what you want," Ace breathed in deeply. His brow was pulled into a tight knot. "A lot of pirates are after that though…" He hesitated, biting his lip before continuing, "Even I have some interest in it."

"Mhm. " Luffy nodded dazedly before saying anything in response. He lifted the hat off his head, " I… feel like that's where I need to go. Where this hat's leading me." He stared down at it. "That's the path to becoming Pirate King. I know it." He shifted a little. "Is that weird?" he scratched the back of his head as he smiled.

Ace shook his head as he looked at his brother, having felt the conviction in his words. Had he been any other person he might have laughed; the concept of a hat leading a person seemed ridiculous. However, he was not any other person, and he understood the importance the hat had to Luffy, and understood.

"Isn't everything you say weird, Luffy?" Ace's smile was reflected on Luffy's face.

"Shishishi. I guess you're right." Luffy placed his hat back over his messy black hair.

"That's a pirate's freedom," Ace kept smiling as he walked over a tree root. "Let's go catch dinner. It's getting late."

"Food!" Luffy lunged forwards into the forest hungrily.

As they ran, for once the boy had something else on his mind other than the food they were searching for.

Wait for me, Shanks, Luffy smiled, flinging his arm after a large wildcat. Only five more years…!