It was a cold day in West Blue, but it was a day that would be forever marked in history books.

Today was the day that the Third Pirate King departed from his home on a journey that would redefine the word "pirate".

The Path of the King

Chapter One

Twenty Years Later

"Aaah...life is good." Caleb said as he sunk back into the tree. He was sitting in the branch of a particularly strong tree in his yard that overlooked his town, Robinville. Robinville resided in West Blue, three islands before the Grand Line entrance. It was a small island, but it was well known for its primary crops; mulburberries, a fruit that was said to taste like the seven colors of the rainbow. Caleb popped one into his mouth as he stared out at the falling sunset.

"Caleb!" A voice called from down below the tree, "Aren't you cold?" Caleb looked down at what he was wearing. He had a long sleeve green shirt on and baggy black pants, as well as his signature silver bandanna around his left arm. He grinned and shook his shoulder length auburn hair at the person below him.

Caleb's father grinned back up at him. Caleb's father was Robinville's blacksmith, and a well-known one as well. He made everything from lances to harpoons, and he once supplied an entire army in ten days. He was named "The Speed of the West" for this trait, but his real name was Gerheart, and only a few of his most loyal customers called him by that. "In any case," he called back up, "come on down, it's time for dinner." Caleb smiled again as he dropped off of the tree and, without hitting a single branch, fell to the floor. "Still working on that nimbleness, eh, boy?" Gerheart said, tustling his son's hair.

"Just tryin' to get a little stronger, dad," Caleb said as he walked with his father into the house. "What's for dinner?"

"Same thing as always," Gerheart said as he opened a paper bag on the counter, "Whatever Mrs. Leary made yesterday."

"She's a really nice lady." Caleb said as he started cutting onions next to his father. "I mean, every day she makes extra food just for us, and we don't do anything for her."

"Whaddya mean, we don't do anything for her?" Gerheart laughed, his voice booming like a lion's. "I fix up her house every year on the house in repayment. It's small, but it works." He took the knife from his son and started cutting up some peppers. "Let that be a lesson to you, boy; always take care of your neighbors-"

"Or else they'll move away," Caleb finished as he set the two-person table, "you've told me a million times." He set down the water pitcher and turned to his father. "Are you dating again?" he asked.

"'Course not." His father huffed as he set the vegetables down on the table. "Women are far too much hassle, and not enough reward." He looked into the bag and whooped in joy. "We get steaks tonight, boy!" He smiled as he slapped his son on the back.

After they finished dinner, Caleb and Gerheart started washing the dishes. Gerheart turned to his son, a quizzical look on his face. "Why'd you ask if I was datin' again?" He asked his son.

"No reason." Caleb answered as he finished washing. He started to dry the washed dishes, but Gerheart kept questioning him.

"Are you dating someone?" Gerheart asked, a playful smile creeping onto his face. Caleb's face flushed for half an instant, and Gerheart pounced. "I knew it!" He laughed, "You were so distracted on the farm today!" He put an arm around his son. "What's her name, Mr. Ladyslayer?"

"Terese." Caleb mumbled as he dried the dishes as quickly as he possibly could. "Can I go upstairs now?"

"Not until you tell me more 'bout this Terese!" Gerheart laughed as he sat back down in his chair. "Is she smart? Blonde? Brunette? Please, son, tell me she's not a fishwoman."

Now Caleb laughed. "No, dad, she's a human. She's a brunette, she's my age, and yes, she's very smart." He ran towards the stairs, but turned around for one quick comment. "Oh, and she's really cute, too!" Gerheart's laughter boomed as Caleb sprinted back up the stairs.

A loud noise woke Caleb in the night. Grumbling, he flicked the light on and looked outside. The sight shocked him. From his room, Caleb could see that the entire town was ablaze. People were running around and screaming, and he could even see some of his fellow classmates among them. Various peoples were lying on the floor, and Caleb hoped to God they weren't dead.

Suddenly, he heard the loud noise again. Caleb realized that someone was trying to bust down the door to his house, so he grabbed the nearest object – a baseball bat – and left his room. His father was standing at the bottom of the stairs, however, and shook his head, silently telling Caleb to stay upstairs. Almost immediately after, the door was busted in.

Caleb stayed out of sight as his father told him to, but that didn't stop him from hearing what occurred. He heard his father attempt to make peace with the invaders. Then he heard the sound of a rifle butt connecting with flesh and cringed at what it meant. Then he heard the scariest words he'd ever heard before; "Go get the boy".

He hid behind his doorway when the men came up. He could hear them entering the rooms around him and started sweating in anticipation. Suddenly he heard the door to his room opening, and he swung the bat at the intruder.

It hit the man's rifle, knocking it out of his hands. The sudden attack stunned the man, and he wasn't able to provide a good block for Caleb's right hook. It connected with the man's face and sent him flying back down the stairs, landing at some very large boots. Caleb's face paled as the owner of those boots peeked up at him and snarled. "Wuji!" It called off to its right side, "take care of this brat; we got what we came for."

Almost immediately a man came rushing up the stairs. He had an Eastern style kasa hat and a katana tied to his waist. He wore a traditional white martial artist robe and had a scar over his left eye. He drew his katana and slashed out at Caleb, who howled in pain as the sword sliced the skin on his arm open. Caleb heard the door to his house close and focused on the man in front of him.

"You'll die here." The man said as he raised his katana for another charge.

Caleb grabbed the baseball bat at his feet and growled. "Bite me." He snipped to his attacker as he charged forward in a futile attempt to hit his opponent. The man named Wuji merely dodged the attack and smacked Caleb in the head with the hilt of his katana, knocking Caleb to the floor.

"As much of a pain as it is," Wuji said as he placed the blade of his katana over Caleb's exposed neck, "I'm going to kill you now." Wuji raised his sword and swung it down, fully prepared to end Caleb's life. It was not meant to be.

The clang of metal on metal was like the sound of an angel singing to Caleb. The young man looked up to face his savior and was shocked at who it was. It was a man with a black hood and mask that covered all but his eyes with a long dark red cape that went to his ankles. He also had a sword, although it was much more ornately decorated than Wuji's. He had a rectangular guardplate of some kind on each of his limbs with eight holes in each one, and a cylindrical tube above his left arm. He turned to Caleb and nodded, saying, "You need to go save your father."

Caleb didn't need to ask anything. He sprinted downstairs as the sounds of metal on metal continued behind him and ran out the door. A tear came to his eye when he saw that the tree he had been sitting in that day was now on fire. It soon passed, however, when he saw a group carrying an unconscious man walking down the path towards the village.

"DAD!" Caleb yelled as he sprinted towards the group. Two of them broke off to intercept Caleb. He blocked the first one's tonfa with his forearm, then responded with a palm strike that both broke the man's nose and knocked him out. The second one attempted to shoot Caleb, but missed wide left. Caleb took advantage and hit him with a flying kick, sending him to the grassy floor as well.

After dealing with them, Caleb jumped on top of the group with his father. There were three more grunts along with a very large man covered in a cloak. The cloaked man pointed his finger at Caleb, silently ordering the grunts to kill him. The first one's punch was blocked and returned with another, but Caleb couldn't block the second punch. It sent him sprawling to the floor, blood coming towards the corner of his mouth. When the grunt who he'd hit first tried to finish the job, Caleb whipped his legs out from under him with a low kick and then knocked the man out with a powerful ax kick.

The man in the cloak laughed as he watched the fight. Caleb blocked the next punch sent his way and then responded with a headbutt, dazing both fighters. The third man attempted to run Caleb through on his sword, but only managed to slice him in the side of the chest. Grunting with pain, Caleb grabbed the weapon-wielder and threw him into the other man, taking both men out of commission.

The man in the cloak clapped as Caleb panted, clutching his injured side. "Very good, Caleb." The man's voice was slow and deep, just as Caleb expected it to be. "Your father taught you well."

"Give him back and he can teach me more." Caleb said through gritted teeth. The man laughed again and waved his finger.

"Ahh, but you're funny as well! How wonderful." He removed his cloak, revealing a young face with a scar on the left cheek and piercing icy blue eyes. "However, I'm afraid I can't do that. We need him, you see, to help us in our mission."

"I don't care!" Caleb yelled as he swung out at the man, who snickered at the raging teen. Caleb felt a funny feeling in his chest and then was sent flying backwards, the fall causing more blood to spurt from his side. "Wh-what the hell was that?" He coughed as he stumbled back to his feet.

"The Devil Fruit." The cloaked man smirked as he fully removed his cloak. Underneath it was a chestplate of bright blue armor with white markings and red and black pants. Tied to his back was a sword much larger than Wuji's or the mysterious man; Caleb recognized it as a claymore from the South Blue. "Technically, the Push-Push Fruit. It gives me the gift of Telekinesis." The man laughed as he once again sent Caleb flying backwards without even touching him. "How's it feel to be beaten by someone without them even touching you?"

"Dammit!" Caleb thought as he stumbled back up, slower than the last time. "I can't fight this guy if I can't reach him!" He looked around for something to fight with, and his eyes fell upon a large rock, bringing a grin to his face.

"You must be joking." The cloaked man said in boredom as Caleb picked up the large rock and tossed it at the cloaked man. With a swipe of his hand, the man used his power to send the rock flying away, completely missing the fact that Caleb had sneaked behind him.

"Eat this, bastard!" Caleb yelled as he punched the man square in the face. He grinned, the feeling of his fist hitting this guy's face feeling quite good. However, that feeling soon turned worse when the punch had no effect other than angering the cloaked man.

"I'm a bastard, eh?" He said, swiping Caleb's hand away from his face as he drew his claymore. "Well, this 'bastard' is going to tear you limb from limb and then feed you to your own father. How's that sound?" Inside his head, Caleb was screaming to run away, but he wouldn't do it. "Let's see what you're made of, brat!" The cloaked man hollered as he rushed at Caleb to strike him down.

Caleb never forgot what occurred in the next three seconds. They would redefine his life. The man swung his sword down in an attempt to kill him, and so Caleb put his own hands up in defense. As he did so, he saw small little energy particles gathering together towards his hands. As the sword was about to slice his hands off, those particles combined and formed a medium length, energy-based longsword that blocked the attack and knocked the man backwards.

Both fighters were stunned. Neither one of them had ever seen this before. "You ate a Devil's Fruit?" The man yelled out towards Caleb.

"No!" Caleb yelled, swinging around the sword. "I have no idea what this is!" It was incredible, though; it seemed to be the perfect fit for Caleb. It was the perfect length and weight necessary for him to utilize it to its fullest potential. Caleb had been raised from a young age in how to use weapons, but this sword was unlike anything he'd ever seen. "But I know that now we're on even grounds!" He taunted his opponent.

"You wish!" The enraged man yelled as he came charging once more. Caleb swallowed his fears and answered the charge with one of his own, energy sword in hand.

He never remembered what happened next.

Caleb woke up the next day in a place he'd never been before. All around him were shards of glass, pieces of rubble, and the occasional surviving silverware. It took him a while before he realized that this was what was left of his house. He cried as he realized that it wasn't all a crazy dream.

"Quit the crying." A voice said from behind him. "It's not like you." Caleb turned and saw the mysterious man from his room, the one who had fought Wuji. "Although," the man said as he approached Caleb, "I guess I can understand it. I mean, your home's destroyed, your dad's abducted, and-"

"Dad was abducted?" Caleb yelled as he tried to rise to his feet. The pain, however, was far too great, and so Caleb was forced to fall to his knee.

"Wouldn't try that if I were you." The man said as he walked around Caleb and towards where the tree had been. "That guy yesterday did quite the number on you. I gotta say, though, the whole lightning sword was one hell of a trump card." The man said down near the ashes of the tree and waved his hand for Caleb to come over. "If you can." He added playfully.

Caleb scowled and rose with difficulty. He limped over to where the man was sitting and glowered at him before sitting back down, hearing the creaks in his joints as he did. They sat there for a moment, looking out at the ravaged town and listening to the breeze before Caleb broke the silence. "Who are you?"

"Name's Leaf." The man said without moving an inch. "I knew your dad." This got Caleb's full attention. "Don't get any ideas." The man said, already anticipating the answer. "We used to work together, that's all."

"As what?" Caleb asked angrily. "Dad's been a blacksmith since I was born."

"Since you were born, yes." Leaf said cooly. "But before you were born, he was one of the greatest pirates the world had ever known." The words seemed to each be a blow to Caleb's already fragile mind as Leaf continued. "I had the good fortune to be a member of his crew, and a loyal one at that."

"What crew was that?" Caleb said abruptly. "Pirate or not, I know my dad wasn't captain."

For the first time since they'd met, Leaf laughed. "Yeah, that's right, Gerheart was never like that." He looked back towards the horizon, and Caleb could tell the man was smiling. "We were both members of the Straw Hat crew."

This made Caleb's face pale. "The Straw Hats?" He burst out, "that same crew that was toe-to-toe with the Second Pirate King's?"

Leaf nodded. "Yeah. He and I worked under Cap'n Luffy for a couple years. He was there before I was. In fact, we worked under him until you were born. Then the Cap'n forced Gerheart to leave, so he could raise you safely." Leaf's eyes furrowed as he frowned beneath the mask. "But they still found you."

"My...dad." Caleb said quietly, disrupting Leaf's train of thought, "what did he do? Like, how did he fight?"

Leaf smiled again as he looked at his friend's son. "Well, for starters, he was the second best swordsman I ever met. Behind Zoro, your father could beat just about anyone with his sword." Leaf turned back to the horizon as he continued. "But he didn't need a sword. A lance, an ax, a bow, hell, your father could kill a man with a book. All he needed was a weapon, and your father could get it done."

Caleb looked down at his feet, which were just as heavily bandaged as the rest of his body. "So what happened yesterday?" He mumbled.

Leaf turned to Caleb and answered him in a montone voice like he had before. "You fought that guy and lost. Big time. Although, you did manage to take two fingers from him, and so you should take pride in that." Inside, Caleb gave himself a pat on the back. "Before he could kill you, I stepped in. My opponent had fled long before, and so I had gotten worried." Caleb smiled, but Leaf held up his hand in response. "About the both of you. As it turns out, they took your dad long before I got there. I just managed to save you." He held out his arm, which was now even more heavily bandaged than Caleb. "Paid one hell of a price, too."

"Who were they?" Caleb asked. "Who were those people? They weren't Marines, that's for sure."

"No, they weren't." Leaf said. "Although I wish they had been." That part he mumbled so low even Caleb couldn't hear it. "Those guys were part of a group called Cameos. A long time ago, they tried to kill your dad and I. They operate under Blackbeard himself, so it's little surprise that they'd come after him. What's surprising, though, is that they attacked you." Leaf's brow furrowed again. "Blackbeard's overstepping the damn line."

Caleb sat there, taking it all in. Just last morning he had been the simple son of a blacksmith in a town people rarely talked about. In fact, he'd just gotten a girlfriend. Now he had learned he was the son of one of the most powerful pirates in the world, and it was yet another of those pirates telling him this. On top of all of that, he could apparently create energy swords out of nothing. "I really hope this is a dream." Caleb thought wryly.

Suddenly, Leaf stood up and faced Caleb. "What now, boy?"

Caleb stared back up towards Leaf, determination on his face. "I get my dad back." He stood up, ignoring the pain. "I go find these Cameos bastards and get my dad back, no matter the cost."

Leaf smiled again. "You know that Cameos runs under Blackbeard, right?" Caleb nodded. "So you know that going against Cameos means going against both Blackbeard and the Marines, right?" Caleb nodded again, and Leaf's smile grew. "You know, kid, I think you are your father's son." He extended his hand to Caleb and said, "Keramono Leaf is at your service, Caleb Dryder."

Caleb shook Leaf's hand and took the first step into a journey that would change the world.

The sun rose on a new day.

End of Chapter One

Author's Note: OHMYGOD

That made me so nervous. First time writing anything like this in a year. Anywhoo, thanks for reading! R&R please!

BY THE WAY VERY IMPORTANT DO NOT SKIP THIS

All stories under my previous account, shadowwing13, are canceled as of right now.

That doesn't mean that they won't reappear under dryderson.

Wink wink. ;)

Howzabout this; if I can get 10 different people telling me to bring back a story, I will. You must know the name of the story, however.

Good deal?

K.

Good afternoon, good evening, and good night,

dryderson