I don't own One Piece, Luffy, any of its characters, or any references in this story.

Notes:

Flashbacks/thoughts

Previously on The will of the King!

"We will train you for a few weeks and help you get your Haki under some kind of restraint Luffy, we are your friends and we won't let a friend down who needs help!" Shanks patted Luffy on the shoulder. "Lets go to the woods and we can help you practice your Haki in a safer less populated area, we can take your haki just fine Luffy."

The Will of the King

Seven long years have passed with Luffy training as hard as his little body would allow him too. His grandfather would help train him with his loving fists when ever he could get to Dandans hideout. Dandan was a mountain bandit leader that Monkey D. Garp, Luffy's grandfather dropped Luffy off to, to raise into what Garp hoped was a fine upstanding marine. Luffy made great friends with Ace and Sabo, his brothers by bond of sake.

Sabo was a young boy with blonde hair, band-aid over his nose, wearing a noble's white ascot around his neck, a top hat, blue dress coat, teal pants, black shirt, a belt buckle with a sun seal image on it.

Ace was a taller boy about 3 years older than Luffy, he had black hair that hung loosely on his head, he wore a red shirt and black shorts.

These three boys did everything reasonably acceptable together, they trained, they stole, they hunted, they even cried over eachothers problems. Sabo died about three years ago when he ran away from home to start his life as a pirate earlier than he had promised his friends he would. He did not show proper respect to a Tenryƫbito (World Noble), so the Tenryƫbito shot his small helpless boat to pieces and sank him to the ocean floor.

oOoOo

Luffy was reading the letter that Sabo had left him and Ace knowing he would either be a pirate or be dead shortly after he wrote it. "Why would Sabo leave us! Why would he betray our friendship like this!" Luffy was shedding tears of deep hurt and pain, he felt like a part of his soul was ripped from his body. One of his two brothers were now dead, gone from the world and he would never see him again...

Whenever Luffy got angry, the air around him got thick, heavy, and oppressive, Dandan noticed, and it was making her blood run cold with fear. She ran to Ace grabbed him up and ran behind their hideout while Luffy's emotional breakdown continued oblivious to those around him.

"Why did we leave him Dandan? He needs us to be there for him!" Ace asked.

"Ace, Luffy has no real control on his Haki when he is in these deep emotional states, and it would just hurt you if you were too close..." Dandan replied.

Suddenly Dandan and Ace felt a wave of fear hit them they slowly, through great force of willpower turned their heads to look at Luffy who had just slammed his hands into the ground in grief and created a ten foot wide, three foot deep circular crater around him. He did not even notice this as he continued to blast his Haki as if trying to make the world feel his loss. Animal life was leaving the forest in flocks and droves, the light in the area seemed to dim as Ace and Dandan started to feel light headed and sick to their stomachs, Ace and Dandan decided they were too close still and ran further away thinking the animals had the right idea all along.

"Is this that Haki you were talking about Dandan?" asked Ace as they were running for their lives, the oppressive feeling barely getting better.

"Yeah! We need to get further away, I'm just glad the rest of the gang were out on business right now!" Dandan replied.

Back at the clearing Luffy screamed to the heavens demanding his brother be returned to him. When his demands went unheeded, he just put his head on the ground and sobbed. Falling asleep shortly after he felt a wave of exhaustion from his use of Haki.

Dandan and Ace returned when they felt the waves of fear and power die down, finding ace on the ground sleeping face in the dirt. "We should get him to his room, where he can sleep this off," Ace suggested.

Dandan just nods in reply and they carried Luffy to his room to sleep it off.

oOoOo

Luffy now seventeen years old was preparing his small row boat for starting his new life as future Pirate King.

One villager shouts "Hey, Luffy you should take one of my fishing boats! That thing will sink in no time flat!"

"Naw that's fine, this is what I want to start with." Luffy answered him. Luffy looks out to the sea in front of him raises his arms and screams to the world "SABO! Watch over me! I'm going out to sea now!"

As Luffy casts off and rows away Makino sighs "He's finally leaving, mayor. I'm gonna miss him." Makino said.

"It's a dishonor to the village to become a pirate..." Woop Slap replied.

As the villagers are watching him leave they see the Sea King that guards the bay making it hard for anyone to leave the island. It is a large eel looking Sea King with a jaw full of razor sharp teeth and eyes that could pierce your soul.

Luffy stands up glaring at the beast, imposing his will upon it using a small amount of his Haoshoku Haki (Haki of the Color of the Conquering King), the Sea King started shaking violently its eyes showing obvious fear and panic. Than like a flash it turned tail and bolted back to sea.

The villagers had to pick their jaws up from the ground from the shock of seeing Luffy just scare the fish away with a look.

Dandan and her bandit crew were watching from behind a few buildings to not scare the villagers. "Damn that kids gonna be trouble out there on the sea some day soon, I hope Garp knows what he's getting into letting his boy be a Pirate" Dandan said.

oOoOo

We find ourselves on a large luxury cruise ship. There is a ball room where many rich well dressed couples are dancing with not a care in the world. On the outside of the ballroom on the deck we find a few marines. Marines wear a uniform of white shirts with blue pin striping, and blue pants, otherwise most of these marines are nondescript.

"Hey, there's a barrel floating in the sea, we should snag it and see whats in it!" One marine shouted. They got a rope with a hook attached to it, and proceeded to hook the barrel after several attempts.

The marine on the crows nest was watching them laughing at their failed attempts while keeping a watchful eye on the horizon. All the sudden he sees a ship passing a large outcropping of rocks in the distance, the ship drops its sails and unfurls its Jolly Roger (Pirate Flag, Skull and Crossbones). It then proceeds to open fire at the civilian ship.

There is a young boy with pink hair, white shirt with vertical blue stripes, and black pants that boarded the vessel with the pirates. His name is Koby, he is the most skittish cowardly little boy you have ever seen. He skulks through the corridors of the boat looking for loot that he is required to collect for Alvida the Female Pirate that captured him a couple years prior.

"What's this barrel, it's heavy. Might be filled with sake, I guess I should try to take it." Koby tries to push the barrel over and find it too heavy to do so. That is when a few pirates wandered in to see if Koby was trying to hide again.

"What are you doing in here Koby, you aren't trying to slouch on the job are you!? I'll tell Alvida-sama on you and you will get the club!" One random pirate said to Koby. "No! I found a barrel and I think it may have sake in it, but it's too heavy for me to move on my own!" Koby prayed they would believe him.

"Ahh I see, maybe you aren't as useless as we figured you were all this time! HAHAHA!" The pirate laughed at the scared Koby."I'll open the barrel." One of the other pirates said. He raised his arms preparing to punch the barrel.

All the sudden the barrel exploded and two of the three pirates were buried in the walls out cold. "Did I do that? I'm sorry sometimes I don't even know my own strength shishishishi" Luffy laughed, not really seeming very apologetic on the issue.

"How dare you knock my crew mates out! I'll get you for this!" He raised his sword preparing to cut the intruder in half for his perceived insult to his crew.

Luffy seen the attack coming a mile away, his expression instantly changed to a more cold glare at the attacker. Luffy raised his hand up while he whispered Armament and his hand became deep glossy black. The sword hit his palm and shattered into two pieces.

"Your swords can't cut me..." Luffy stated in a cold dark voice. Than proceeded to beat the crap out of the lone pirate.

"W-w-what are you!? How did you block that sword with your bare hand!?" Koby asked clearly shaking in fear at this newcomer from the barrel. Then he realized he was going to be in bigger trouble if he didn't find anything to take to Alvidas ship. "I gotta get outa here, you better run too if you don't want to get the iron mace from Captain Alvida!"

"Who's that? A pirate?" Luffy asked. "Yeah, shes the captain of the pirates robbing this ship we are on right now! I gotta get out of here before she finds me slacking off" Koby ran out of the storage room with Luffy following closely behind. "I'm hungry kid, tell me where some food is! Luffy demanded.

"My names Koby, I don't know where food is. I've never been on this ship before! Let's look in this room." They entered a room and found that it was indeed a food storage room. Luffy cheered and dug into the apples he found in a box at the back of the room.

"Are there any boats on this ship I can use to get out of here, Koby? Luffy asked between bites of his apple.

"How did you get in that barrel anyways Luffy-san?" Koby asked.

"Ahh that? I was sailing on my small row boat when I got sucked into a whirlpool, so I got in the barrel and took a nap." Luffy answered.

"A WHIRLPOOL!? You are lucky to be alive Luffy-san! Koby responded.

"Yeah I know it caught me off guard, that is hard to do!" Luffy answered.

"So are you a Pirate Koby? Luffy asked in passing curiosity.

Koby shuddered, then looked like he was about to cry...

oOoOo

Koby was loading a small fishing boat getting ready for a day on the water when a shadow crossed over his own on the boat. He looked up and there was the ugliest fattest woman he had ever seen. She had curly black hair, freckles all over her face, she wore a white cowboy hat with a red feather in it, with a pink flannel shirt under a black and gold captains coat, and light blue pants. The next thing Koby knew he was being forced into the boat by these pirates.

oOoOo

"Yeah that is a long story, I sorta got kidnapped and forced into being Captain Alvida's cabin boy so they wouldn't kill me. I've been here for two years now." Koby answered.

"Why didn't you try to run away?" Luffy asked.

Koby just looked down at the deck and shook his head violently "No! She would kill me if I even thought about escaping!" Koby panicked at the thought.

"There is something I want to do with all my heart but I could never do it since I cannot leave this crew. I want to be a Marine and capture pirates like Alvida!" Koby nearly yelled out.

"Luffy-san what are you doing drifting the sea in a barrel? What is your dream?" Koby asked in curiosity.

"Me? I am gonna be Pirate King!" Luffy responded without a seconds hesitation.

Koby's jaw dropped and he started stuttering "Are you serious!? Do you know what it means to attempt to be Pirate King? The man with all the fame, power, and wealth in the world all amassed in one place! It's impossible, impossible, impossible!" Koby started hyperventilating in shock.

Luffy glanced at him sending out a tiny concentrated pulse of Haki at Koby. Koby reacted like he had been struck in the face with a hard slap. 'What was that feeling? I feel like I don't even belong in this mans presence!?' Koby thought. "Luffy what was that, I feel dizzy all of the sudden?"

"That was Haki, you were panicking, I had to calm you down before you hurt yourself." Luffy answered.

Before Koby could question Luffy further on this weird power known as Haki, the roof of the room they were in caved in. "KOBY! Is this where you've been hiding!? Is that Roronoa Zoro the pirate hunter, have you come for my HEAD ZORO!?"

To Be Continued!

YAY my first Cliffhanger! Funny I hate cliffhangers when I am reading a fan fiction but haha it works in this situation, I don't want chapters getting too long for me. Please R/R and thanks for reading.