Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, those belong solely to the beautiful brain of Eiichiro Oda.
Chapter 1: The Pirate King
"Monkey D. Luffy?" He peered over his glasses at the man before him, then glanced back at the sheaf of papers in his hand. A deep hum rumbled from him, leather chair creaking as he leaned back. He rubbed a gold-ringed finger contemplatively against his lips before he sighed and closed the folder, setting it delicately on his desk as he turned to face his friend. "Garp…"
The grizzled man grinned sheepishly,"Sengoku. I know what his record looks like, but it's just a rebellious phase. He just needs the appropriate grooming to take my place."
Sengoku sighed heavily and pinched his nose, "Garp, I already got Ace admitted despite his… Less than stellar record. Now you want me to do the same for your grandson?" He eyed him, "Explaining one unusual admittance was hard enough. Now you want me to do it a second time?"
Garp laughed, teeth flashing, "Oh, come on, Sengoku! You know you owe me." He grinned widely, "Unless you want me to tell people about-"
"No, I do not. How long are you going to hold that ridiculousness over me?" He shook his head and threw his hands up in defeat, "Very well. But Garp,"-he pointed a finger sternly at him-"you better not be hiding any more children up those sleeves, or I'm going to have to open another school." He waved a hand at his friend and sighed, grinning reluctantly, "Now get out of here, you old coot. I have to come up with a good enough excuse for our board in order to get your delinquent of a grandson admitted to this school."
"Aaauuughhh! Grandpa, I told you I don't want to go to school." Luffy pulled his blue tie away from his chest and frowned down at it.
His grandfather's smack to the back of his head made him bend nearly in half. Sitting up straight again and rubbing at it, he glared up at him, "What the hell was that for?!"
"You're going to school, Luffy. It's the only way you'll get to a position like mine." He flipped the turn signal, then smacked Luffy's head again. The boy hissed and Garp merely said, "No more cursing like a sailor, either. Honestly, you and Ace picked up such terrible habits at Curly's. I never should've let her watch you two when I went off for business trips."
Luffy muttered several sufficiently sailor-like litanies as he glared out the tinted window, but luckily his grandfather wasn't listening.
"Now, you need to get your act together. It wasn't easy getting you into this academy and it'll be hard work staying there unless you bring your skills up." He pulled up to the curb, the brakes bringing them to a smooth stop in the luxury sedan, and then he shoved Luffy's backpack into his arms, "Alright, kid. Get going!"
Luffy rolled his eyes and opened the door, sliding his backpack onto his shoulder carelessly. He slammed the heavy door shut, the sleek black paint hiding the seam perfectly, but turned to glance back when he heard the window being rolled down.
Only to behold his grandfather's furious face. "GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE CRETIN! I TOLD YOU NOT TO WEAR FLIP FLOPS TODAY!"
Luffy grinned, but then he saw what his grandfather was grabbing from the leather interior and his eyes widened as he turned, trying to run.
"LUFFY GET BACK HERE!"
With instincts born of a lifetime with the man, Luffy ducked and the full mug of scalding coffee sailed over his head, only for it to slam into the kid in front of him.
"AHHH!" The kid dropped his backpack and arched his back, trying to get the steaming liquid off his skin.
Cars behind Garp's were honking at him. He looked like he might pop a blood vessel as he yelled at his grandson again, "DON'T THINK I'LL FORGET THIS! I'LL SEE YOU TONIGHT!" Then he peeled out of the drop-off lane, leaving tire marks on the pavement.
Luffy breathed a sigh of relief as the sedan vanished, other cars pulling up to the curb to take its place. He then walked over to the pink-haired kid and clapped his soggy back with a laugh. "Hahaha, wow, I'm glad I didn't get hit by that." The kid turned his glasses-framed face to him in incredulity and Luffy rubbed at his shaggy black hair sheepishly, "Sorry, sorry. That looked like it was hot!"
The boy sighed heavily, his dripping jacket sagging in his hands as his shoulders drooped. "Oh, it's alright, I'm used to it."
Luffy stared at him in confusion. "You're used to getting hit with hot coffee mugs?"
"Ehehe, not quite. I'm just used to getting hit." The boy rubbed at his head in embarrassment, then wiped the coffee from his other hand on a dry part of his shirt before he held it out to Luffy, "I'm Coby. What's your name?"
Luffy grasped Coby's hand with a wide grin, "Monkey D. Luffy! I'm going to be the Pirate King!"
Coby's jaw dropped past the coffee-soaked collar of his white button-down. "You-you-what?" He glanced at the majestic marble building in front of them, at the name blazoned over the door, then back at Luffy's grinning face, "You do realize where you are, right?"
Luffy laughed and clapped Coby's wet shoulder as he turned him toward the wide-open double doors before them.
Coby's protests that it was impossible trailed behind them as they proceeded into the World Justice Academy.