General POV

Grumble.

Monkey D. Luffy sat on his usual spot at the front of the Going Merry, atop of the familiar figurehead like he always did, and looking straight out into space with a near blank expression on his face. A frown was visible on his face, and it appeared to be one of frustration. The grumbling of his stomach was enough to bring him back to reality for a moment, but it only lasted for just that moment. By the time his hand fell upon his stomach in the realization that he was hungry...still, he was already lost in his thoughts again, a trait that often came to pass from time to time to the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates.

His journey to find the fabled One Piece had brought him to many different places, seen so many new things, that it was hard to take it all in. Not only that, but his crew was growing more and more as time went on, bringing his dream that much closer to him. The hardships they went through, the tests they had to pass, among others had led them to this point. Luffy was happy with that, happy that there were so many adventures, some of which earned him a new crew mate to join him on his quest. Despite all of that, though, Luffy still felt that something was...off. He never really thought about it, at least not as much as he was now. To him, something seemed to be missing from that dream. It was enough to bring him back to his childhood once more. Ten long years have passed since he made a vow to surpass Shanks and become King of the Pirates. Yet, when he looked back on it, he realized that he was not the only who made that promise, or at least the only one who promised to see his dream come true.

Blinking, he looked up toward the sky, his other hand falling upon the familiar straw hat that once belonged to Shanks. He remembered the one person who promised to join him on the same journey to find One Piece, the one person whom he had known for so long and remembered all too well.

"Catherine..." He unconsciously muttered to himself, envisioning the young girl whom he had not seen in ten years since her disappearance.

How could he forget about the once shy and well mannered Catherine, the girl who had joined him on his many adventures and even vowed to join him on the very journey he was on now? Well, he did not forget about her; she just...slipped his mind for a while. It was not until he had a moment to himself to really think about everything that had gone in thus far before he remembered her. He found it surprising that it had been ten years since he laid eyes on her, the last time being at Partys Bar planning another adventure. What was really upsetting about it was that not only was it the last time they saw one another, but her last words to him were memorable. He remembered mentioning something about the two of them getting separated for whatever reason and wondering what would happen. With a smile, Catherine assured him that, even if they were separated, they would always find a way back to each other in the end.

As he remembered those words, Luffy could not help but smile that familiar wide grin of his. Something told him that they would find one another again, and that the time was closer than he thought.

"I figured you'd be up here." Luffy turned his head over his shoulder to find his first mate and ex-pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro, appearing from the stairs. "You haven't said much since we started heading to that nearby island."

The captain looked forward again, remembering the reason why they were stopping at the closest island - they needed supplies, and Luffy was hungry...again.

"Well, I was thinking about Catherine," he told him honestly.

A confused look crossed Zoro's face as he questioned curiously, "Who's Catherine? A friend of yours?"

"Yeah. A really old friend," Luffy responded, looking back at the swordsman and keeping his hand on his hat. "She lived with me back at my home when we were kids, and we spent a lot of time together." He looked back up at the sky

Zoro leaned against the railing closest to the figurehead where Luffy sat, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What? Did you leave her behind or something?" He asked, looking up at Luffy who turned to face forward again. "It doesn't seem like something you'd do if she was your friend since childhood. I would've expected her to be here as your first mate instead of me."

An unfamiliar look crossed Luffy's normally jovial face as he answered, "To be honest, she would have been my first mate, but she actually disappeared from the island ten years ago and I haven't seen her since then." Zoro blinked once just as Luffy's head lowered a bit. "I was just wondering where she could be by now."

"Who knows?" Zoro looked up at the sky, similar to what Luffy was doing moments before the swordsman arrived. "Maybe she's waiting for you on the Grand Line. Or better yet she's busy looking for you."

The moment Zoro said that, Luffy's demeanor brightened instantly, turning to look at his swordsman once again. It was a thought that never occured to him.

"Yeah! She has to be looking for me!" He exclaimed happily. "There's no way she could stay away from home that long and not look for me! She loved being at sea, so maybe she decided at some point to try and meet up with me again!" He, suddenly, stood up, looking out at the sea with one hand on his hip and the other on his straw hat. Zoro simply watched him for a moment as his captain continued. "I've made up my mind. During our journey to the Grand Line, we'll keep an eye out for my friend Catherine. And when we find her, she's joining my crew! No questions asked!" He looked at the swordsman again. "How does that sound, Zoro?

The ex-pirate hunter could not help but sigh, yet he did smile in agreement. Even if he wanted to say no, there was nothing that could change his mind about finding his missing friend and making her a part of the crew. Besides, it was just another crew member to join the Straw Hats. Anyone that was a friend of Luffy's had to be good. Not only that, but it would be very interesting to see how Luffy would react to having his old friend back in his life. No doubt that he would be the same as he was now, but when it came to someone he had known much longer than his own crew was something. Maybe things would be different between them. Maybe Luffy would act in a totally different way when she was around. At that last thought, he chuckled. Luffy is definitely not gonna change just because he's got his best friend in his life again, he told himself. He would definitely be much happier to have Catherine as a part of his crew, but changing his ways was certainly not a part of the captain's "to-do" list.

The swordsman smiled. He wanted to meet Catherine, too, see what she was like after growing up with a guy like Luffy. However, it suddenly rose one question in his mind...

Looking back up at the captain, Zoro could not help but ask, "I'm okay with having a new crew mate, Luffy, but how are we supposed to know what she looks like when you're the only one who has ever seen her before?"

The confident smile that was once on Luffy's face changed to one of realization, and then to one of horror.

"Oh no! None of you know what Catherine looks like!" He exclaimed moments before jumping off the figurehead and onto the hardwood floor of the ship. "I gotta let everyone know before we get to the island, just in case she's there!"

Before Zoro could say anything else, Luffy was already running down the steps, calling for the entire crew to meet up in the kitchen for an important meeting. Shaking his head and sighing for the third time, Zoro pushed himself off the railing and followed the captain's frantic orders. Something told him that today was going to be a rather odd day not just for him but for everyone on board.

Half An Hour Later...

The Straw Hats arrived at the island with enough time to get the supplies they needed and leave, not wanting to arose suspicion from the inhabitants. Just to be safe, they sailed a litle further down from the docks to keep themselves hidden from sight. Luffy was the first one to run off the ship, quickly looking around for the first place that sold some kind of meat to help aid his grumbling stomach. It did not take long for Nami to scold him, telling him to remain near the ship for just a moment longer before he went storming into the town and causing a scene like he always did.

It did not take long for Luffy to gather the crew and inform them about their possible new crew mate Catherine. No one rejected the idea at all, but instead liked it (more so Sanji, seeing as how another girl would apart of the crew). Since the captain did not have any pictures of said girl, he decided to use the easiest method: drawing a close image of what she could have looked like. Unfortunately, as the crew soon realized, his artistic skills were the worst they had ever seen in their lives. The way he depicted her was how he remembered her as a child, which did not give them much to off of in the first place since ten years had passed. Nevertheless, Luffy tried his best to show a near image of what she looked like then in an attempt to match up with someone who may have been similar. As mentioned before, his artistic skills in drawing were mortifying, and the images just went to prove that point altogether.

The image he drew was a rather crudely drawn image of what was presumed to be the young girl that was Catherine. The body proportions were off entirely, as the head was a bit small and her limbs were rather thin and lanky. Her hair was possibly in a bun along with two chopsticks, which looked a lot like giant poles stabbing into her hair. The outfit was, according to Luffy, supposed to be a kimono, but it resembled a dress with a large sash around the waist plus a giant bow sticking out from behind the back. The eyes were also poorly drawn, as they looked a lot like purple masses just slapped onto the face. It had no nose, as he forgot to draw one, and the picture was smiling, as if it was happy with the way it looked. Sadly, the other crew mates did not exactly agree with what it might have been thinking. Despite the "hard work" that was put into the drawing, they settled on just asking the locals if they knew anything about her while getting the supplies they needed before heading out to the next island.

Once the crew was ready to head into town, Luffy was one of the first to go running into town, followed closely by Usopp. The others decided to take their time, knowing they would eventually find the three eventually. The town appeared to be bustling with people, though it was not enough to really crowd the dirt streets. It seemed to be a rather peaceful town, with people smiling and laughing as if all the worlds problems did not exist. There did not seem to be any wanted posters up, or at least of the Straw Hat Pirates, so their identities were safe for the time being. However, the captain of said crew was much more hungry than worried about getting caught by civilians. Without the presence of the marines or other pirates that may have wanted to fight them, entering the town and getting out would be smooth sailing. Then again, this was Nami who had said that. Luffy, on the other hand, was busy hanging over the side of the ship as if he were sea sick and groaning about how hungry he was.

Speaking of being hungry, the first place that caught the captain's eye was a bar, which only meant that food was available (most importantly, meat). He wasted no time in running toward it, slowing down only briefly to open the doors and go inside. A wide grin was plastered on his face, giggling uncontrollably, before finding a seat that was closest to the door. Usopp had taken a seat across from him, waiting expectantly for a waiter to come take their orders. While they waited, the sniper could not help but ask about the girl that was once friends with Luffy.

"So, Luffy," he spoke, leaning on the table at the excited looking captain, who looked at him upon hearing his name, "you say that girl lived with you back in your village."

"Yup," Luffy replied, looking up at the ceiling. "She knew Yasopp, too. In fact, I think one of her family members is sailing with Shanks, too, but I don't remember who it was."

"Really? She knew my father, too?" Usopp questioned, earning a nod from Luffy. He was surprised that the captain's friend even associated herself with pirates at such a young age, especially for a young girl (not that there was anything wrong with it), but that fact that she knew his father was just an added bonus. They might actually get along. "Do remember what she was like before she left?"

Luffy looked at Usopp for a moment, as if going back to his past to remember Catherine, before smiling.

"Well, I know when we first met, she was really quiet and nervous," he explained, leaning back in his seat. "I wasn't really sure why she was like that, so I asked her." He chuckled. "She said it was because she didn't know me, so I introduced myself. After that, we became friends." He took off his straw hat and looked at it, his gaze turning a bit distant as his smile remained clear. "We went on a lot of adventures together, looking for secret hiding spots, and causing a bit of trouble to keep the town on their toes. We even talked about our dreams, how I wanted to become a pirate and how she wanted to become the world's greatest ninja despite her pirate blood."

"Hold on just a second!" Usopp interrupted him, earning a confused look from Luffy. "She's a ninja? I mean, a real one?"

"That's right," Luffy replied, putting his hat back on his head. "Her mom was a part of a family of ninjas..." He thought for a moment. "I believe it was the...My...Myu...something."

Usopp's jaw dropped out of what appeared to be fear.

"You mean the Myuga clan?!" He exclaimed in a low tone, earning a grin from Luffy.

"Yeah, that's it!" He moved his hands behind his head. "It was that clan, the Myuga clan, that her mom was born into. And Catherine's a part of it!"

Usopp sat back in his seat.

"I heard that clan resides in the Grand Line, separate from the rest of the world." He said in an almost absent yet fearful tone, looking down at the table. "No one has ever seen or heard from that clan in years. The only thing people who have been to those islands have gotten were books and trinkets as gifts." He looked back at Luffy. "It makes me wonder why her mother would leave the island and make her home in your village."

"Beats me," Luffy answered honestly. "But to me, that doesn't matter." Then, he smiled. "What matters is she gonna join my crew, and we can live our dream of finding the One Piece together!"

"Excuse me." Both boys looked up at a young waitress who had stopped by the table; she had to have been no older than Nami. Her blue eyes were filled with curiosity. "I don't mean to be a bother, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation." She paused briefly. "If you don't mind me asking, are you two talking about Catherine Myuga?"

The mere mentioning of Catherine's name perked them both up in an instant, especially Luffy.

"Yeah, we are," the captain answered, "but how do you know who she is?"

The waitress' response was both unexpected and exhilarating for Luffy: "Well, I know her because she's lives here, on the island. She's been here for the past ten years."

The eyes of the sniper and the captain widened in shock and surprise, though Luffy had to have been more surprised than Usopp. Catherine was here? On the island that they had docked on at least twenty minutes ago? He did not waste anytime in getting up from his seat, looking at the confused waitress with look that morphed a serious look and a look of...happiness?

"Where is she? Do you know?" He asked quickly. The waitress seemed nervous to answer the question, unsure as to what his intentions were. "I'm Catherine's friend. I've known her since she was a little girl. We talked about finding the One Piece together before she disappeared ten years ago!"

The woman's eyes widened briefly; she could see the truth behind Luffy's every word, letting her know that she could trust him. Without hesitating any further, she looked to the door and said, "Well, she shouldn't be very far from here. She actually just left about an hour ago. She lives just up the hill with her caretaker - H-hey! Where are you going?!"

Luffy disregarded the rest of the words that came out of her mouth as he sprinted out of the bar, leaving both her and Usopp behind and ignoring their calls. The thought of seeing Catherine again plagued his mind, and if seeing her this soon was true then there was no time to lose. Bursting through the doors, he rushed out into the middle of the street, passing by the crew members that were just a minute away from going inside the very bar he came out of. He stood up straight, looking in the direction of the docks before looking in the opposite direction.

"Luffy, what's wrong?" He heard Chopper ask him, his tone worried.

"You look a little frantic," said Sanji. "Did something happen?"

"She's here!" Luffy answered, scanning through the crowd in an attempt to find anyone that may have fit the description of Catherine.

Before anyone had time to ask him anything else, his eyes immediately fell upon a girl in the far off distance, standing near one of the shops selling unknown produce and observing something of interest. Her hair was blue, so blue it was enough to mirror the night sky, and she stood up straight and tall. Her outfit consisted of a dark blue jacket with her sleeves reaching her elbows. Her pants matched the jacket, and she had scandals on her feet. After a moment, the girl turned around to look at the man that was with her, a big burly man who appeared to be in his forties. However, Luffy paid little attention to him, as he was much more focused on the girl. His eyes widened even more as he caught sight of the girl's purple eyes, so innocent and full of life. Her smile was genuine, as well, and it was a trait that felt welcoming and kind. It did not take Luffy long to see the familiar young girl that he grew up with, only for him to gasp.

"THERE SHE IS!" He exclaimed out loud seconds before sprinting into her direction.

"LUFFY, WAIT A MINUTE!" Zoro tried to stop him, attempting to grab a hold of his shirt but missing by just a few centimeters.

"Get back here, you idiot!" Nami called him. However, Luffy completely ignored them and kept making his way to whoever she was. "What the Hell is he doing?!" The navigator questioned out loud.

"She's here, you guys!" The remaining crew members looked over at Usopp, who burst through the door just a few moments later.

"What are you talking about?" Zoro questioned.

"Catherine is here!" Usopp went on to explain. "The waitress that was in the bar said that Catherine has been here for the past ten years!"

"No kidding," Sanji responded, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"What a coincidence that she would be here on this, let alone for the past ten years," said Robin, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched the captain still running in the direction of who she presumed was Catherine. "I can't see why the captain wouldn't be this excited.

Zoro looked back at him, noting just how close he was at that point, before saying, "Yeah, well, I think he's a little too excited to see her," He pointed in his direction, "because I don't think he's gonna stop to just say hi."

The moment that the entire crew had looked in Luffy's direction, all they could see was Luffy suddenly tackling the girl to the ground. Before that happened, both of them could be heard as clear as day, grabbing the attention of everyone that was nearby, giving them the impression that everyone knew they were there and they were making a good impression.

"CATHERINE!"

"KYAAAAA!"