So sorry this took such a long time. Not only was I busy with studying, but my friend suddenly came over to stay at my place for over a week. While it was a lot of fun, it left me little time to write.

I want to thank all of you who have left feedback on this story. It's so amazing to see that you are enjoying this story so far though we haven't even got to the best parts!

Also, there seemed to be some confusion in the last chapter about whether Luffy was going to stay with Shanks or not. The answer is: yes. He will stay with them since Shanks came to the conclusion that there was no safe place for Luffy besides being with them.

This chapter contains some fatherly Shanks and an adorable Luffy, so prepare yourselves! Also, a real warning: there are some mentions of the experiments done on Luffy which can be seen as torture.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

Chapter 4 - Sun and rain during days of freedom

Luffy recognized the strange smell in the air. It was a strong smell which he couldn't name. The only thing he knew about it was that he hated it and it screamed danger. His feet felt cold as he was being walked through a long hallway without any proper clothing. They had dressed him in the stupid gown again. That and only that.
The icy coldness beneath his feet slowly spread through his small body and Luffy tried to hug himself to stay warm. His steps slowed, but not for long as he was pushed forward by one of the two big men who were escorting him, making him yelp and stumble.

Luffy hated it. Every moment of it. He wanted to run because he knew what was coming next. He would walk through the cold hallway, all the way to the end, where there would be a big iron door. The door would open and then...

Suddenly, he was in front of the door. Luffy gasped; he didn't want to be there yet. He wasn't ready!

The door was opened. Tens of white gloved hands reached out for him and even though he tried to run, they grabbed him and pulled him inside.
Luffy screamed for his grandfather to come and save him. He never did.

Before he noticed, he was strapped to a table with a lamp above his head, so bright that hurt his eyes. The horrible smell was even stronger now. Luffy felt like he couldn't breathe. He was scared.
"No! No!" he tried to shout, "stop it!"

The people around him paid him no heed and started to calmly discuss about things Luffy didn't understand. He tried to struggle against his restraints but it was no use – he couldn't escape. He never could.
Then, there was a needle being pointed at him.

"No-!" Luffy tried to protest, but the needle was faster. It dug into his skin on his neck. Then, flames ignited inside of him.

He was burning. Screaming didn't help. The flames wouldn't go away. It hurt, and it kept hurting. The pain grew worse and he felt like all his blood was ablaze.

"Help me, Shanks!" Luffy shouted.

The name suddenly hit him back.

"Shanks?" he asked into a sudden darkness, and the pain disappeared in a flash.

He took a deep breath, desperate as if he had never taken a breath before, and opened his eyes. It was dark. He wasn't in the horrible room anymore. He wasn't being held down. He wasn't burning inside.

Luffy sat up and tried to calm his breathing. He kept telling himself over and over again: "it was just a dream" and hugged himself.

Once he had been able to calm down a little, Luffy looked across the room, where Shanks' bed was. The man was snoring loudly, his other arm hanging over the edge of the bed while he kept drooling onto his pillow. He had clearly not been bothered by anything that had just happened.

Luffy looked down at his hands. He could still feel the pain of all the experiments he had had to go through. He rubbed his hands together and tried to warm himself up. The cold feeling of his dream was still not gone, nor were the quick beats of his heart.
For a small moment, Luffy wondered if Shanks would mind if he would go to sleep next him. The boy shook away the thought. He didn't want to bother the man with his silly nightmares. He had always been able to forget his nightmares alone.

Well, maybe not all alone; he had always had Admiral Woof with him. Gramps had brought him with him when Luffy had been a baby. Admiral Woof couldn't speak or move, but Luffy loved him a lot. The plush toy was big and cuddly and it was always able to make Luffy forget about his nightmares.
...But even he was gone now. Admiral Woof had sunk along with his grandfather's ship.
Luffy clutched his blanket and brought it up to his face. Tears started to gather in his eyes and his lower lip started to quiver. "Admiral Woof..."

Luffy hid his face, knowing that he would start crying soon. He felt really, really lonely. He wanted someone to make him feel better. He wanted to forget about his nightmare and wanted to not miss his gramps so much. Missing someone made him feel so much more lonely.
And that's how Luffy found himself standing next to Shanks' bed, clutching his pillow tightly to hold back his tears. He held his head down as he started to poke the red-haired man, too ashamed to make a sound. He knew that the man might tease him for what he was doing, but he just felt so bad right now and the only one he knew could make things better was Shanks.

The man groaned after Luffy's twentieth poke and opened his eyes. He blinked for several times before he could recognize the boy. "Luffy?" the man asked, his voice hoarse.

Luffy stared down at his feet and shuffled them in embarrassment. He was afraid to let out a sound, and when he tried, a single sob escaped him.

The sound made Shanks sit up and face the boy. "Hey, what's wrong?" the man asked, sounding genuinely worried.

Luffy reluctantly spoke, "I- there was a nightmare and – and Admiral Woof is gone and-" by this time Luffy couldn't hold back his sobs and his words became incomprehensible. The only words Shanks could somehow make out were: "scared" and his own name.

He had seen the kid cry for a few times, yes, but not quite like this. The man smiled down at the crying boy and scooped him up from the floor. The boy grabbed onto his shirt instantly and wailed against his chest.
Shanks sat there for a moment, just telling Luffy reassuring things and stroking his hair. The boy eventually calmed and went almost completely lax in the man's arms, exhausted by all the crying he had done.

Shanks wordlessly picked up Luffy's pillow from the floor and placed it next to his own before carefully resting the boy's head on it. Luffy stared at the red-haired man tiredly as the man settled down next to him. Shanks smiled at Luffy reassuringly. "Go to sleep, Anchor. I'll keep watch."

Luffy smiled as an answer and snuggled into his pillow, finally feeling safe.

It only took a moment before the boy was fast asleep.

Shanks laughed at himself inside; he had no idea when he had become so good at handling children. He grabbed his blanket and draped it over himself and the boy next to him, offering one more smile before resting his own head down to sleep.

The next morning, Luffy was up and about before Shanks had even cracked open an eye. The boy was feeling energetic and was eager to explore the ship some more and talk to the nice pirates on the ship. That's how Luffy ended up running towards the door. When he got out onto the deck, he was surprised to find that the sky had turned dark – almost black – and a strong wind was picking up.
Luffy stared at the sky in awe. It looked really cool in his opinion, and there was something in the air that he couldn't place. It was something strong and it felt... alive.
"Luffy!" someone called and the child turned his head to see Lucky Roo approaching him. The man was almost running, which Luffy found to be a funny looking sight considering the man's big size. When he reached the boy he asked kindly, "what are you doing here? Did you just wake up?"

Luffy smiled and nodded. "Yeah! Shanks is a lazy bum so he's still sleeping!"

Roo was taken back by Luffy's choice of words. "'Lazy bum' – who told you that?" Lucky Roo was sure it didn't belong to a child's vocabulary. Though, he wouldn't really know.

"I heard one guy say it! Gra-Grepa-Grebo- something was his name!" the boy proudly told.

Roo only gave a laugh. "I see. Now how about we get some breakfast, aye? It's going to start raining soon," the man told and started leading the child towards the galley.

Luffy's eyes went wide. "It's going to start raining?!"

Roo was surprised by Luffy's reaction. "Yeah, you can smell in the air already. Any time now."

Luffy looked at Roo as they walked across the deck before he turned his head to look at the dark sky. "That's cool..."

"The rain?" Roo asked.

"Yeah! Gramps took me to the garden one day when it rained and my clothes got all wet! It was weird!"

Roo laughed at the child's enthusiasm. "I see, then how about we come outside and play once we have finished breakfast?"

Luffy's eyes lit up instantly. "Really?! We can?!"

Roo nodded, "of course! You can do anything you want now, remember?"

Luffy's grin stretched to his eyes and he laughed. "Yeah! 'Coz I'm free!"

"That's right," Roo told and ruffled Luffy's hair. As the two went into the galley, the man could hear the familiar pitter-patter of the rain falling onto the deck.

The galley was filled with light and warmth. The two got themselves big "pirate breakfasts" - as Luffy would call them – and sat down among other members of the crew. Roo was happy to notice that Luffy was feeling more comfortable with everyone and didn't shy away when they would ask him questions. The child chatted away with some of the men and ate his breakfast with enthusiasm.

"I wonder if there's going to be a storm?" someone asked. Luffy was about to ask about it when a certain Red-haired pirate joined them.

Shanks ruffled Luffy's hair as he sat down next to the boy. "So this is where you were, Anchor," the man greeted the child.

Luffy looked at the man and saw that his shirt was dotted with darker spots. "Shanks! Did you get wet?!" Luffy suddenly shouted when he understood that the man might have gotten wet from the rain, startling more than a few men in the galley.

Shanks blinked at Luffy a few times. "Uh, yeah, I did."

Stars appeared in Luffy's eyes and his tiny fists clenched tightly. "That's so cool!"

The red-haired pirate sweatdropped and tried to wrap his mind around Luffy's reaction. "You...like rain?"
Luffy nodded furiously. "I like it!"

Shanks held back a laugh and ran a hand through his hair as he settled into his seat better. "We'll check it out once I've filled my stomach, okay, kid?"
From that moment on, Luffy kept fidgeting in his seat, anxious to run out to play in the rain. When Shanks had finally finished his breakfast, the child jumped up and latched onto Shanks' shirt. "Let's go! Let's go!" the child kept chanting until the man finally got up from his seat.
"I get it, I get it. We're going," the man told a bit reluctantly. He wasn't really feeling as excited as Luffy was.
When they were at the door, Roo called his captain's name. When the man turned, two dark objects were thrown at him. He caught them and saw that they were two of the raincoats they kept around. However, one had clearly gone through some sort of surgery.
Roo looked proud of himself as he explained: "I cut one of them to fit Luffy better. It's still not really his size, but it should be better than nothing!"

Shanks gave a grateful look and thanked the man before telling Luffy to lift his arms so he could put on the coat. The boy's head disappeared underneath the big hood, but he only seemed to be enjoying the new clothing he had received as he kept giggling wildly as he tried to look around.
Shanks put on his raincoat and asked someone to draw the two of them a bath since he knew they would be needing it.

And he was right.
Luffy was like a small animal once he had held out his hands for a little while and understood that yes, rainwater was wet. He started to run around, laughing loudly while jumping up and down. It was no wonder that Luffy kept falling down repeatedly, but the boy didn't seem to mind as he would just jump up again and run some more.
To Shanks, there was nothing more amusing than this.
Luffy's energy seemed endless, but Shanks knew that the fun had to end at some point or they would both end up in the sickbed.
Right when Shanks had been about to call out to the boy, Luffy had been leaning over the railing and was it not for Shanks' quick reflexes, the boy would have been lost in the dark waters.
"I think that's enough for today," Shanks told as he was holding Luffy from his arm to keep him from falling. He pulled the boy up and once he was sure the boy was okay – which he was, the little idiot didn't seem to be too faced by his near-death experience – Shanks led Luffy towards the bathroom.

The two had a bath, which didn't turn out to be very relaxing as Luffy kept splashing the water and playing around, before dressing themselves and going back to Shanks' room.

The rest of the day Luffy lay on Shanks' bed and watched the rain fall. He made it seem like the most interesting thing in the world as his gaze never left the window.

The red-haired captain silently wished he could have spent his day typically – drinking some ale and not worrying about anything – but being painfully sober, he remembered that he had duties of a captain. So he sat at his desk and planned their voyage as well as checked their financial situation. He called in a few people who would tell how much supplies they had and if there was anything specific they needed. All in all, it took surprisingly lot of time, and by the time he was finished a storm had formed around the ship.

It had started as a faint rumbling sound.

The sound slowly grew louder and was accompanied by bright, flashing lights. Luffy could see how the lighting hit the ocean far behind them over and over again. It was nothing like he had seen before. His eyes were fixed to the window and he had a concentrated look on his face. Shanks noticed this and leaned back in his chair.
"Do you like thunder?" the man asked.

Luffy didn't move to answer. "Yeah, it's cool," he answered, but was too focused to keep up a conversation.

Shanks chuckled and stood up from his seat. "I see, then you won't mind me going outside for a moment, will you?"
Luffy hummed and answered, "nope!"

Shanks smiled and grabbed his raincoat from where he had put it to dry. He looked back at the child and just held the door handle for a moment. "I'll be back soon. Don't go out right now, okay?" Shanks told.

The child answered with a happy "I get it!" and Shanks left the room.

Unfortunately, the storm got worse and soon it was an all hands on deck – situation. Well, all hands but the very smallest ones. The ship rocked violently as the rain kept pouring down.
Luffy had crept under the blankets and tried to hold onto the bed – which was fixed to the floor – as hard as he could. The lighting kept flashing even more frequently than before, and the loud rumble kept growing louder. Luffy tried to convince himself that he wasn't afraid. He hadn't ever been afraid of thunder, it was just that this storm was a lot worse than the ones he had seen. There was also the fact that he was all alone; no gramps, no Admiral Woof, no Shanks.

Suddenly, there was a horribly loud sound. Luffy put his hands to his ears and tried to block it but it was too late – the damage had already been done. A cold feeling passed Luffy at the same time as he relieved a sudden memory.

The memory of his grandpa's ship.

Luffy was back in the ship again as it was under attack and the cannonballs kept hitting the ship, making it rock. He scrambled up and quickly hid under the bed again. This time he would listen to his gramps. He wouldn't come out until it was safe. Maybe he could see him again then?
Maybe it was because he was bad that gramps had disappeared in the first place?
There was another loud sound and Luffy couldn't help when a scream escaped him. That scream turned into a sob and soon, the boy was crying his eyes out all alone underneath the bed.

It was only when the loud sounds had started to fade and the ship's movement had calmed that the red-haired pirate returned to the room.
"Sorry Luffy, the storm was a bit stronger than we expected. They needed me to-" Shanks had put his raincoat to dry and turned around to see an empty room. "Luffy?" he asked. He could soon hear whimpering from somewhere and it didn't take him long to pinpoint where the sound came from. He walked over to the bed and crouched. "Luffy? Are you okay?"

The boy kept crying but slowly turned his head to look at his savior. "S-Shanks," the boy stuttered, his big eyes wide with fear.

Shanks was confused at first, but he soon realized that it was Luffy's first time experiencing a storm at the sea. It was much more intense than on land. It was no surprise the kid was freaked out.
"Sorry, I stayed out too long. Come here," the man told and held out his hand.
Luffy's lip started to tremble even more than it already was and he launched himself towards the red-haired man, throwing the both of them onto the floor. The boy cried against Shanks' chest, just like the night before, while the man quickly gathered himself enough to hold the boy with one arm.

"I-I thought you were gone too!" the boy cried, though his words were barely comprehensible.
"What do you mean?" Shanks asked in confusion.

"'Coz gramps is gone too! I thought that you would disappear just like him!"

Shanks looked at the child in his arms sadly.

"But I waited! I waited this time! I didn't want you to be gone too, so I waited!" the child kept explaining.

"Luffy," Shanks started, "don't tell me you think it's your fault that your grandfather is-"

"-But I was bad!" Luffy interrupted, "I didn't wait for him at all! And now he's gone!"

Shanks swiftly lifted himself off the floor along with Luffy and placed the boy on his bed before crouching before him and holding his small hands. His expression was serious as he stared into the boy's eyes. "Listen to me Luffy. We are the reason your grandfather's ship sank. It's not your fault, okay? Don't ever think it's your fault."

Luffy looked a bit frightened for a moment, but then he nodded and looked at his hands.

Shanks let out a small sight and smiled. "Come on then, you must be hungry. The men started to prepare for dinner just now." He stood and leaned closer to Luffy before lifting the boy up into his arms. The boy put his arms around Shanks' neck and hid his teary, red eyes into the man's shoulder.
Shanks would have made fun of the boy if it weren't for the fact he was five. Instead, he just held onto the boy tightly as he quickly ran across the deck to the galley.
While it was a surprise to all the members of the crew to see Luffy in such a state, they were able to quickly turn on their happy faces to cheer up the child. It didn't take long until Luffy's smiling face was back again, but the boy was still too content in Shanks' lap to move from there for the rest of the evening.

"Don't you think you've gone soft, Captain?" the first-mate teased his captain. The two of them were alone on the deck during that night, Shanks having joined Benn on his watch.
The moon was almost full and it shined brightly on the cloudless sky, illuminating the lone ship as well as making a bridge on the dark ocean. The two men stared at the calm waters, leaning against the railing in silence.
"Soft? What are you talking about?" Shanks asked without looking at the other man.

A golden light flickered against Benn's face for a moment as he lit his cigarette. "I'm talking about the kid," the taller man told, resting his forearms against the railing like his captain was. "You've changed since you picked him up."

A sour look crossed Shanks' face and he childishly avoided his first-mate's eyes. "Not really."

Benn resisted the urge to laugh at his captain. The man was becoming a father-figure for Luffy, yet he himself was no better than a child. Which brought him to his next question. "You're going to have to raise him, you know?"

Shanks glanced at the taller man and let his face sink into his arms for a moment. When he looked up at the horizon again, his expression was a mix of many emotions. Benn was able to read the man relatively easily. Shanks had known the fact that keeping Luffy with them would bring a lot of problems in the future. He knew what they were going up against and for what. Yet, for this one child, Shanks had decided to risk it all. He was taking responsibility for his entire crew's lives, but also Luffy's. The kid no longer had the chance to have a normal life. No, he had never that chance in the first place. But now, he would have to learn how to live as a pirate. It was far from a normal life. While staying with them for who knows how long, the kid would have to see death for many more times before he was going to even be at the age to process it properly.
The only one who could keep the kid from breaking was the one existence he valued over everyone else. Shanks.

"I know," the red-haired man told quietly, his eyes shining with honesty. Yet, there was also a deep sadness in those eyes as well as the emotion Benn rarely saw in the man; uncertainty.

Benn had been ready to rant about the many reasons why it was a bad idea to keep a kid with them, just to make sure his captain fully understood what he was doing. However, seeing the look on his captain's face, the first-mate knew that the man had already thought about it all. That's why he stayed silent, just standing by his captain's side like usual.

"To be honest, I'm feeling unsure. I have no idea what it's like to raise a kid – none of us do – and Luffy is... he's so small. He's been through a hell we can only imagine. How am I supposed to help him? How can I make sure he can grow up to be strong one day? All of that fell on my shoulders," Shanks told and looked at his first-mate in desperation. "He doesn't have anyone else!"

While seeing his strong captain in such a lost state was quite startling, Benn couldn't help but be reminded of the man's childish moments. He, like many times before, put a hand on the red-haired man's shoulder to reassure him. "Don't worry about it so much. It's not like you're alone. This crew isn't here just to fight battles for you. You can count on everyone here."

Shanks' eyes widened for a moment before his expression softened and a small smile appeared. He took a breath and nodded a few times. "You're right. It's a bit different this time but... I'm not alone."

"That's right."

Shanks turned back to look at the ocean before laughing. "Raising a kid, huh? I sure didn't plan on doing that yet – if ever!" the man told and laughed once again.
Benn just smiled silently.
"But – I'm sure that it can't be that hard! Luffy is a good kid after all. He'll be a great pirate yet. We'll make sure of that."

Benn couldn't help when a dark thought crossed his mind, extinguishing his smile. "I sure hope so."

Shanks could hear the uncertainty in the man's voice which made him look at him in question.

The taller man thought about not telling what was in his mind for a moment before deciding against it. He had his duty as a first-mate to think about.

"The marines probably think Luffy died during that attack against Vice-Admiral Garp. We still have that advantage. But what about when they find out Luffy is with us?" Benn let the question hang in the air for a moment, watching how his captain stared at him intently.

"Luffy is more important to the marines than we can imagine," Benn explained, "if they find out he's alive, there's no way they will let him go. They will do everything in their power to get him back." Benn locked his eyes with his captain's. "You said you would protect him, but what then? What about when they realize that they can't have him back? How do you think the marines will respond?"

Shanks stayed silent, waiting for his first-mate to continue.
"Luffy is a proof of their twisted sense of justice. Not only does he have the blood of the worst criminal in the world, but he is also the very reason peace existed for five years. They will make sure his father will never know he isn't in their grasp any longer."

"You mean...?"

Benn nodded. The two didn't continue the conversation for any longer.
When Benn's cigarette had long since gone out, Shanks finally spoke again. He looked determined as he stared ahead, the moon's light creating a dangerous gleam inside of his eyes. "That doesn't change what we want to do. Luffy will stay with us until he is strong enough to protect his own freedom. Until then, we will protect it for him."

Benn stared ahead at the dark horizon. "Yes. But for now, we must buy time."

The two stayed on the deck for hours, both staying completely silent until the sun started rising. Shanks only left when he remembered that he no longer could only worry about his own life, there being a small life in his room who he had vowed to protect. And apparently, it would take a lot more than just keeping the boy alive. He needed to feel safe, protected, happy. If that meant that Shanks had to be there when Luffy woke up, then that was what he would do. He had taken up the duty and no matter how troublesome it would be, he would see it to the end.

Though, seeing Luffy's radiant smile when he woke up and saw him there was not half bad, Shanks decided. Somehow, the future – however dark it would become – didn't seem so threatening when the kid smiled.

Things will start to get more interesting in the upcoming chapters. I promise.

As always, reviews are appreciated.