Race to the Fountain

by Oasisofdreams

"The 'Fountain of Youth' does exist." After being told this by a dying old man, Luffy and his two older brothers promise to see that the man's words are known to the world. However, by unseen forces Luffy is forced to journey to find this so called "Fountain of Youth" alone.

1. Prologue

Prologue

"Let me tell you a secret, the fountain of youth, it does exist!" the old man exclaimed to the three young boys before him. He laughed whole-heartedly at the expressions that they gave him of awe and horror before he began a coughing fit that ended with him coughing up blood. All three boys tried to get him to stop but he merely held up his blood covered hand to cease their scurrying. "My time is up, but I leave my quest to you now. Find the fountain and all of its glory, become the true king of this land!" the man shouted before he hissed out his last breath and died, with a wide grin on his face. The three young boys looked from the man to each other and made a silent promise, that they would find the so-called "fountain of youth" and fulfill the old man's dream.

Eleven years later:

"Well, this is it, I'm finally off. Ace, Sabo wish me luck. Shishishishi, 'fountain of youth' huh. It sure has been a while since I thought about it but I finally decided. I'm going to fulfill our promise, so you two just wait for me here," the young obsidian black-haired teen spoke out two the two piles of rocks before him. His deep eyes that seemed to mimic his hair color held a mischievous glint to it that always seemed to land him in trouble. And his red and blue turban billowed gently in the invisible breeze. He looked up to the night sky to cast one more gaze on the stars that he grew up with, knowing that once he left, they would be the same stars but foreign at the same time.

It was time, while the soldiers were asleep, the young teen grabbed his bag and silently left.