The Super Rookies Saga

Chapter 1: Romance Dawn

"Usopp, let's go already!"

Dawn Island was treated to the rather common sight of Monkey D. Luffy making a whole lot of noise without much reason. Impatiently sitting on a barrel by the docks, Luffy stared holes down the road as though willing his partner in crime to pop into existence. Sitting in an open red vest, black shorts, sandals, and a straw hat the almost-adult didn't look much different from any laid back island local except for the wide grin, the bandages on his fists, the scar under his eye, and the small stitching of a red-haired jolly roger over the bottom half of the right leg of his shorts . His sandaled foot was resting on top of a small chest sitting next to the barrel, completely unassuming in appearance but with what looked to be a heavy iron lock on it.

"Shut up Luffy, I'm coming!" shouted an exasperated voice. Rising a bit at the voice, Luffy turned to face his incoming nakama and best friend. A long-nosed boy stepped out of the local bar of Foosha Village. He was dressed in a pair of tan pants with a white sash, a black sleeveless shirt, and a yellow bandana with a skull and crossbones with red hair on it. His face showed annoyance at his overly loud friend, but there was an undeniable excited gleam in his eyes. As he came to the dock, he looked over the small boat which the two claimed as their own sitting next to the barrel Luffy was sitting on. It was small, true, but it had served them well in their adventures in the East Blue after their first voyage together as kids.

Usopp couldn't help but grin at the thought of what they'd been up to since then; he'd never thought he'd have this much fun as a 'pirate', even in his wildest dreams! He was eternally glad that his father had stopped by to visit 7 years ago; who knows what'd he'd have done sitting on peaceful yet boring Syrup Village for 7 entire years if things hadn't turned out the way they did. Eyeing the chest and his friend thoughtfully, Usopp commented whimsically, "I can't believe it's been seven years of adventures so far. But now, it's finally time."

Giving Luffy a cocky and confident grin, Usopp said, "We've kept our promise to Shanks and haven't gone into the Grand Line yet, but we're both 17 now! It's time to be true pirates! But first!" said Usopp dramatically, "First we're going to decide who's going to be captain!"

Luffy's grin widened at that. The two had spent literal months of their lives bickering over who would be captain and who would be first mate. It probably would have gone on until the very end of their first voyage had Shanks not sat the both of them down, smacked them upside the head, and told them to sort it out once they're ready to become real pirates. To add incentive to his suggestion/demand, he'd given the two a small chest with a treasure inside destined for the future captain of their ship. He'd left the key with Makino after leaving the two back on Dawn Island after their tour of the Grand Line and made her promise to keep it from them both until they were 17 and old enough to sail out to Paradise on their own.

The excitement the two had felt had pretty much left their third member of their little gathering unnoticed as she took her time walking down to the docks with a small metal key held loosely in her hand. Makino could honestly say that she wouldn't be sad to see this treasure go, the amount of plots the two had hatched as kids in order to get the key away from her….sure, they'd eventually grown out of it and respected Shanks' wishes but SHE was the one who had to put up with the two devil spawns and their insane plans, not Shanks! The next time she saw that man she'd kill him, Yonko or not.

Stepping carefully past the two overexcited men (Men, ha! She'd always remember them as the boys they were, no matter how big they got) and kneeled in order to put the key into the lock. With a soft click, the lock fell off and the chest swung open, revealing….a really odd fruit. To say that Luffy had the wind knocked out of his sails would be putting it mildly; he'd been expecting some crazy jewels or an awesome captain's hat and parrot. Nevermind how the parrot would have lived in that box. Usopp, being, well, less of a simpleton quickly realized what it was as he noted the odd patterns on the fruit.

"A devil fruit?" Usopp asked rhetorically as he leaned down to get a closer look. Luffy was picking his nose in boredom at this point, head down and not so secretly wishing he could have a parrot on his shoulder. "What's that supposed to be again?" asked the Straw Hat teen in a bored voice, prompting Usopp to launch into a short explanation of the legend of the devil fruits and what their drawbacks were, namely the weakness to large bodies of water.

Luffy took another glance at the chest and the devil fruit poking out, before smacking his hand onto his palm.

"It's a mystery fruit."

"WERE YOU EVEN LISTENING!" shouted the other two at him from their positions near the chest.

After a few moments, Usopp stood back up with a determined expression. "Luffy, it's time! This devil fruit will be the prize, and whoever becomes captain will eat it!" stated the lanky man with the most seriousness he could muster. Granted, not very much for a just-turned-man with his head full of dreams, but it was enough to snap Luffy out of his boredom-induced daze and back into a grin turned smirk, all the while Makino palmed her face in irritation.

Are they REALLY going to decide who's captain like this? This is….this is so stupid! Ugh! If they think they're men now then I'm Boa Hancock!

With a dull look on her face, she stood up between the two pirates-to-be and raised one hand in the air. "Luffy, are you ready?" she asked in the most deadpan voice she could muster. Luffy nodded determinedly, his fist already curled. Turning to the long-haired teen, she asked, "Usopp, are you ready," with, if it was possible, even less enthusiasm than when she asked Luffy the same thing. Usopp got into a position indicated he was ready to fight with all his might.

Ugh.

"Then on your mark," Usopp and Luffy's faces hardened in concentration, "…get set," Their fists rose into the air, "….Jan. Ken. Pon," said the bartender dully. Unlike her though, the two teens were shouting the words like battle cries.

"JAN! KEN! PON!"

Luffy's rock met Usopp's rock, making both of them rear their arms back for the next round.

"JAN! KEN! PON!"

Luffy's rock met Usopp's scissors, making Usopp grimace and Luffy grin. Usopp studied Luffy's face intently, trying to analyze his next move and hoping to pull a draw in order to win the next match. Sweat formed on his brow as he put his all into comprehending the psyche of his opponent.

"JAN! KEN! PO!"

Luffy's rock met with Usopp's scissors again, making Usopp facefault.

"Did you REALLY just play rock three times in a row!?" screeched Usopp in frustration. Luffy's widening grin was all the answer he needed to hang his head in shame at losing to his dimwit of a best friend; he had given him far too much credit in thinking that he'd have practiced any kind of tactics or mindgames for such an important game.

*ahem*, coughed Makino as she grabbed Luffy's wrist and raised his arm into the air. "We have a new captain!" she declared with a bit of fire, knowing that this moment was really important to the two. "You can now claim your prize from the treasure chest in order to seal your place as the captain of the newborn 'Straw Hat Pirates'!" Luffy's smile widened at her words. Looks like the Longnose Pirates wouldn't live to see the light of day.

The newly declared captain didn't even think twice. Grabbing the fruit, he quickly took a massive bite of it before gagging; "Ewwww, this fruit tastes like shit!" prompting Makino to smack him for his lack of manners; heavens knows it wasn't Dadan who tried to instill them into him.

Usopp stared at Luffy as though expecting him to spontaneously light himself on fire, but nothing happened until Usopp poked Luffy in the cheek and to his surprised, the bones in his face didn't stop his finger but bent with the force of his push.

"Woah…what kind of devil fruit IS this?" asked Usopp as Makino walked closer and began to poke and prod the teen.

"He's…bendable. Almost like…rubber?" she said uncertainly as she took a step back to size him up again. Noticing a small piece of paper at the bottom of the chest, she bent down to retrieve it and began to read the short note.

Hey kids!

If you're reading this, that means you either stole the key from Makino or you're both finally 17 and ready to sail out into bigger and greater adventures. Honestly, I'm betting it's the first thing, in which case stay out of the Grand Line till you're older!

Makino began to crack the knuckles on her free hand with how strongly she was making a fist.

If I'm recalling this right from that book on devil fruits my captain's first mate gave me way back when, this fruit is called the Gomu Gomu no Mi. It turns whoever eats it into a rubber man. What's the benefit? I really couldn't tell you as it's not a very well-documented fruit, but I'm confident it's not a dud fruit like the Hito Hito no Mi(Human-Human Fruit). I know you'll figure it out and do great things with it!

Out in the Grand Line, a tanuki-looking reindeer sneezed violently into his pestle and mortar before sighing loudly at having to start all over again.

I'm not really much for writing; just remember what we talked about during our voyage together! Don't forgot the skills me and my crew taught you so that you can survive on dangerous seas! Never stop having fun and enjoying every adventure you go on! Luffy, Usopp, the world is a vast place and what we've shown you is only a tiny bit of it. I know you two will go on to see amazing places, meet amazing people, and fulfill your dreams! When we meet again, and you have your crew of friends and allies and you're fully grown as men, I'll be expecting that hat back and Usopp, your father expects a duel. I'll see you two in the New World!

Makino couldn't help but smile as she finished the letter; that dumb Yonko had been a pain in her side, a bright spot in her life, and a hole in her heart when he had to finally leave Dawn Island for good. Saying that she'd developed a bit of a soft spot for the red-haired pirate was a bit of an understatement and little to her knowledge, she'd left quite the impression on Shanks by the end of his time there as she'd gotten over the fact that he was a pirate and a quite famous one at that. His heart, as always, was in the right place and she knew that the two boys would want to hear this.

She began to read the letter again out loud, stopping the shenanigans of the two as they listened intently to the words of one of their biggest idols. Once she'd finished, the two grinned widely at each other as they silently agreed that now was as good a time as any to leave. After Makino got a quick hug out of both boys, she stood on the edge of the pier as they loaded the few barrels of supplies they'd stocked up on and began to set off, Usopp guiding the ship and Luffy as always just excitedly grinning as he thought of all the stops in the East Blue they had to make before setting off. They had people to see, places to be, and pirates to stomp before they could go into the Grand Line; they hadn't spent these last 7 years traipsing about the East Blue with nothing to show for it. It was time to make good on what they'd prepared, and the Straw Hat Pirates would be making their first splashes into the Grand Line greater than any crew before them. Luffy would accept nothing less.

Turning his attention back to the crappy taste in his mouth, Luffy began to ponder what he could do with his newfound power. Cocking his hand into a fist, he punched the air only to widen his eyes in shock as his fist flew way past the normal length of his arm, and actually turned around once it lost momentum and began to fall straight towards his forehead. Not expecting it, he wasn't able to dodge, but found to his surprise that the blow hurt a lot less than he'd have expected it to. Experimentally, he punched himself in the leg but found that he didn't feel any pain, although he could still feel his leg being hit. Grinning widely, he stood up from his seat in the boat. Usopp began to pay attention to his newly established captain as he proceeded to stand up and tried to punch the air, finally noticing that Luffy's limbs were…far stretchier than they had been before. He cringed when his punch sailed into the side of the boat and tore off a chunk of wood.

"Luffy, if you sink this boat you're a dead man. And I won't even have to lift a finger to do it either," deadpanned Usopp.

"Oh, that's right! You said I wouldn't be able to swim anymore!" exclaimed Luffy as he thought back to what Usopp had said. All of a sudden that boring lecture seemed a lot more important than he had given it credit for.

"Yosh! That settles it, I've gotta train with this devil fruit before getting into any serious fights!" Luffy proclaimed as he began to throw punches and kicks, doing his best to not rebound his body into the ship. "My punch's always been as strong as a pistol, but these powers just made my punch weaker! I've gotta figure out how to fix it..." shouted Luffy as his voice lowered in thought. If he could extend his fist by punching, maybe by pulling back…?

Determined to test out his theory, Luffy stood up and punched back towards Dawn Island where he could still clearly see Makino seeing them off. His punch flew true this time, a little too true as it was actually heading straight toward the dock where Makino was standing.

Back on shore, Makino's eyes widened as she saw the rubber boy's fist sail straight towards her while showing no signs of stopping.

Panicking slightly, Luffy pulled back with the muscles in his arm, making the tension in his arm retract his arm like a rubber band. Not having expected the force and speed of his arm, the momentum knocked him backwards…back and over the side of the boat.

"Luffy!" Usopp shouted as he jumped into the water after his captain, succeeding in reaching him before he sunk too far and managing to haul him onto the ship, no thanks to the rubber boy as he seemed to be paralyzed from moving.

Usopp hauled himself back onto the ship and panted, trying to catch his breath. Finally steadying his breathing, he turned to see Luffy spitting a small bit of sea water out of his mouth and slowly moving into a sitting position.

"No more rubber business on the ship," ruled Usopp with authority.

"Awww, but why! I need to-"

"No."

"But my-"

"No."

"I thought I was the captain, Usopp!"

Before Romance Dawn - Omake 1:

It was a good time to be a Red-Haired Pirate, reflected Shanks. The alcohol was flowing, the company lively, and the danger low as they all lounged about a bar partying. The little town of Foosha Village had been in quite a shock when a big name bounty from out in the Grand Line had crossed out of the New World, and if the captain was to be believed, the Calm Belt, in order to restock out in the middle of nowhere, far in the East Blue. Shanks had planned this trek through the East Blue and most of Paradise as a short little swan song for his current ship, the Red Maria. Shanks had an old friend by the name of Iceberg in the later chunk of Paradise that he wanted to hit up in order to get a new flagship made, taking as long as needed to keep it all on the down low and avoid giving him and the city of Water 7 any problems. He could have gone to one of the more seedy shipyards located on the Grand Line, but Shanks' one stubborn demand was that if they were to replace the Red Maria, it would be with the best ship in the world and that was undoubtedly one built in Water 7. By the word of his first mate Benn Beckman it was unsightly for a Yonko, even a relatively new one like Shanks, to be sailing around in an old galleon. They all loved the ship, but Shanks had been forced to concede that it was true; losing a major battle by being outgunned at sea would be a pretty sad way to go.

In the process of restocking one thing had led to another, and here they were partying. What had most of Shank's attention however, was the new friend he'd made today; a little kid with a big mouth and big dreams that was seriously giving him a sense of déjà vu and reminded him of himself at that age. He was currently eyeing the chest with the new devil fruit they'd found on an island out in the middle of the Calm Belt with curiosity; best to keep him away from it.

"You should take me on your next voyage, I want to be a pirate too!" exclaimed the boy, tearing Shanks away from his thoughts.

"Dahahahaha!" laughed the man, making the boy pout. "As if you could ever be a pirate!" Even as he said this, he knew it wasn't entirely true; this boy reminded him far too much of himself for him to not think he could be a pirate someday. He was just too young to be set on such a path!

"Being a good swimmer doesn't mean you can be a good pirate!" laughed Yasopp loudly as he began to pay more attention the brat that had his captain so entertained.

"You're too much of a kid, Luffy!" exclaimed Lucky Roo before he took another bite out of the meat he always seemed to carry with him.

"I am not a kid! I'm a man!" shouted Luffy angrily, barely paying attention to Shanks as he slid him a cup of juice.

"Now, now, don't get so mad, have some juice!" said Shanks, barely suppressing his laughter.

"Oh, thanks!" shouted Luffy as he began to greedily drink it down.

"Hah, see, you are a kid! Dahahahaha!" exclaimed Shanks loudly while smacking the counter, and getting the rest of the crew laughing hard as Luffy burnt up in anger.

"Oi, everybody!" shouted Yasopp, tearing the Red-Haired Pirates away from their laughter, "Let's give it up for a successful voyage through the Calm Belt and making new friends. Here's to Luffy and our beautiful barmaid Makino for keeping the alcohol flowing! Cheers!"

"CHEERS!" responded the entire crew and they all began to drink deeply from whatever alcohol they had on hand while Luffy drank from his glass of juice; Shanks more or less downed his last bottle of rum in one long chug, and it was only a matter of moments before it hit him; he may have been a great drunk with crazy high tolerance but drinking that much, that fast really did a number on him.

"Hey, Shanks, are you okay?" asked Luffy as he eyed the red-haired man swaying a bit dangerously.

"'m fine Luffy, just great!" exclaimed Shanks with more energy than normal. Luffy eyed him again, before shrugging and going back to excitedly talking about how his punch was as strong as a pistol.

"…and that's why you should totally let me go with you on your next voyage!" shouted Luffy excitedly, bouncing on the bar stool. The other pirates laughed drunkenly but Shanks…Shanks was deep in drunken thought at Luffy's childish demand. It wasn't THAT crazy of an idea, right? He'd been a cabin boy himself when he was a kid, and he'd turned out great! He should totally encourage the next generation of pirates!

"I'll tell you what kid!" boomed Shanks as he smashed his bottle down hard onto the table without breaking it, locking all eyes on him. "You're…eight right now, right?"

"Seven!"

"Seven then! When you're ten years old, we'll be back and we'll take you on as a cabin boy for a year! I swear it on this hat!" claimed Shanks drunkenly as he gently patted his treasured headwear.

"YOU REALLY MEAN IT!?" shouted Luffy joyously as his crew began to laugh and cheer in approval of their captain's plan.

Shanks slowly raised what little was left in his bottle of rum to the air. "To our future nakama, Luffy!"

"TO LUFFY!" roared the Red-Haired Pirates as the young boy just laughed and Makino continued to scrub the bar counter furiously, torn between being happy for the boy she viewed as a silly younger brother and being furious with the red-headed captain for proposing to take him somewhere so dangerous.

The cheering was interrupted as a tall man rudely barged into the bar demanding drink….

Sometime later

"So you're leaving, huh?" asked Luffy with a small smile as he saw the pirates loading up the galleon with supplies.

"Yeah, we've been here a long time but now it's time to part ways. I've got a shipwright in Water 7 to visit! Don't get too impatient waiting for us," said Shanks confidently as he gazed out to sea.

"Don't worry about me…I almost want to say that you don't have to take me anymore," said Luffy with the same small grin on his face.

"Oh?" asked Shanks, turning to the kid with an eyebrow cocked. "Why's that?" Shanks was secretly sweating at the idea that the Sea King had scared Luffy to the point of never wanting to leave land again.

"I've decided to become a pirate on my own now! I still want to sail with you guys when I turn ten, but only if you're okay with me and my crew kicking your ass once I'm older!" exclaimed Luffy determinedly.

"We're going to be every bit as good as your crew, and I'm going to find the greatest treasure in the world, and I'm going to be King of the Pirates! I'll show you!"

"Oh? In that case…" said Shanks as he reached up for his hat. His words….he really was just like him as a kid. He saw so much potential in the next generation of pirates, and he couldn't help but wonder if this is what his old captain felt when he first gave him this straw hat, placing it over Luffy's head.

"…I'll be leaving this hat with you. It means the world to me. Take good care of it!" said Shanks, turning away and beginning to walk onto his ship.

Luffy's eyes swam with tears as he thought about the great value this hat held to his idol, and all how Shanks had sacrificed his arm to keep him alive. Makino moved behind the boy and placed her hands on his shoulders to comfort him as they and the rest of the village watched the Red-Haired Pirates sail away.

"THREE YEARS!" shouted Luffy, breaking away from the barmaid.

"YOU BETTER BE BACK IN THREE YEARS!" he shouted as the Red-Haired Pirates laughed and waved, Shanks giving him a grin and a thumbs up.

"DAMN RIGHT!"

So. Here it is, this story which I've more or less written out the storyboard for over the last few months. This is just me putting it into a format that people will actually want to read it. As you can see, a lot of things are different. Like basically everything. My other story/what-if compendium was basically born from rejected ideas for this. Let me know what you all think.