The rain was pouring down on the same old pile of debris Luffy learnt to know by heart since he lived on the mountain-top. Indeed, it wasn't called the Rain Island for nothing everyday fell the lukewarm droplets on the half-ravaged, half-lively country. The poorest parts of the island were often used as military bases both for the Marines and the Pirates in their incessant struggles for power. Just fancy names for some groups of Shinobis and Missing-Nins taking to the sea in hopes of greatness, or peace through war. Anyhow, Rain Island was smack-dab in Mist Blue where political tensions tore apart families and any semblance of humanity in the archipel. The nobles of Rain Island made their living by selling pieces of land to all of the involved parties, disregarding any war crimes they may have committed. Were we talking about « Marines » and « peace through war » ? That may be an earnest goal of Shinobis throughout the world, but Marines in the area were demons barely trying to camouflage as angels. Either they were gleefully playing into the hand of consortiums or political parties, giving their sadistic impulses a playground to unleash despair and depravity, or they had their own political agenda and actively screwed over other divisions. Only the Nobles were sheltered. Was it because of their peculiar status ? No, Mist Blue wasn't a place where they could be treated as gods but they had the money, and they had Rain Island. Offending them meant they would happily torch your base to the ground and sell any millimeter of scorched land left to the highest bidder. Depending on your situation, that either meant you had the equivalent of a crippling limp in an Olympic race, or that you could count the amount of weeks you had left on a single hand (provided you still had one).
Nobles themselves were living in a cosy, high-tech city. The former industrial glory shone in the very practical pipe system which collected every single raindrop and recycled it as a beverage for the thirsty, or into free energy for the whole town. Gigantic Oni masks decorating the walls of the stern-looking buildings hid cameras in their eyes, and any low-life who managed to scramble and scratch his way beyond the steel walls was either thrown out, or shot down, depending on whether the guards were feeling lazy or in need of a little exercise. The blue-blooded cowards pretended to live with clean hands and innocence, and feigned ignorance at the horrors they permitted. They requested utmost perfection. They would filter the very air if they could, just be sure some peon didn't mingle his repugnant breath with their very holy atmosphere. They didn't dabble in politics. It would only be a kind of pastime for them. Mist Blue was their down to the smallest pebble, and they would sell the crap out of it as long as they could. Many appreciated the view over the slums and military bases. They got off on watching « The Commoners » fight for a patch of arable soil, or starve to death as a family. Of course, they would never admit it in public. Only chuckle with a polite grin when the subject was brought up. Then, depending on the situation, order the death of whomever put their holiness into question.
But look at your humble servant all of these lines of description, and I still haven't written about our hero. Luffy didn't live in the slums forever. He lived with a gang of mountain thugs with a heart of gold being a thug was the compromise they all found to live honorably. They stole the occasional loaf of bread from the poor and needy when hungry, but would stick to poaching in the luxurious forests. They were the only part of the island untouched by war or Nobles, because the trees were ludicrously thick and hard to cut down. They were named the Adam trees by some passing herbalist. They constantly absorbed water and converted it into vegetation that both meant they were impervious to fire, and constantly produced overly caloric fruits. They were prized by fighters, because they kickstarted the production of chakra and stimulated the subject's abilities concerning Haki. It was precisely this caracteristic that was a bane for anybody else. The raw chakra could consume an untrained person from within and their Haki could drive them and poor schumucks in the vicinity fatally insane. They needed to be carefully cooked and prepared, like fugu, and thus were seen in civilian circles as a meal for… well, Nobles. But Luffy was quite the peculiar young boy. He ate the fruits raw, often straight from the branch from which he plucked them. Before they took their leave toward the other Blues, it was their favorite activity with his brother and sister. Now he spent all his time running through the wild, sprawling bushes, nabbing juicy plums along the way and gorging himself on fresh air. He knocked out the occasional wild beast and cooked it on the spot. He was quite the gifted boy, indeed…
Luffy ate what was commonly called, for lack of a better name, a Devil Fruit. Those peculiar fruits acted somewhat like the Adam fruits, but they bestowed otherwordly powers to whomever devoured them. It went beyond the Chakra natures, which were already prodigious gifts in themselves. Luffy had spent half a week squirming in the forest after ingesting one by accident. Nobody could pick him, because his Chakra manifested himself in the form of ferocious flames reducing to ashes anything in the direct vicinity. The fire burned through the foliage and trunks, creating the only clearing known on the island. When the fire settled down and Luffy was cautiously given a pound of meat (It was a lot, but then, he didn't eat for several days it indeed wasn't enough), the young boy discovered his limbs could stretch as far his tiny eyes could see. Always the cheeky and energetic brat, it only decupled his joy of living. He dearly loved his gift, and everybody had quite the good laugh when he used it for a new trick. He went from a loud, snotty boy to a loud and snotty teenager in no time. He could finally keep up with his talented big brother of his, Ace. He knew he couldn't begin to scratch his level of skill even if he stretched his arms to the clouds, but he could run at his side when he got into scuffles with pirates and Marines.
Such was the childhood of the tyke. Did I tell everything ? I must confess I left out some tales and details, for they felt superfluous for now. Both you and I aren't here to discuss that boy's early years. Here is the tale of the Crimson Monkey, the One Who Grasped The Moon, Monkey D. Luffy !
The border town was quiet. Only the droplets of rain chimed through the silence of dawn, soaking a piece of cloth through an opened window. One could believe it was left open by an absent-minded girl, or that the window was slammed shut one time too many, but it was on purpose. As silhouettes sneaked past a small casern where town guards were sent as punishment for misbehavior, one of them stopped by the window and pocketed the napkin. Thus was the dresser struck by the gentle yet firm rain. Enough to wake up someone. The scheme didn't fail. The girl calmly got out of bed and closed the window, then slipped into her daily clothes. She put her raincloat before briskly marching through a garden of gravel and unkempt weeds. There simply was no time and reason to keep your garden clean on this island. The wind or the plants would always ravage more elaborate ornaments.
The waitress skipped through the village, reaching a small pier where a frail-looking rowboat was tied. It was filled with supplies taken from the mountains. The only person without any semblance of protection against the rain was a tall boy amongst the silhouettes. As always, he wore a pair of worn-out jeans which didn't reach beyond his knees and a sleeveless red shirt. A light warmth emanated from him, brimming with joyful energy begging to be released. The whole excursion had to be kept secret, for the Nobles' law forbade anybody to leave the island without permission. The boy's usual exuberance was unusually absent, yet the heat unmistakably proved it was him. Monkey D. Luffy, the Number One Troublemaker, always one to go into a fight no matter how ridiculously outnumbered he was, or willing to take any bet to prove he wasn't all talk. A crescent-shaped scar under his left eye was a souvenir from the time he slashed his own face after some rich punks from the City said he had « no balls ». The rumor says they begged their parents, a bunch of rich retainers of the Daimyo, to go and kill the « Fire Oni ». One could never know those guys were so full of shit, it seemed probable. The story always brought a hearty smile to the villagers' faces. Yet, those good times were about to end, for Monkey D. Luffy was going out on the sea.
The waitress walked up to Luffy, brightening his face up. « Oï, Makino ! Great to see you th- » The sentence was cut short as a vigorous slap stretched Luffy's jaw god knows where, and a fist bumped him right on the head. « You idiot ! Do you want to start a big fight with the City's guard dogs ?! … Well of course you'd want that, but… » Makino's embarassed whisper was cut short by a mischievous grin, and the villagers' quiet chuckle. « Naaaaaaah, Makino, sorry, I was just so excited ! But yeah guys sorry, I don't wanna cause you problems. Hey I'm sure Dadan would lend a hand with pounding in those guys' faces in ! None of you guys wanna try hangin' out with her ? She's nice when you get to know her ! »
A small old man angrily trotted into the crowd, leaning on his walking stick with all of his might. « And why not side with Mountain Zaki's bunch of brutes, huh ?! Damn, damn… Look at you, boy ! She got you all worked up into going to the sea, like the rest of your family ! … Let's be clear, my boy : I didn't come strutting under that handful of a rain to encourage you. No, no. You must promise you won't be reckless and you won't stain the village's name, alright ? I want people to know we're hardworking and honest people here ! Okay, okay ? … You're not listening, are you ?! »
« … Oh yeah, I do, gramps ! Just doze off for a sec here, but, huuuuuuuh, I listened gramps ! I must tell everybody we're, huh, hard-wanking and a nest of people here, yeah ! I'll do that ! »
« THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAI – hmmmphhhh » The villagers quickly covered the mayor's mouth. « Shishishi ! And I'm the troublemaker ! Well, anyhow… I guess I better get movin'. » The young boy jumped into the boat, nearly knocking over the whole thing and slipping on a puddle, knocking his head against the pier. His whole face looked like a deformed ballon for a second before popping back into shape with a loud rubber-y sound. The whole attendance was hesitating between knee-slapping laughter, utter horror, and absolute dismay.
« Shishishi ! Guess I'll remember that… » Luffy slashed apart the rope tying his boat to the pier, beginning to slowly drift away. Makino stepped forward and grabbed the teenager by the scalp as his neck desperately stretched out into the sea. « Hey, Luffy… Just promise me you won't do anything too rash, alright ? I don't want to darken up your joy… but… you know. Dadan would be stricken with such grief if you went and passed away… promise me. You'll come back someday in one piece. Is that clear, you brat ? »
A large, warm smile met her words. « Yeah, I promise ! And I'll get Ace to come back too, and we'll kick all of those dudes' butt to the next era ! You'll all get to live free ! Just wait for me… everything will be worked out once I'm a Kage ! »
Makino began to struggle to hold her tears back. She pressed Luffy's head against her chest, for lack of a better alternative. « An idiot, bratty, boisterous, snotty kid like you… you know we have no expectations for you. We'll just wait and see how far you get, alright ? Just go and burn through the un-burnable like you always did. It worked wonders until now, so just show Chief he's a stuck-up grandpa, alright ? » The answer didn't come with words. Or perhaps it did. She did not care. All she felt was Luffy's energy flaring up in happiness, with a dash of melancholy and affection. She held him until she felt a tugging she released his head. The boat had went quite far.
« Alright guuuuuuuuys ! See ya later all and take care ! If Dadan robs you, just tell her to wait until I come back and kick her old butt, alright ?! I- »
The boy was cut short by a gigantic sea snake rising from the depths, splashing him with sea water, filling his mouth. « Erkh arkh uuuurkh… So you had to come and say goodbye, shishishi ! Just wait, I got a present for ya ! Gomu Gomu no … » As his arm streched so far back, he could shake hands on the pier, the huge beast roared and whipped his head toward the boat. The gaping jaws reeked of rotten fish.
« PISTOl ! » Luffy yanked his arm forward and punched the beast square in the face, slugging him with all of his strength. The mighty beast was sent flying in a single strike, falling back into the ocean further away. The waves shook his book, but his confidence was unwavering. His heart screamed only one thing : forward ! Towards liberty ! Towards adventure ! Towards big brother ! Luffy kicked fell onto his back, facing the rising sun. The star paled in front of the boy. His smile was the brightest light as the boat floated toward the future. It was akin to pure warmth. Pure human warmth.
That's when he realised his boat was on fire.