Events take place before and during current time line. I would really love some feedback on my first ever story so please tell me what you think. I try my hardest to keep everyone in character and I am really open for constructive criticism and suggestions (compliments also appreciated ^_^). Enjoy please! I do not own One Piece.
It was a tranquil day in the east blue. The air filled with the crisp tang of salt and seaweed mixed with the calmness a sweet ocean inherently brings. It was on a day like this that a certain red hair boy planned out his very first adventure.
"OOOOOOOKAAAAAAAAAYYY! It's all finished! Finally, I'm on my first step to becoming a great pirate!" The red haired boy held up a large slightly crumpled piece of paper. He smiled deeply and with a sense of accomplishment. But suddenly a shadow appeared over-head. "What the-" and before the red haired boy could even finish the shadow quickly engulfed the paper into its large beak. "Aw come back here you bastard." The red head ran, jumping over small fences and stumbling only to regain his speed. The bird found this display of sheer determination admirable if not humorous and wanted to see just how far this little boy would go so it decided to fly past a large crowd that seemed to be growing by the harbor. "Heeeeeeey! ugfh-" the boy bumped right into the buttock of a grow man. Poor things mouth was open.
"Hey what the hell's the-"the man looked down, "oh it's just you Shanks ha?" Shanks looked up with surprise, regained his composure and stood quickly.
"Hey Tali-san! What's goin' on? Why's everybody at the shore" Shanks said brushing away the dirt that had gotten on his clothes.
"Well that's an easy question ha? There's a pirate ship loading up on the dock, and let me tell you the kids on this ship ain't no joke ha?" Tali-san motioned to the shore with a quick jerk of his head. And for the next ten minutes Shanks saw three things that would change his life forever. The first was the ship. It was huge and immaculate, much bigger than anything he'd ever seen or even dreamed of. Its large deck he could see was spotless even from where he stood. There was well over 10 cabins and the sails….Oh the sails were really something to behold. Large enough to hold and cradle the wind that would push them along on their journey and it was pitch black save their jolly roger. Their jolly roger was a skull with what a crooked smile that seemed to change every time the wind nudged it and one sword going straight down the middle intersecting the skull perfectly. Surrounding the skull were musical notes that appeared to be dancing in the breeze. It was a well know symbol of a very famous, or more so infamous, pirate group at that time. The Singing Death Pirates were infamous not only for their beautiful music but because they were rumored to be vicious murderers who don't give a damn if you're a woman or child. Shanks knew all this of course, and instead of turning around and looking for the bird (who must be by now far off) he writhed with excitement at the rare opportunity to see these pirates. For the truth was he secretly admired their leader Jack Newgate, the biological son of Edward Newgate better known as Whitebeard. Shanks often looked at the wanted poster of this man(whose bounty grew what appeared to be by the second) and knew he wasn't as bad as the rumors said. As he pushed through the crowd he saw the second thing that would change his life and would be the impetus of another dream in the future that now seemed an eternity away in Shanks's young heart. He was tall and slender much like the poster depicted him, his short silver hair seemed to be forever brushed by some gentle hand of the wind or maybe tousled by some playful angel. His eyes shone with a fierce and kind determination that made Shanks think that the poster did them no justice. His shirt was wrinkled, tucked into his pants, and unbuttoned revealing a wall of a chest. On his left hip a sword, on his right a gun. But what trapped Shanks's attention was something he always coveted, Jack's straw-hat. It was pure beauty how it folded and unfolded in the gentle breeze. If only I could touch it, if I could just hold his hat… Shanks went through all the ways he could sneakily get the hat off his hero's head he forgot where he was. A sudden figure interrupted his thoughts and Shanks quickly realized who he was standing in front of.
"Ah kid are you, uh okay?" Jack's voice was sweet with a tweak of roughness that comes from years on the sea.
"O-huh? What! Oh me? Yes I'm fine, I'm a man after all right?" Shanks puffed out his chest and placed his fists firmly on his hips. There was a silence, and the town held its breath hoping Shanks hadn't said anything to offend the man. Jacks lips quivered abruptly, he clenched and unclenched his fists, and his nakama slowly came up behind him.
"Pffft ta hahahahahahahaha!" Jack could barely hold in his laughter (almost like he didn't try). He bent over and laughed and laughed until tears rolled up into his eyes. At first Shanks was confused and then he too got the contagious laughter that permeated the air. Soon everyone at the shore began to laugh each catching the disease one by one until even Jack's "stone cold" crew was in tears.
" Ahaha Ahaha haaaaaaaaa. Wow kid whooo a man huh? What are you like five? Ha! You're funny kid I like you! Say how bout you show me to the bar huh?" Jack stepped towards the child and bent down to him so they met eye to eye. He smiled a bright smiled that quickly dissolved everyone's fear of Jack's rumored bloodlust. However Shanks hadn't heard past the point in which Jack accused him of being five.
"Dammit I'll have you know I'm not five I'm seven" Shanks held up six fingers. This simply added to Jack's amusement.
"Seven huh? Wow you remind me of myself when I was that age… Yeah to think just 3 years later I would be out on my first adventure!" Unexpectedly, Jack's face lit up with an eagerness that can only be described as a light bulb moment. "Oi! I have a sister who is your age." He turned towards the ship "that's her coming out right now!" And this is the third thing that would change Shanks's life forever. She was small with light freckles that seemed to be painted onto her skin by the gentle hand of God himself. Like her brother she had silver hair, but hers was long reaching the back of her knees. Her face was a childish round that still held its innocence even though she had spent most, if not all of her life, on the unforgiving and fickle sea. Nevertheless, Shanks focus was seized on her baby blue eyes. They were the color of the sea in which she was raised, or maybe the sky in which she spent many a lazy afternoon gazing, no matter what the reason Shanks knew they were the prettiest eyes he had ever seen. He gawked at her for what seemed like a very slow and awkward eternity until she spoke to him and said " Hey what's up?" the dry softness of her voice held Shanks at full attention. He opened his mouth but couldn't find the words to say anything. Well what could you say to a goddess any way?
"Uh huuuuh." Jack passed a quizzical look to Cecilia as she shurged not knowing why the boy started at her so, if he keeps his mouth open something might fly in there Cecilia couldn't help but think. Jack cleared his throat and said "Well, little boy this is my sister Cecilia Newgate" Jack said a smile now plastered on his face.
"I'm S-Shanks" Shanks shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
"Nice to meet ya" Cecilia said bowing politely and looked at Shanks with her sky-sea blue eyes.
"Same here" And thus our story begins.