This is an original crew set after Luffy has both become pirate king, and started the next Pirate Age. I have most of the story mapped out in my mind, which means I have most of the characters as well. However, if you pm me with a character design, and I like it, I might put them into the story. If I really like your design, I may even put them in the crew.

Because they may be put in the crew, I suggest that everyone who wants to do this tell me what they look like, their personality, along with how they fight and even a backs story if you have one (though I may not use these parts, because some of these characters will just make cameos) The better the detail, the more likely they will have a big role in the story.

Note: Do NOT give me a character profile in a review. Those will be ignored, because reviews are for feedback!

Anyway, please read, review and tell me what you think!

What do the Stars Say?

Deep in the Grand Line was an island called Proshen. It was small enough that you would know everyone's name in the town, but big enough that someone wouldn't have trouble finding supplies, should they dock at the eastern harbor. It was late in the evening, when the town began to settle down, spare the youth who were still in the stay-out-all-night-long faze.

Lying beneath the lone tree on the rock face was two of those youth. Ken and Saito were staring at the stars wistfully. On nights like this, the view was breathtaking, and they seldom spoke just to savor the moment. It was early summer, and they lay on the crisp, dry grass, waiting for the last of the lights in the town to die out.

Kenji was tall, with long black hair, tied back and out of his face. He was somewhat skinny, but he looked very lanky due to his height. He was stocked with lean muscle, which was a natural phenomenon, because he never worked out, and certainly didn't get himself into fights. In fact, he refused—a self-proclaimed wimp. Still, his height and body build made him look intimidating enough to keep any of the kids his age from messing with him.

Saito was about a head shorter than him, with dark brown hair. He'd always said that he would dye his hair bleach blonde, but, of course, he was excused from this pledge because "He couldn't afford to anyhow". Kenji had half a mind to buy the dye for him, because if he did, Saito would be too proud to flake out. The two were destined to be best friends from the start. Where Saito lacked in brains, Ken made up for, and where Ken lacked in brawn, Saito filled in.

"Nice night tonight, huh?" sighed Ken as the two stared blankly at the world above.

"Yeah." Saito mumbled, his arms resting lazily under his head.

"You know what? They say you can tell your future in the stars." Ken added in the know-it-all manner that he used quite often.

"Who says that?" Saito asked, leaning up on his elbow.

"I dunno some ancient guy from way back when. Real smart, they say, even though all he really did was play connect-the-dots in the sky." Ken said, smiling, Saito smiled back.

"A real genius." He paused. "So, tell me, what do the stars say 'bout your future? Hmmm?"

"Well I don't know what the stars say, but I want to be a doctor. I think I'm going to ask Mao-sensei to take me as an apprentice, or I want to. I'm afraid she'll say no. She's kinda stingy." He crinkled his nose with distaste. Saito laughed.

"Yeah…"

"So?" Ken prompted.

"So, what?" Saito asked.

"I told you what I wanted to do for a living, now you tell me." Ken grinned. Saito's gaze drifted from Ken up to the stars, his hand subconsciously drifting to the hairline scar running from his right eye down to his chin, forming a crescent.

"I… want to be…" Saito began, stalling for time to think, "A pirate! Yeah, a pirate! I'd sail the seas and collect treasure and run from the Marines… It'd be great." Ken looked at him skeptically.

"A… pirate? You want to be a pirate." He said, as though waiting for the punch line.

"Yes." Saito answered quite seriously. Ken scratched at the back of his head. He was sort of used to this kind of stupidity from his friend because he'd been like that as long as he could remember.

"You honestly want to be a pirate. With the law breaking and plundering?" Saito shook his head.

"No, a good pirate. Adventures and treasure!" Ken groaned.

"Ah yes, a good pirate. Of course." Saito nodded enthusiastically; Ken laughed. He never seemed to notice—or care—when he used sarcasm.

"You know what? If you ever become a pirate, you come get me. I'll be your first mate." Ken laughed again. Saito beamed at him.

"Really?! You swear to God you will? No lie?" Saito continued to beam, and Ken chuckled.

"I swear."

-Seven Years Later-

"I refuse." Kenji replied adamantly, walking past Saito carrying a box of sterile vaccines over to the refrigerator to be stored.

"You promised me! Swore!" Saito whined. Ken turned to face him.

"When?" He asked.

"We were twelve." Saito replied.

"You've got to be kidding." He walked back to the front of the clinic.

"C'mon! You swore! You've been my best friend for nineteen years. Nineteen, a whole lifetime, wasted on you, and you can't even keep a promise." Saito complained. "Some good you are. Why do I even keep you around?"

"To bail you out when you get in deep shit doing something totally idiotic? Or maybe I'm just here to buy you hair dye and give you a hard time." Saito scowled, brushing his hand across his bleached hair, and changed tactics.

"It'd be fun! Lots of treasure!" He coaxed in a sing-songy voice.

"Fun? Oh, let's define fun, shall we? Fun like jumping off the cliff into the bay, fun?"

"Hey man, you didn't have to jump if you didn't want to." Saito defended.

"You pushed me!" Kenji shouted.

"Pushed? That's more of a full on, two handed kind of shove. What I did was more of a helpful tap."

"No it wasn't- why am I even going along with this? I refuse to be a pirate, that's final." Ken stated, beginning to stack random, unused items in the shop portion of the clinic to emphasize his point. Saito glowered at him for a second before perking up ever-so-slightly.

"It's because you're a doctor, right? You know, pirates don't have to hurt people, I mean, there are good pirates too! Just look at the second Pirate King!"

"Keh, pirate king." Kenji scoffed.

"Yes, the greatest of all time, and he hardly killed anyone." Kenji looked skeptical, and seemed to be fighting with himself on how to respond. Finally, he decided.

"Doesn't matter, don't care. That's not the reason anyway! Now leave me alone." Kenji swung his hand towards the door, knocking down his newly-stacked pile. Saito looked at him for a moment before smiling knowingly.

"Fine, I'll be back later." He called as he hurried out the clinic and onto the street.

"Don't bother! We don't want you here anyway; all you do is annoy and break things!" Kenji answered back.

___

It had been almost a half and hour since Saito had left, and after beating himself up over the idea for that long, Ken almost wanted to apologize and agree to the promise. Almost. Of course, if he did agree, Saito would get what he wanted, which wasn't what Kenji wanted, because he doubted Saito had planned anything at all. He probably didn't even have a ship. Moreover, he probably couldn't get one without Kenji's money.

Kenji sighed for what must have been the hundredth time. To join, or not to join… He didn't even want to think about it. At the same time, being a pirate would be kinda cool… No! Not cool, not fun. Stupid and rash and a terrible way to ruin you life. Kenji realized that he was talking out loud to himself. That was crazy, he's making me crazy!

The bell over the door rang, announcing a customer's entrance. He quickly regained his composure and turned to greet them with an I'm-smiling-because-it's-good-for-business smile. Of course, when he saw that it was not, in fact, a customer, but the mayor of Proshen giving him a death-glare, all traces of fake-pleasure vanished from his face.

"Oh. Um… How can I help you today?" Whatever Saito did, he was surely screwed. Kenji mentally kicked himself, because he'd end up taking the wrap for him. The glare didn't relent, but intensified by his attempt to lighten the mood as if he didn't realize something was wrong.

"Where did he go? Just tell me where Saito went, and I'll leave you out of this."

"I honestly don't know." Ken replied, which was entirely true, regardless of the fact that he would have answered the same way even if Sai was in the back room. Ah well, if he was going to go down with him, might as well stall Mayor Tohru. "You know, his new thing is mooching off Cassie-san in the bakery. You should try there. I bet he could get you some dumplings for free."

"Stop playing dumb!" Ken shrugged and plopped down onto a cushioned chair.

"Okay, fine. Now, what exactly did he do on this fine afternoon?" He asked with annoyingly polite tone, giving a much-too-curt hand gesture to the window.

"He took…no, he stole the Devil's Fruit from my vault. Lord knows how he got the combo, but he did." Inside, Ken was screaming. He had to be the absolute dumbest thing alive. Of course, on the outside he kept his cool, because if the mayor saw him panic, well, he was a very manipulative person.

"Yes. I can see how that would be a problem. Now why, I ask, would you come to me to find him? I can't help you, so sorry." He said with a not-so-sorry tone and a dismissive wave of the hand.

-Thirty Minutes Earlier-

Saito hurried down the street with a pleased look on his face. Oh, Kenji obviously wanted to join, he just… needed convincing. The only reason he wouldn't want to be a pirate—the epitome of coolness— would be either money issues, or he was afraid he wouldn't last as a pirate. So, how do we get a combination of money and power?

He mentally patted himself on the back for his wonderful plan as he turned from the residential neighborhood towards the main square, which would eventually lead to the mayor's office. All he needed to do was sneak in, steal it, and sneak out. The Devil's fruit would sell for millions if money was the issue, and if strength was the issue, he'd let Kenji eat it. Problem solved.

Without further thought to his plan, he slipped around to the back of the building and through the hedge. Looking left, right, then left again, he skittered across the well-managed lawn and pressed up against the building. He had to try three windows before finding an open one, and with some effort he pulled it open with a dull creak and slipped inside. Saito had been in the building a million times— half of which the guest booklet in the front lobby had no record of— and he knew it like the back of his hand. Still, he felt sneaky, which was fun.

Being the Silent Death that he was, he passed through the cluttered office and came to the door. He stuck his head out ever-so slightly and peered down the hall. It was empty, so he stepped outside and into the room directly across the hall. This was the stairwell. The building had three levels, the basement below him was mostly for storage, the main floor was where most of the building's occupants stayed, and the upper level was where the mayor's office was. It was also where he was going to find the mayor's vault. Saito stepped quietly up the steps and slipped through the door waiting for him at the top.

This placed him in the lobby joining the Mayor's office with the stairwell, along with a storage closet to the left and a rec. room, to the right. Saito crossed the room and pressed his ear to the door. He listened for several seconds before pulling the door open, satisfied that no one was inside. As expected, the lights were off and the room was still. Shutting the door behind him and flicking the light, he crossed the room. Poorly hidden, as it had always been, the safe was nestled beneath Mayor Tohru's desk, behind a stack of campaign fliers. He shoved them aside and pulled the safe towards him.

Saito had found the safe last month, when he was feeling rebellious. It was his first trip infiltrating Tohru's office, and he had quickly found the safe, and with curiosity, attempted to open it. Saito spun the combination, zero to the right, zero to the left, and then zero to the right once again. He chuckled to himself as he did so. The first time he'd tried this combo he'd been joking with himself about how much of a simpleton the mayor was. Of course, when it worked he'd laughed hysterically. Someone had heard him, and he ended up hiding in the storage closet for an hour and a half. Not the best way to spend a Friday night but…still.

He carefully pulled the Devils fruit from its felt-lined case, not even caring that stealing this fruit was considered a major felony on Proshen. After all, he thought to himself as he slipped back out the doorway, he was a pirate now… well, close enough. He backtracked to the stairs, taking two at a time, all while remaining as quiet as possible. He came to the first landing, on ground level, and stopped. Footsteps!

Dashing down the steps and into the basement, he made a sharp turn and almost fell flat on his face over a box that had been placed hazardously close to the bottom step. He breathed a sigh of relief, before realizing that the footsteps were following him. They couldn't have seen him so…probably just getting some boxes. He looked to the right. Boxes. Left? More boxes. He certainly couldn't hide in those, with his luck he'd pick the box they were looking for. Frantically, he turned towards the stairs and noticed, tucked into the crawl space below them, was an air duct. There was just enough room above it for him to hide.

He had just wriggled his way on top of the vent, still clutching the fruit tightly to his chest, when the secretary who ran the front desk descended the steps and moved to sit in a chair across the room. She was sitting out of sight, but if he couldn't see her, she couldn't see him. There was a scratching noise, and the room started to fill with an acrid scent. She was smoking. He wriggled further towards the wall, grimacing every time the vent buckled under his weight. She didn't seem to notice, or if she did, she didn't come to investigate, and Saito prayed that she wouldn't be here long. This was much more uncomfortable than sitting on a chair.

Fifteen minutes later the secretary once again crossed the room, only this time through a light haze of cigarette smoke, and walked to the top of the steps. Waiting for the lights to go out in her wake before he moved, Saito slid out of his hiding place and stretched. He crept towards the only light source in the room, a half-widow positioned above and to the left of a set of filing cabinets.

He pulled himself up on top of the cabinet and reached over to push the window open. After a moment's resistance, due to the fact that the window hadn't been opened in what must have been years, it creaked quietly open and locked into place. Awkwardly, he half swung half slid through the window and into one of the many decorative lilac bushes lining the building. The window creaked shut behind him and he spit into the bush, happy to be out of the cyanide smog.

Saito untangled a plastic sack from his back pocket and slid the fruit into it before returning through the hedge once more. He dusted off his pants and straightened his collar before casually walking down the road towards the clinic, the sack bouncing idly over his shoulder. On his way, he greeted the mayor with a light wave and almost laughed aloud when he received a suspicious look and a hesitant nod. He had no idea what Sai had done yet, still, he had a good sense for trouble, and looked him over carefully as he passed, as though a look could tell him what he had done. Sai continued to walk, but his pace began to slow. Something was tugging at the back of his memory…

Oh shit! Saito whirled around and looked towards the mayor, who was walking towards his office. I forgot to put the safe back! He'd returned the box to the safe and closed it, but he didn't remember to slide the safe back into place behind the fliers… That had to be the dumbest thing he'd ever done. Okay, let's approach this logically. When he figures out its gone, he'll automatically assume it was me who stole it, and the first place he'll look is at the clinic with Kenji… so stay away from the clinic. He turned to the left and walked away, to the only place that Kenji, when interrogated, would never suggest he was hiding at.

Up at the cliff, where he'd spent a good majority of his life, they'd set up a telescope. Kenji had bought it almost a year ago. He'd insisted that it was to study the stars at night, but Sai knew for a fact that that wasn't its real purpose. At least, that's not what he used it for.

Sai pressed his eye to the lens and turned it away from its resting spot on Cassie's window towards Tohru's office. After waiting several minutes, the mayor stormed out of his office, looking terribly angry, even at this distance. True to suit, he crossed Main Square in a rush and stormed into the clinic. Saito smiled to himself over the predictability of the mayor. His plan was actually going better than he thought it would. After a short visit, the mayor stormed outside, still seething, and headed towards the bakery. Time to move. Sai folded the telescope and headed towards town once more.

___

Ken heard the back door creep open and quickly close. Eyes flashing with a distinct intent to kill, he flung open the adjoining door and confronted a very pleased Saito, who was currently fiddling with a plastic sack. He slammed the door behind him.

"God damn it, please tell me that's not the Devil's Fruit." Sai nodded and triumphantly pulled it from the sack, holding it at arms length. It greatly resembled a pear, aside from the swirled, pink and orange peel. It was about the size of a loaf of bread. He was grinning like a maniac, even though Ken was glaring at the fruit as though he was attempting to burn a hole through its center.

"Why would you do that? Do you realize how much trouble we're in if someone catches us? We… have to return it. If we can get it back without anyone noticing it would all be okay."

"I got it for you. Now you have to join my pirate crew. We can sell it if we need money, or you can eat it if you want to!" Sai offered, as though trying to sell a product.

"I can't believe you. I don't want to be a pirate! That has got to be the lamest thing I've ever heard. 'Oh yes, he won't join on his own, lets commit a crime and steal some shit, then he'll join in a heartbeat!' Honestly, what goes on in your head?" The bell in the front of the clinic rang, announcing a customer, and the color drained from both of their faces. "Oh my God, we're screwed. Quick, quick, just get rid of it! Hide it somewhere, I'll go stall them!" Kenji opened the door and slipped into the store-portion of the shop. The door sighed shut behind him.

"M-mayor Tohru! Back so soon?"

"I've looked everywhere. Everywhere in town. There is no way he isn't here. Now let me in back." Ken laughed nervously. Stalling, stalling…

"Oh, back here? Ehehe, well, funny story actually… Uhh…" The door swung open and Saito walked out carrying a box of gauze.

"Where did you want these again?" He flashed him a frantic look behind the box and turned to set them on the front desk.

"Uh, yeah. Just put it there, that's fine, thanks. Actually, Mayor, that's what I wanted to tell you. He came over a little while after you left. He's been helping me… restock." Sai nodded convincingly.

"I know for a fact that you stole the Devil's Fruit from my office. Just give it back and I swear that your punishment won't be as severe."

"What Devil's Fruit?" Saito asked innocently, with enough sincerity to make Kenji gag.

"You know exactly what Devil's Fruit." He pushed Kenji aside and opened the back door, scanned the room, then closed it again with considerable force.

"Do you have proof that I was the one who stole it?" Sai asked with an expectant look on his face. "No? Well then, please come back when you get some." And he waved him off, ushering him out the door and onto the street. Tohru glared at him though the window for a moment before he stormed off towards his office once more, intending to look for the evidence he needed. Ken sighed with relief, and whirred around.

"So, where'd you hide it?"

"Hide what?"

"The fruit, where's the fruit?" Ken opened the door to the back room and began shuffling around.

"I ate it." Ken stopped cold.

"You…ATE IT! Tell me you're lying!"

Sai looked frantic. "Well, you told me that I needed to hide it. I couldn't find a spot so…I'm sorry! I was going to give it to you I swear!" with that he turned to sulk. Now he'll never join!

"You idiot! Spit it out, throw it up, do something!" Ken grabbed him around the neck, trying to both strangle him and make him give the fruit back. The door rang for a third time, leaving them both in a very awkward position.

"What…are you boys doing?" Inquired Cassie, the baker's daughter.

"We're uhh…" stammered Kenji nervously.

"He's teaching me the Heimlich maneuver," Sai cut in before Ken drowned completely, "Ya know…just in case." She nodded a little before walking over to the desk. You could tell by her face that she knew the Heimlich had nothing to do with wrapping one's arm around the victim's neck; still, she wasn't planning on pursuing the subject.

"I'm here to pick up the prescription I ordered…"

"Oh, right." Ken released Sai and walked behind the counter, reaching beneath and grabbing a brown paper bag. He passed it to her; she paid, thanked him, and left. Once she had gone he turned to Sai absolutely furious.

"Get out, and don't come back. I won't be a pirate because I've trained for five years to become a doctor, and I won't waste my life. Not because of money, not because of power, but because I don't want to, promise or not!" He motioned for the door, which Sai reluctantly opened and left, trying to lay on as much guilt as he could before he walked out of sight.

Now thoroughly pissed off and having an all-around horrible day, Ken figured he could use some air. He grabbed his coat of the rack next to the door and flipped the closed sign. Despite the fact that this was Summer Island, the day was particularly chilly. The streets were abnormally quiet for mid-day. No one seemed to be walking the streets, and most of the shops were closed or empty. That was odd, because he hadn't noticed anything strange happening. But then, he was so caught up with Sai that there really wasn't any chance for him to notice something abnormal. Of course, just when he thought that he was alone on the street, three grade-schoolers brushed past him, followed by a thirteen year old girl holding the hand of a toddler.

"Hey, hey! Where's the fire?" He chuckled, and they started down the street. One of the grade-schoolers turned.

"No fire! Pirates! At the dock, wanna come see with us?" They motioned for him to follow and he nodded half-heartedly. As exciting as pirates were, not all of them were friendly. He started after the excited children who were heading for the dock. As he rounded the first bend, they were already rounding their second, and he picked up his pace, noticing that there were people dotting the roads, mostly walking away, already.

The docks were crowded, as they were every time pirates docked in their town. It wasn't a frequent thing, and usually attracted a lot of attention. There were three ships in the harbor. All of them were the same size, all flying the same flag. He stepped into the crowd, along with roughly thirty other sailors or townspeople. A few people shot him some warning looks, which he registered, but didn't really comprehend. Then one of the older sailors yelled from the very back of the crowd.

"We aint got a doctor on this island! We need a doctor, we go to the next island over!" a crowd of people agreed with him. Ken shot a confused look towards the nearest protester, who shot him a shut-up-and-listen look. Now the mother of one of the kids he had seen earlier spoke up.

"It's true! If you need a doctor for your crew, you'll have to try a different island." A tall, burly man that Ken didn't recognize chuckled, along with about ten other men. He was probably the captain.

"You know what I think?" teased the man, "I think your doctor is in this crowd right now, and you just don't want to admit it." Ken could feel about every person in the crowd staring at him without actually looking. It was really quiet, aside from a few shuffling feet and a baby that had started to cry about a minute ago. Ken decided he'd see if he could convince the pirates to leave.

"I don't know where you got that idea, but we honestly don't have a doctor on this island. Guess you guys just had a bad stroke of luck, huh?" He grinned at a few people who had turned to look. The captain scowled.

"Hey kid, are you mocking us?" All traces of a grin vanished from his face in an instant.

"Of course not, I was just saying that we don't have a doctor. Sorry to trouble you." he flashed a cheesy-nervous smile, which was more than likely working against him to piss the captain off more. A few feet away, a little girl, about three years old, was tugging at her mother's skirt with a confused look creasing her delicate brow.

"Mommy," She whined in an entirely audible attempt at a whisper, as though she was on stage, performing for an audience, "Why is Dr. Ken lying?" The woman, seeing what was coming with a motherly foresight had attempted to silence her, but failed, and was now clamping a hand over her daughter's mouth as though that would keep any more secrets from escaping her lips. The captain smiled wryly, and his gaze slipped from the girl back to Ken, who was studying his shoes intently.

"Yes, Dr. Ken, do you want to tell me why you were lying?" He asked mockingly. Ken continued to inspect his shoes, and then his gaze drifted up to the captain's face.

"Oh, you were talking to me?" Ken asked with a bewildered look, "Haha, no. I'm no doctor. But if I was a doctor, I'd obviously lie, because I don't… wouldn't want to join your crew."

"Oh, I see. So, since he is apparently a sailor," He pointed at the elderly man who was the first to speak, "and you're not a doctor, that means that she," he pointed to the mother who'd been the second to speak up, "is the real doctor. Is that correct?" The captain smiled, knowing that he'd won, and his crew laughed heartily. The crowd was silent, and the woman was glaring at the pirate while her son shuffled closer defensively.

"All right then, grab the girl." The crowd of villagers edged away from the crew, as one, when they began to follow their captain's orders.

"You know damn well she's not the doctor!" Ken shouted. The advancing crew stopped, and the captain nodded.

"That's all I needed to hear. Take the kid; we're leaving as soon as you finish loading the cargo." Most of the crew sped off to load the supplies, spare two, a blond-haired woman and a terrifyingly muscled man, who began to 'escort' Ken towards the ship. A few cries of outrage erupted from the crowd. Ken resisted.

"Hey now, guys. You really don't want me as your crew's doctor. I mean, look at me. Thin as a rail, wouldn't last a day on the ocean, that's for sure. Pacifist too." He lied, "A pacifist pirate, do you want that on your crew? Only a complete idiot would want a skinny pacifist as nakama." They didn't seem to be paying attention. Well, then there was one way he could get their attention. Then again, it could also get his face pounded in. Glancing towards the ship, he decided it was worth a shot.

"It's impossible for me to be your crew's doctor! After all, I'm already a pirate. On a different crew… Not yours."

"I thought you said only an idiot would want a pacifist on their crew." The captain replied, amused.

"Well yeah, but you've never met my captain."

"You know what I think? I think you're bullshitting me."

"Ehea, I think I'm not. Scary guy too. Real scary. He ate a Devil's Fruit. Yeah, don't want to piss that guy off." He glanced back at the townspeople, who were generally looking scared for him, and hoping that his bluff would work, but among them was the mayor, who was looking at him rather suspiciously for a concerned guy. Oh well, one problem at a time, "Yeah, my best friend too. We go waaaay back. He is the definition of the word 'unfuckwithable.'"

They were once again ignoring him completely, which was fine, because sometimes if you don't pay close enough attention, a situation can get real bad real fast. The really muscular guy was about halfway onto the ship, although the blond woman next to him still clenched his arm tight enough to make his hand tingle. Ken slipped his hand on top of hers. Of course she didn't notice until both of his forefingers dug into the nerve between finger and thumb and she jerked her arm away in surprise. Harmless yet effective.

Ken made a dash towards the main road, away from both the crowd of people and from the rest of the crew, only now noticing that he was running for all he was worth. Of course, it only took about ten steps before the first mate caught onto his shoulder, and nearly tearing it off in the process, jerked him backwards so that his own back was towards Ken's 'destination' and they were, more or less, face to face.

"Can't blame a guy for trying." He chuckled nervously, even more unnerved by the fact that the guy wasn't answering him, but was just staring blankly at him. After another moment, he cocked and eyebrow and stepped backwards, throwing the unconscious man off balance and causing him to topple to the ground. He looked down on him, and then glanced up.

"What the hell?"

I've decided to write this story by "arc" which means that I'll be taking long breaks in between sections to write the next. Hope you like! And I apologize for the somewhat slow updates in advance.

Please review!