If you asked people who the oldest pirate was, they would tell you it had been old man Whitebeard. Specify still living, and you would get the name of some giant or another. And if you asked about the oldest of the Straw Hat crew, everyone would answer "Soul King" Brook- although, there would be some debate about the living part.

They were all wrong. But the one who could claim the title had no way of informing people. He was just a hat after all.

He'd never earned a bounty, never stolen treasure, and never fought a battle of his own. Still, he'd sat on the heads of adventurers and explorers for generations, far longer than a simple straw hat should possibly be able to exist. He'd been crushed, torn, stepped on, dropped in the ocean, and eaten by sea kings. In the past he'd been forgotten, lost, and found more times than he could count. And in the end, he was always passed on.

After he'd seen the heads of three generations, he started thinking of himself as Legacy. Not that any of his wearers ever knew that. They simply called him Hat.

When Roger wore him and was declared King of the Pirates, Legacy began to think of himself as a royal chronicler of sorts. After all, the men who wore him were all great men, worthy of being kings. His next wearer, Shanks, was called Yonko, one of the four emperors of the sea, further cementing Legacy's opinion.

He didn't expect to be passed on so soon afterwards. For hundreds of years, his wearers had only passed him on when they were near death. But Shanks was in his prime, leaving Legacy confused. He sat forlornly on a too-small head as he watched Shanks leave, the black hair beneath him wet with tears of pride.

It took years for Legacy to decide whether his latest wearer was a joke or not. The Luffy child was small and clumsy, and definitely not the brightest, but he had determination and heart in spades. The silly powers didn't help the decision; Legacy couldn't decide if being rubber made Luffy stronger or acted as a handicap. Sometimes they seemed to do both at once.

It wasn't until Luffy had gathered the beginnings of a crew that Legacy made his decision. The hat watched the boy save a town from corruption, destroy a clown who insulted Shanks, rescue an unlucky village, and save a restaurant. He saw the faith Luffy's swordsman had in him, and how the youth destroyed the shark who made his friend cry. Legacy watched as Luffy took down a criminal syndicate, declared war on the government, and retrieved shadows from the blackest darkness. Most of all, Legacy watched what Luffy went through trying to rescue his older brother, the son of Legacy's last wearer.

The next two years the hat sat on a rock, as the boy who would be king trained to defend his nakama. And no, there was no doubt in the hat's mind that this boy would be the next King of the Pirates. Legacy had faith in him now, as much as that swordsman did.

He started to think of himself as the unofficial pirate crown.