AN: Hello all! Thanks for reading and it was good to read all of the comments and see the traffic the first chapter got. I just want to say I know it's a bit obnoxious that I'm BSing so much of the original universe, but in my head every time I read One Piece I think of "could have been" scenarios, so I decided that I'd write a fic with all of them. I felt like Blackbeard wouldn't have a place in this story as I plan to make the WG obviously the main antagonist. Blackbeard would have been in the way, and, frankly, interactions with him would have been forced and mostly filler. I felt it was better just to remove him altogether, as I never really liked his character. Other than Blackbeard, all of the other edits were completely necessary for the story and really the story wouldn't work without them. With that being said, enjoy the chapter! I tried to make it a lot longer, which is why it took 2 weeks to write.
Chapter 2: The Will to Succeed
"Oi, Nami! Set sail for Fishman Island. We have a Yonko to meet."
Nami looked at Luffy, shocked.
"You can't mean…"
Luffy's grin was enough to answer her question and resolve any of her doubts.
"Luffy! Tell shitty marimo that he's in love with Tashigi", Sanji shouted.
"Dumbass ero-cook, stop calling me that, and I am NOT in love with Tashigi!" Zoro replied, pissed off.
"We don't have time for that. Zoro, Sanji, we are setting sail for Fishman Island to meet with Whitebeard, Ace's captain." Nami cut in
1 Week Later, Akainu POV
"It's time."
Akainu couldn't help but shiver in anticipation at the battle to come. He lead a buster call along with Admiral Aokiji and Admiral Kizaro and finally cornered Red Hair Shanks.
Shanks POV
Shanks cursed his luck. He didn't think the marines would ever get off their asses and send a real force to combat the Yonko. Now, he had to face three incredibly powerful admirals with nothing more than one arm and a bunch of drunkards.
Unfortunately for them, he thought, grinning outwardly, they are my drunkards. They won't be taken down so easily.
Our best chance is to attack them now at sea. None of us have devil fruits, but all three of the admirals do. We have to engage them before we lead them right to land.
"Men! Ready the cannons, and bring us in close. It's time to engage these bastards! I'll jump aboard while you give me covering fire." He was answered with the loud cheers of his comrades and friends.
I won't lose. No, WE won't lose. I won't let Luffy down. I would be a shitty role model if I wasn't at least this strong.
Shanks jumped onto the leading ship, the ship of fleet admiral Akainu.
"Red hair."
Shanks looked to his left and saw Fleet Admiral Akainu in all of his glory. His haki coated his body, releasing an aura of power strong enough to crush regular humans, even without using any conqueror's haki.
"Well, I would hope you didn't come here just for a drink. Shall we begin, Akainu, or, should I say, Sakazuki?" Shanks joked, but the seriousness in his eyes betrayed his jovial tone.
Akainu made the first move, running at Shanks at full speed and coating his fist with a mix of haki and magma.
"Meigo!"
Shanks's eyes widened. Fast!
Shanks drew his sword, and barely dodged the punch. However, the sheer force of the punch knocked him back and caused a number of burns to appear on his body. Shanks quickly recovered, however, and launched himself at Akainu, trying to overcome him with his massive haki reserves. Shanks engaged in close combat, with his sword flashing as Akainu struggled to block all of his blows.
"Enough of this", Akainu shouted, "Dai Funka!"
I won't lose. I must stand up to the admirals. I must survive…for my crew…for Luffy… Shanks thought internally, as his blade came to life in his hands.
"Ochime!" Shanks shouted as he slashed, his blade glowing.
Incredibly, Shanks didn't just stand up to Akainu's signature attack head on.
He annihilated it.
Shanks' saber cut it in half, shocking Akainu and creating a devastating shockwave that echoed throughout the sea around them.
"Impossible!" Akainu said, his eyes wide. No one ever said that Shanks had the power to do that!
"Heh, don't underestimate me. This is the true power of my saber, the Ochime." Shanks grinned, his eyes shining with light and willpower.
Shit. He will defeat me at this rate! If his saber has the ability to cut through my attacks life a hot knife through butter, he will defeat me if he uses it again. Akainu thought, his mind racing for a solution.
"Time to end this" Shanks said, readying his blade.
"Ochi-"
Shanks didn't have the time to finish as a beam of light and ice shards suddenly pierced his chest.
"AH!" Shanks roared in agony.
Shit. I lost. Luffy…Yasopp…Benn…My crew…I'm sorry…
The great Yonko, considered one of, if not the strongest alive, Shanks, fell, his will extinguished and his power fading.
"Luffy…I'll entrust this blade…to you. Wear it with my hat, and keep the memory of me, no, the Red Hair Pirates, from fading." Shanks said, his voice barely audible, with a small smile of weariness on his face.
With that, Shanks threw his blade all the way to Benn, still on Shanks's ship, and, with his dying breath, said, "give it to the kid!"
Benn, with tears running down his face, left with the rest of his crew, and narrowly escaped the marines.
A week later, Luffy's POV
Luffy, surrounded by his crewmates, arrived at Fishman Island, and approached Whitebeard's ship.
I can't wait to party with Ace! Luffy thought to himself happily.
However, as he approached the ship, he realized something was off.
There was no party.
There was no smiling Ace.
There was no determined, powerful Whitebeard.
On board, he all he saw was dejected faces and mumbles, with looks of absolute pity towards Luffy.
Luffy saw Ace, and ran to him.
"Ace! What the hell happened?!" Luffy asked, shocked at seeing so many dejected faces
"Luffy…I-I'm sorry…I know you were close to him…" Ace said sadly.
"W-What the hell do you mean, Ace?"
"Shanks…Kaido…The Shichibukai…They're all dead."
Luffy's eyes widened and tears formed in his eyes.
Zoro was shocked. Mihawk! Impossible…There's no way he would lose to anybody…He said we would fight, but now…
The entire Straw Hat crew was stunned at the Yonko being defeated so easily.
"And…they are going to be coming after us next." Whitebeard said gravely, walking up behind Ace and putting a hand on his shoulder.
"We must be ready to fight them when they come. They've become too strong to fight with a single crew. We must band together…Only then do we have a hope of combatting this threat to our lives…No…To piracy in general." Whitebeard continued.
"Luffy, you and your crew have become incredibly strong. I think we should lead the alliance together." Whitebeard said
"I...I will avenge Shanks…And all of the pirates." Luffy said, wiping away his tears.
"Then it's settled, Luffy. The New Yonko Alliance is created."
With that, Luffy and his crew sat with Whitebeard and his commanders, and they introduced themselves. They talked together about the allies they need to gather, and the goals of the New Yonko.
"Captain!" One of Whitebeard's subordinates said, "the survivors of the Red Hair Pirates…They want to speak to you and Luffy."
"Very well, let them in" Whitebeard replied.
With that, a group of Shanks' most powerful and trusted crewmates, led by Yasopp, walked in, carrying a cloth in the shape of a sword.
Usopp immediately relaxed, seeing his father alive and unharmed.
"Luffy…Shanks wanted you to have this, his sword." Yasopp said, his voice cracking with sorrow.
"It is the Ochime. It is a legendary sword considered to be more powerful than even the 12 Saijo o Wazamono. The Oshime is said to embrace only those of pure heart and incredibly strong will. Instead of relying on the swordsmanship of the user, its power with the wielder relies on his haki and willpower." Yasopp continued
"I…I can't…" Luffy said, his voice cracking. He would never stand in the way of Zoro, his nakama, in being the world's greatest swordsman.
Yasopp smiled knowingly, "there is a reason Shanks wasn't considered the best swordsman. In truth, the man hardly had any talent for the sword. He wasn't disciplined or patient enough to take up such a demanding martial art form. The wielder of this sword does not have to be a swordsman. In truth, a lot of its wielders end up not being swordsmen."
Luffy looked at Zoro for permission. Zoro relented, grinning at the captain.
"I don't want to be known as the best swordsman by using some kind of cheap sword that doesn't even factor in my swordsmanship. Go ahead, Luffy. Shanks wanted you to have it."
At that, Luffy's eyes became filled with determination.
"I'll take it."
Luffy left back to the meeting afterwards.
"Everyone, I have an announcement to make." Whitebeard said, his loud voice echoing throughout the room.
The heads of everyone in the room quickly turned to the massive man.
"Before Roger died, he told me something about the One Piece and Raftel, and he gave me this," Whitebeard said, pulling out a medium sized cubical metal box, "the island of Raftel holds the World Tree, of which all the devil fruits are made and fall off of. If we are to defeat the marines, then we have to find Raftel."
"He said to give this box to his successor, and that I would know who it was when I saw him. I originally thought it was Shanks, but it never opened for him. I have been keeping it safe for years now."
"To find the person destined to hold the One Piece, I will pass it around. Everyone will try to open it."
Luffy's excitement soon mixed with worry and fear.
What if the box denied him?
What if he wasn't worthy?
Nami put her arm around her captain. "I know how you must feel about this Luffy. Don't let some damned box dictate whether or not you will accomplish your dream! The odds are, the old man was crazy and it won't open for anybody. If it didn't open up for the great Whitebeard or Shanks, then it certainly won't open for any of these chumps."
A small smile grew on Luffy's face. "You're right, Nami. I won't let this box tell me if I will accomplish my dream or not!"
Right after said that, the box clicked in Whitebeard's hands.
Whitebeard's eyes widened. Could that brat have activated it with those words?
"That's it! That will…that conviction! The power behind those words, and the willingness to achieve your goal! The box wasn't some sort of dumb oracle, it was waiting for someone who was willing to do anything to become the Pirate King!" Whitebeard realized, a grin on his face and hope in his eyes, "You did it, brat! Come up here and open this damn box!"
Luffy got up, his mind racing. He picked up the box, and it popped open to reveal a devil fruit. It had weird purple markings all over it, with a white base. He popped it in his mouth, and barely managed not to spit it out.
"Yuck! That was disgusting shishishi." Luffy, chuckling.
The entire room sweatdropped about the fact that Luffy didn't even hesitate to put an unknown fruit in his mouth.
"Shitty captain, you don't even know what that fruit does!" Sanji shouted
"Sanji's right, Luffy! What if it was a fruit like Chopper's that just turned you into a human?" Nami said, to Sanji's immense delight at her taking his side.
"I don't need a fruit to help me accomplish my goal. If it was meant for Roger's successor, then I'll eat it, even if it does nothing. I will do anything if it will help me accomplish my goal, except for kill my own nakama." Luffy replied, determined.
"Roger said the same thing," Whitebeard said, "as far as I know, he didn't even eat that fruit. I don't even know if he thought himself as a good example of a pirate king. It was a personal goal of his to become Pirate King due to his own strength only, and maybe that contradicted the power of the fruit."
"Moving on, our only way to find Raftel is to find the four road poneglyphs that lead to Raftel. Big Mom used to have one, although it is in the possession of Straw Hat now, I'm assuming, Kaido used to have one, which means it is probably guarded by the World Government by an Admiral to prevent people from taking it. The last two will be harder to find. One is on the Whale Tree on Zou, and the other is considered lost, although I have a hunch that Roger told Rayleigh its location to keep it secret." Whitebeard explained to the group.
"Our first order of business should be to recruit other Pirate Crews to our cause. Then, we should find Rayleigh and start hunting down the Road Poneglyphs to find Raftel. We have no way of tracking Zou, so we should hope to find him on the way. After that, we can take on the World Government to retrieve the last one."
"Remember: don't split up. The World Government can defeat any of us in isolation, so our only hope is to band together to make us harder to take out."
With Akainu
"They are dead." Akainu said to the Gorosei and the Commander-In-Chief.
"Very good, Fleet Admiral Akainu. Now, to take out Dragon. We can't let the Revolutionary Army continue to amass strength. If they band together with Whitebeard and some of the stronger pirate crews, they can defeat us." The Commander in Chief said.
"Yes, sir. It will be done" Akainu said, feigning obedience. The admirals are loyal to me, and only me. Together, we will overthrow these old fossils and I will become the new ruler of the World Government. Nobody will stand in my way.
AN: Hey all! I have a few things to say in this final note. First, about Shanks' sword. I felt that Shanks' saber wouldn't just be some nameless, crappy sword, but it also isn't a katana or Japanese made sword, so it can't be a Supreme Grade Sword. So, I decided to make the sword go along with the theme of willpower, because I thought that would add a nice touch. I wanted to introduce the fruit early because, as I said, it will take a long time for Luffy to truly master it. I don't want to end up having to resort to writing random filler so I can stretch the experience Luffy has with the fruit. The name of the alliance is, of course, temporary, and as the story goes on it will stand for more than just pirates, and freedom in general. If y'all have a dope ass name for the alliance, please comment it or PM me it. I also felt like a problem with a lot of fanfics is they are very open ended, and just ramble on for hundreds of thousands of words, (not that I mind, I love it all) but I decided to give this one a clear direction and method to get there. I want you guys' opinions on making this whole thing a series instead of just one massive fic, because I don't have very much experience writing fics.
I need a beta, so if anybody wants to beta this story, please send me a PM or a comment.
Other than that, thanks for reading, and please comment. (I read all comments and love receiving advice on my story). Also, CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. If there is something I can do better, tell me. If you had a bad day and feel like directing your anger towards the awkwardness of my phrasing, then maybe you should post that review on someone else's fanfiction. Thanks, and I'll see ya next chapter!
