Ghostunderasheet here with a new story! Yeah, I know, I've already got three in progress but whatever, right? So, since I'm lazy, I'm only writing the usual stuff once. WARNING: language, violence, slavery. Nothing too graphic (aside from the language) beyond: it really hurt, there was puss and gore, etc. If that stuff's too much for you then back out now because there's a lot of it. DISCLAIMER: obviously I don't own One Piece or I wouldn't be writing a FanFiction here, now would I? I do own my OCs, but you can feel free to use them if you want, just tell me and I can add a link to your story/drabble/whatever. I love feedback, from flames to fangirls (or fanboys, I don't judge) so leave a review if you want. When we start meeting characters who don't already have backgrounds, I'll be making stuff up for them. It'll probably turn out to be drivel when their pasts are finally revealed, but for now I've put research into making sure that their pasts are at least a tiny bit plausible. If you disagree or if I eventually get proven wrong, then feel free to tell me. I'll probably ignore you, but I'd like to know. Just for kicks, right? I think I've covered everything, so stop reading this annoying AN and skip to the story already!

-Luffy POV-

Someone was screaming outside. I didn't really think it was all that important until he got close enough for me to hear what he was saying. "Pirates! Pirates are coming! Run for your lives!" It was the most exciting news I'd heard all day, probably in my entire life. Well, being seven I hadn't had very many opportunities to get too excited. And yet… "PIRATES! EVERYBODY RUN!"

I ran all right, but not the way I think he wanted me to. I heard Makino calling for me as I tore out of the bar but I ignored her. I had an opportunity to see actual pirates! There was no way I would miss this chance.

The ship was huge! Well, it was bigger than any other ship I'd ever seen before at least. We only had fishing boats and such so I was very excited. It had a figurehead that looked kind of like a dragon and an actual pirate flag and everything! "Wow," I whispered. "It's real." I'm sure my eyes were shining.

"Luffy, get back," Mayor snapped at me, stomping his way past and shoving me behind a nearby barrel to hide me from sight. "Oi pirates!" he shouted, "Get out of here! Your kind isn't welcome here!"

A head popped up over the railing, just barely, before ducking down again. Straining my ears, I could make out two voices. "No! You're not welcome! Go away! OW! Why'd you hit me?!" It sounded strangely like a little girl's voice. Is that what pirates really sound like? I wondered, disappointed. I figured they'd sound scarier. Whoever that is doesn't sound scary at all.

"They live here you idiot," a second voice scolded. "They have every right to be here. We're guests. That's why we're asking permission to dock." Whoever he was, he didn't sound very old. That didn't seem very pirate-y either. Maybe they were fake pirates? No, that would be stupid.

"Then they should be politer to their guests!" the first voice retorted angrily.

"You mean they should be more polite. There is no such word as 'politer'."

"Yes there is, I just made it up! It's a real word now!"

A much taller head appeared, walking towards the rail. Now that guy looks like a pirate! So cool! "Sorry about those two," he shouted down, putting a hand on his straw hat. "Kat never stops running her mouth and Falcon's not much better. Mind if we dock here?"

"Of course we mind!" Mayor shouted. "Get off this island! Pirates aren't welcome!"

"That's racist!" shouted the first voice. "Pirates are awesome! Greatest people ever!"

"Yeah!" I shouted, forgetting I was supposed to be hiding behind a barrel to watch. "Pirates are awesome! Let them dock!"

"Yeah! What he said!" I was starting to like this first voice after all.

"Pirates aren't a race you idiots." added the second voice. "You're both idiots."

-Shanks POV-

Kat was a little too excited about seeing land. Plus, I think she'd already made a friend before she even landed this time. Whoever it was hiding (rather poorly considering the shouting) behind the barrel had already caught her attention. Falcon didn't seem to care. Then again, I don't think I've seen him intentionally allow his expression to show that he cared about anything since we started this voyage. Both children were too short to see over the rail, meaning they were also too short to be seen over the rail (except when Kat jumped and could just peek over the edge). I considered that a good thing. If they couldn't be seen, they couldn't be shot at, not that I was worried about that under these circumstances.

"Oh, come on, we've got to dock somewhere, we're low on supplies and Kat's getting restless. I promise not to pillage anything while I'm here," I offered. "We don't mean any harm."

"No! Pirates are pirates! You shouldn't brainwash children!" the man yelled at me angrily.

"I'm not brainwashed you old coot!" Kat screeched indignantly, jumping again and trying to see over the rail. "My daddy's awesome! Pirates rule! Everyone else sucks!" Kat had certainly gotten over excited. I wondered mildly if she'd gotten into the sugar supplies but shook my head. If Kat had access to sugar, things would be much worse. As it was she was still very over energetic though. It was just land.

"Kat, calm down," I scolded. "There are plenty of perfectly good people who aren't pirates. You don't need to- KAT!"

Fortunately, Falcon managed to grab her ankle before she fell completely. Apparently she'd been trying to climb over the rail and had succeeded, forgetting that this side of the ship was over land and not water. If Falcon hadn't grabbed her she could have cracked her head open! I could hear her laughing delightedly, still suspended upside-down over what would mean certain death for her little nine year old skull.

"I got her," Falcon promised, Kat's weight pinning him against the rail with his feet of the ground. "We're good," he assured me.

"Aww, but I wanted to go to the island," Kat complained.

I snatched her up from Falcon's grip and immediately crushed the girl to my chest. "Akagami Katherine, if you ever scare me like that again I'm going to keep you on a leash for the rest of your life!"

Kat giggled again. "Daddy, you're hugging me upside-down! All the blood's going to my head and I'm getting dizzy!"

"Well you wouldn't be upside-down if you hadn't tried to jump off the ship!" I shouted. Dear god, this child will be the death of me.

"It could have been worse," Falcon shrugged. "And you're ignoring the mayor," he added as an afterthought.

I realized he was right. "Sorry about that! Now about docking the ship… hopefully before Kat tries to escape again?"

The man seemed to be in shock at my daughter's near-death experience. I took it as permission. "Alright, Ben! Drop anchor! He says it's okay and I want to get Kat on dry land before she jumps for it again."

-Falcon POV-

I do not know why I must be subjected to this idiocy. No, that's a lie. I know exactly why I'm here. What I don't understand is how exactly Kat managed to survive on this or any ship without careful and constant supervision, something her father is clearly incapable of providing. The girl is far too curious, reckless and careless. What kind of idiot tries to jump off a ship even if there is water there, especially without checking that it's safe? What kind of idiot jumps of a ship period? Maybe she only seems insane to me because I'm eleven and she's nine. Then again, I'm sure I was never that impulsive when I was nine. My father would not have tolerated it.

That thought squeezed at my heart more than I expected it to. I shouldn't be so sentimental about being away from home, especially when I understood why it had been necessary for me to leave. Dad wanted me to be safe.

The rest didn't matter; even if I had to put up with this headache-inducing girl and her father, not to mention his insane crew. The only person who seemed to have any semblance of normalcy was Ben. Unfortunately, he seemed to be taking advantage of my presence here to use me as a babysitter for Kat. It was a full time job.

Kat looked like her father much as I looked like mine. Her hair was slightly lighter than his, closer to a dark pink than a genuine red but still clearly similar and usually pulled up carelessly into a side ponytail pulled out the top of her black visor. I don't think there has been a single instance in which she wasn't grinning her head off during this entire trip, even when she was sleeping. Kat was probably half a head shorter than me, though contributing to that was the fact that she seemed to have some sort of bizarre abhorrence for proper footwear. When I asked Ben about it he simply said that every time shoes were bought for her, she threw them overboard. Aside from that though Kat was reasonably normal, wearing denim shorts and a light purple tank top.

Compared to me, with my black hair, black sunglasses and black clothes, she was a riot of color and energy. Something for which I did not envy her. How is she supposed to remain inconspicuous like that? Doesn't she realize that if we attract the attention of the Navy, that they'll kill us simply for being born?

So how was it? Did I do a good job introducing Kat and Falcon or do you want more character development before we get to the main plot? Has anyone guessed who Falcon's father is yet? I don't think I gave you many clues this chapter so… If you get it already then you're probably awesome.