A/N: Hey everyone! This is the bonus chapter that was promised for reaching over 50 reviews! (Where are you all coming from? I don't understand!)
Thank you to everyone who reviewed in response to the competition but Olympian-King was the closest so you have them to thank for a section of this chapter~
Responses to reviews are down at the bottom, sorry you're having to wait for Marco's reactions~
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.
It was not an unusual sight to see a little ball of sunshine flying down the main road of Foosha Village. It was especially not unusual to see it disappear into the Party Bar. Though since the pirates came a few days ago, some of the adults of Foosha Village were apprehensive to say the least about letting little Monkey D. Luffy anywhere near the Party Bar for the time being. However, even if they did try to stop the little boy they would have no doubt been met with the most powerful weapon in the world; Luffy's puppy dog eyes.
Makino knew the power of Luffy's puppy dog eyes better than anyone and while she may have been his caretaker for a lot of his short life it didn't mean she had built up an immunity for them. She supposed it might have been a good idea to warn the red haired pirate captain about the danger that Luffy could unleash but had decided against it; the tales Luffy managed to drag out of the man were incredible and he certainly was a good story teller.
It always brightened her day when Luffy would come and sit at the bar, talking to her. He was such a sweet child that it was hard not to get attached to him. That's why she dreaded the darkening skies when she'd have to send him back to the house that could never be called a home. It broke her heart everytime to do so.
"Luffy, it's getting late" whispered Makino to the yawning six year old. "Go home. I'll come and tuck you in when I close up if you want."
Luffy smiled sleepily up at her, though Shanks thought his eyes looked a little too sad and lonely for the smile to be genuine. He had started to wonder when Luffy's parents would be expecting him back; it wasn't normal for a six year old to spend most of his day at a bar...at least, Shanks didn't think it was.
"Why don't I go with him?" He suggested, smiling reassuringly when Makino flashed him a worried look. "I'll make sure he gets back home safe and sound."
Luffy stuck his tongue out and pouted, not wanting to be babied by a real-life pirate.
"I can get home on my own. I always do."
Shanks frowned slightly at that. Did that mean his parents never came to get him? He shrugged off the thought and got up, clutching the bar when his head swam. He must have drunk more than he thought he did if he was starting to get tipsy. He flashed a wide grin at Luffy before starting towards the doors, waiting for Luffy to hug Makino goodbye before running to his side and leading him out the bar and into the starry night. Thankfully the East Blue had a warm climate otherwise they would have frozen in the calm March night.
He gazed up into the sky, counting the many constellations he could see as he waited for Luffy to start off down the road so he could follow him.
"Did you know about the Warrior who lives in the sky?" he asked Luffy in the still silence of the night. The look of awe he got was enough to make him grin; obviously the child had taken him seriously.
With a boisterous laugh he picked up the child, resulting in a squeal, and settled him on his shoulders, feeling Luffy wrap his tiny arms around his hat. Now that Luffy was settled on his shoulders he heard his quiet giggling clear as the night sky above them.
"The Warrior is constantly moving because there's a giant Scorpion that's chasing him across the sky. If you look straight up now you'll be able to see the Warrior."
He felt Luffy shift as he struggled to find the constellation.
"Where? I don't see anything."
"He's made of stars Luffy. Look for his belt, that's an easy way to find him."
After a few minutes of walking down the main road Shanks felt a tug on his hair followed by an excited laugh.
"I found him Shanks! He's right up there!"
Shanks followed with his eyes the finger he could barely see, followed the way it traced across the sky above them, tracing the outline of the warrior made of stars.
"But why isn't he moving?" pouted Luffy, settling down and resting his head on top of Shanks' hat.
"He must be resting." Shanks explained with a gentle smile, carrying on with his little tale. If Luffy was this gullible he was going to have a lot of fun with the stories he could tell him. "He can't run forever after all. Maybe he's lost the Scorpion for now and is getting his breath back?"
"That makes sense" exclaimed Luffy with a wise nod of his head, causing Shanks to laugh loudly into the night. This kid was far too entertaining.
"Are there any more people in the sky?" Luffy asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence. Shanks tried to look at him, only to see him peering curiously at him over the rim of his hat.
"Of course there are. There are star people and sky people. Be very careful to know the difference though."
"Why?"
"Because the sky people can send bad weather to attack your ship if you say their star people." Shanks explained with a crooked smile as Luffy absorbed this like it was the answer to one of life's greatest mysterious.
"Shanks?"
"Yeah?"
"Tell me more about the star people."
Shanks laughed at his request before obliging the little boy, explaining the stories behind every constellation he could spot, slipping in his own little anecdotes to which Luffy would laugh and make up his own stories too while giving Shanks directions to his house. The closer they seemed to get to the house, the more subdued Luffy became; falling silent as they stopped outside the dark house he had to return to every night.
It would have been a nice house to look at in the day time. It had two stories of whitewashed walls and a brown tiled roof. The doors and windows were painted a pale blue that was barely visible in the gloom. Flowers sprung up from window beds. It would have been a very cheery house...but the windows were dark. The borders of the panes loomed out the shadows like bars of a prison cell. There was no sign of life coming from the house, even the flowers looked sad and dejected. Shanks would have thought no-one lived there, and hadn't for a very long time if it wasn't for the six year old boy trying to climb down from his shoulders.
He followed the child to the door, frowning as he walked through the already unlocked door. Were his parents out? It was unlikely. If the parents were out they would have most likely been at the Party Bar and he wouldn't have needed to come with Luffy to begin with. Now that he was staring at the empty hallway he was trying to squash down the urge to grab Luffy and run back to the Red Force and never let him leave.
Shanks knelt down beside the child and turned him so he could look into his eyes. Being inside the house had turned his eyes from bright curious gems into lonely pools of darkened obsidian. This house was crushing him.
"Luffy, where are your parents?" he asked quietly, resisting the temptation to hug the life out of the lonely little boy in front of him.
"...don't have any..." he mumbled, staring back at him with empty eyes. "...just got Gramps..."
"And where is your grandpa?"
Luffy just shrugged with a confused expression on his face. It was obvious that wherever Luffy's grandfather was, he hadn't told the little boy he was leaving behind. Shanks gave into the urge and crushed Luffy against his chest in a suffocating hug. He couldn't understand why anyone would leave their child behind. Yassop had done the same thing but he at least tried to keep in contact with his wife, wanting to learn more about his son. Shanks doubted Luffy's grandfather cared enough to try and learn about him if he was leaving him alone in this crushing house that reeked of loneliness.
When he felt Luffy's fingers clutch tightly at his shirt he carefully scooped him up in his arms, paying no attention to the surprise he felt when Luffy just clung to him tighter, and cautiously moved deeper into the house. With every shadow filled room his heart ached for the boys in his arms before he finally found the room he was looking for.
Luffy's room was the only one Shanks didn't want to burn when he first set eyes on it. It was a cheery yellow with a large pirate flag hung on the wall. It was spacious and clean almost to the point of being empty. Shanks crossed over to the bed and gently set the child down on top of the covers, sitting down beside him and carding his fingers through his hair gently, humming an old lullaby under his breath. When Luffy turned wide, confused eyes on him, Shanks started to sing softly. As he sang Luffy's eyes began to droop, his grip slackening until he was sleeping softly. Shanks carefully tucked him under the covers, sitting down at the desk chair beside the bed as he finished his song. It was times like this he missed his old captain the most. What would Roger have done if he had found Luffy?
'Probably kidnap him and take him to sea after much scolding from Rayleigh-san' he reflected with a soft chuckle. Light footsteps alerted him to the fact they were no longer alone as he looked up to see Makino's tender smile directed towards the both of them.
Letting out an embarrassed laugh he turned to look at the sleeping child, ignoring the bar tender's gentle laugh as she came forward and kissed the slumbering child's forehead.
The week after Shanks and Luffy were closer than ever. Sure, the red haired man had to wave away the questions of curious crewmates and ignore the knowing smirk Benn had sent his way everytime he returned to the Red Force in the morning after spending the night by Luffy's side. Sue him for being worried about the kid.
Ever since he had started to keep him company, Luffy had opened up to him in a way he didn't think possible. While Luffy was still smiling and laughing, and still great fun to tease, a cautiousness that he had when he first met the Red Hair Pirates had completed evaporated now. He now roamed through the hoards of pirates with a carefree grin and eager eyes, begging for a story from anyone who would listen. YasoPp was one of the first to volunteer stories, bragging about the son he had never met and explaining what great adventures he imagined his son would have one day.
Luffy drank in all their stories, every one seeming to make him glow a little bit brighter or smile a little bit wider. These stories were keeping Luffy entertained and with these stories came new revelations to who Luffy was in the eyes of the visiting pirates and, more importantly, who he was becoming to them.
And no-one could see the bonds forming between Luffy and the crew clearer than Benn Beckman. He watched as his captain willingly put down his rum to go play with child on the beach, being beaten at sandcastle making by YasoPp, having an eating contest with Lucky Roo, even sitting with Benn himself and listening to stories of sea battles and islands of strange creatures and wonderful plants. This child was quickly becoming family to the pirates and Benn both loved and hated this. But he would hold his tongue as he watched his captain grin up at the boy on his shoulders, looking like a proud father as they walked along the beach; who was he to ruin the fun when it was just beginning?
Luffy was having a wonderful time. The pirates were everything he ever hoped they would be; brave, funny, kind. He really didn't understand why Gramps would say pirates were evil when they were so nice to everyone in the village. He chattered happily away as he led Shanks towards the rock pools that were a little way away from the docks. He had promised to show Luffy what creatures from the pools were edible and which were not.
They spent most of the day beside the pools, Luffy trying hard to understand the different kinds of seaweed and Shanks soaking him everytime he got it wrong. He didn't mind, it was a lot of fun.
He was still laughing as he sat down in the sand, trying to get the slimy seaweed out of his hair.
"This is a lot more fun than the training Gramps makes me do." He giggled, finally getting a hold of the last of the green threads and chucking them in Shanks' face. All that did was earn him a laugh and a very sore head from where the pirate had rapped his knuckles against his forehead.
"Oh really?" Shanks enquired with a teasing grin "What does he make you do then?"
"Throws me in the jungle and makes me fight monkeys" replied Luffy, shivering as he thought about it. Those monkeys were mean, and strong. He really hoped that the next time his grandpa came he wouldn't be thrown to the monkeys. He'd rather be forced to try and swim again.
"Really?" Shanks asked, an ugly look in his eyes that didn't match the smile on his face. "Why would he make you do that?"
"Says it's training for the marines." Luffy explained with a grimace. "I don't want to be a marine. I don't want to fight any more monkeys."
His reply drew a startled laugh from the red haired pirate as he leaned back against the sand, basking in the afternoon sun.
"Marines don't just fight monkeys kid. They try and keep justice and try to keep the law. Most of them are good people. I'm sure your...grandfather...just wants you to grow up to be a good person."
"But you're good people, and you're not marines." Luffy pointed out with a grin, sure he had beaten Shanks in this argument. He was not expecting a solemn look to cross his idols face.
"Are we good people? I'm flattered you think that but we're still pirates. Marines exist to protect people from us."
"I don't believe that." refuted Luffy, stubbornly. "You're nice and you haven't done anything to harm the villagers. You're the proper kind of pirate."
"Proper kind?"
"Yep. The ones who go to sea for adventure. YasoPp told me you guys want adventure. That's what I want too. If I became a marine, I'd have no freedom; that's why I want to be a pirate." Luffy finished his explanation with a grin, sitting up to face Shanks with sparkling eyes "So take me out to sea with you!"
"No way kid, you'd sink like an anchor." Shanks replied, sticking his tongue out at Luffy and winking. Ignoring the pout that was being sent his way he carefully got to his feet, brushing the sand from his clothes as he picked Luffy up with one arm and started back down towards the town. He hadn't had any rum today and Luffy was probably getting hungry again knowing him. It was almost dinner time after all.
But what Luffy had said gave him something to think about. Was it possible to be a pirate and be a good person? Shanks liked to think it was. He liked to think he was a good person but he knew he had done many things that wouldn't be classed as 'good person material'. He also knew that there were some marines who could not be classed as good people in any sense of the words no matter what world you came from.
As he listened to Luffy's chattering he hoped with all his heart that Luffy would never come across the marines that would destroy the world for their 'absolute justice'.
It surprised many of the crew when Makino came out with a large birthday cake on the 5th of May and set it down in front of Luffy, who beamed up at her in absolute happiness before closing his eyes to make a wish.
"You didn't tell us it was your birthday today Anchor." Shanks remarked, pouting at the little boy to hide the stab of hurt he had felt knowing he had deliberately not told the crew this information.
Luffy looked up at him after he had blown his candles out and Makino had taken his cake to be cut.
"Didn't think you wanted to know."
With that curt reply he went back to eagerly anticipating his slice of birthday cake, missing the hurt expression all the pirates in the bar seemed to share.
"Why wouldn't we want to know?" demanded Yasopp from the other side of Luffy, haven chosen to sit with the boy and his captain at the bar for a change.
"It's Children's day." Luffy explained with a shrug, as if that was all the explanation they needed. Well tough luck Luffy, they were going to need more than just a reference to a national holiday to understand why their little friend hadn't said a word about his birthday. Luckily, Makino was on hand to explain further.
As she leant over the bar to refill his glass, she whispered to Shanks:
"Luffy sees Children's day as more important than his own birthday. He doesn't understand that his birthday is special because it falls on a day that would have been celebrated anyway."
Makino gave him a sad look filled with sympathy before kissing the top of Luffy's head and going to refill some of the other men's glasses. Hearing her explanation made Shanks think of an excellent way of getting back at Luffy for not telling them about his birthday. With an excited wave he called Benn over to explain his idea, laughing loudly when all he got was a resigned sigh and a nod of acknowledgment from his first mate. Shanks quickly turned around to start talking to Luffy, revealing a story of one of his own birthdays back when he was a cabin boy on the Oro Jackson and how Buggy had ended up face first in the cake because of a fight gone wrong.
Thankfully the story seemed to grab Luffy's attention long enough for Benn to relay the plan to the rest of the crew and some of them soon left the bar in preparation. After a few minutes of story time (in which Luffy devoured most of his cake, only being stopped by Makino when she told him to save some for after dinner) one of his crewmates came up to him and whispered in his ear. With a large smile Shanks got up from the bar stool, scooped Luffy up in his arms and turned to face the surprised Makino. It made him really pleased that Luffy no longer showed any fear about being picked up and instead he giggled away, struggling around in his grip to try and get onto his idol's shoulders. Shanks extended a hand towards Makino, smiling charmingly at her.
"Will you accompany us rotten pirates, lady who is fairest of all in this bar?" he enquired with a little bow of his head, hoping to make her laugh. His smile broke into a grin when she nodded, a hand pressed to her mouth to try and hold in her giggling. She gently took his hand and allowed herself to be lead by him out of the bar towards the docks, chatting gently with Luffy as all three of them laughed among themselves.
When they got within sight of the Red Force the entire ship was decked out in fairy lights and balloons making Luffy gasp in surprise and wonder.
"Pretty..." he murmured, tilting his head back to stare all around him as Shanks lead them both towards the transformed ship. Little did they know Shanks had got the entire crew to gather up all the villagers who wanted to help and got them all to decorate the ship for the precious little boy's birthday. The villagers had agreed with gusto, wanting Luffy to be able to celebrate his birthday this year without their children interfering.
Shanks carefully set Luffy down on deck, watching with a proud smile as the child spun around in circles with eyes filled with wonder and a grin brighter than any star on his face.
"Happy Birthday Anchor" he whispered quietly, watching as Luffy was mobbed on all side by crew members wanting to play games with him. Shanks watched Luffy enjoy his first game of pin-the-fin-on-the-seaking, be enthralled in a puppet show, and be taught one of the crew's favourite songs: Bink's Sake. It filled him with a fierce joy that he had never experienced before, watching his family play and entertain and celebrate the little boy who had livened up their stay on this island. Shanks doubted they would have stayed for three days if Luffy hadn't been there.
Makino gave him a soft smile as she came to sit beside him after finishing her dance with Lucky Roo.
"Thank you Captain-san...for doing this for him."
"No need to thank me Makino. I want Luffy to celebrate today as much as we do." He raised his glass towards her in a toast before gulping down some of the best sake they had; it was a special occasion after all. They sat back and enjoyed the party, sometimes getting up to dance or play with the rest of the crew but always coming back to rest against the side of the ship. It was only when he had procured a small bottle of some form of liquid did the boy of the night come back to them, sitting in between them both with a large smile on his face.
"What you got there Anchor?" Shanks asked, peering down at the bottle in curiosity.
"Bubbles." Luffy chirped, showing him the bottle with a large grin before opening it up and blowing out a long stream of dancing, transparent orbs that flashed in the multicoloured light from the fairy lights. He giggled happily before springing to his feet and trying to catch them, looking happier than either of them had ever seen him.
Shanks took up the bottle and started to gently blow more bubbles till eventually they were surrounding Luffy, who was laughing his head off in pure delight. Seeing Luffy so happy made Shanks laugh as well, and as if a trigger had been flicked, all around the ship his crewmates were laughing along with the, now seven year old, little boy.
It was only when the night had ended, a round of 'happy birthday' had been sung and Luffy had been tucked away safely in bed by Shanks and Makino did Yasopp come up to his captain with a sly grin and handed him a photo which caused a warm, gentle smile to appear on his face before he showed Makino who giggled happily and asked Yasopp for a copy.
The photo was of the three of them, obviously taken when they had approached the Red Force earlier in the afternoon. The afternoon sun shone brightly on all of them, illumination their smiles and highlighting their joy in being together. They looked like a small, happy family; maybe of fishermen on their way to their boat? There was an ambiguity of their appearance that gave no hint that the 'father' in the photo was a pirate, or that the other two weren't really his wife and son. It was a happy photo, one that Shanks knew he would treasure forever.
A soft giggle brought him out of his musings, looking up from the picture to see Makino look at him with understanding eyes before picking up the bottle of bubbles from the floor where Luffy left them.
"Looks like I have a new nickname for Luffy now." She smiled with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes that made Shanks laugh long and loud into the stillness of the night, filled with elation after a wonderful day of celebration.
"When I become a pirate" Luffy began as he stared into his cup of juice "I want to have lots of adventures."
"Oh really?" yawned Shanks from where he was longing beside him. He had already heard all about Luffy's 'plans' and couldn't wait to see what he would come up with this time.
"Yes." Snapped Luffy with an angry pout. "I'll travel all over the world! I'll even meet the sky people and when I do I'll ask about how they can control the weather and make sure they don't send any bad weather towards my ship."
"You wouldn't need bad weather to doom your ship Bubbles. You sink, remember?"
Luffy flushed an angry red colour and stuck his tongue out at the red haired man beside him. He still didn't understand why Shanks and Makino had started calling him that but it sent warmth through him every time they did; similar to the warmth he felt whenever Shanks called him 'Anchor'. He must be getting sick, he decided. Though maybe it was because it was suddenly getting warmer outside?
"I'll learn how to swim, just you wait! Then me and my crew will swim to the bottom of the ocean and meet all kinds of fish. I bet we'll even meet mermaids." He crossed his arms with a huff, turning away from Shanks as the older man laughed. Why did he have to make fun of him?
"I'm sure you will kid." Shanks yawned before taking another swig of alcohol. It wasn't that he didn't believe Luffy had what it took to be a pirate, quite the contrary really, but his reactions made teasing him far too much fun. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Luffy's face get steadily redder, until he looked like a tomato about to burst. He had just to see Luffy have proper outburst and for some reason he wasn't too keen on that happening today so he quickly stuffed some meat in his mouth as soon as he was about to yell.
"Eat up kid; you can't have adventures on an empty stomach."
Almost at once the red receded back, replaced by a bright smile and a chirpy word of gratitude before the meat was being devoured. Shanks laughed loudly, banging his fist on the bar in front of him as his crewmates joined him in his fit of mirth: Luffy's mood changes were just too funny sometimes!
"I'll prove that I'm brave enough to be a pirate!" Luffy yelled, realising he'd been tricked again.
"I'm sure you will." Chortled Shanks, wiping a tear of laughter from his eyes.
A few days later he was really regretting his choice of words.
"What. Were. You. Thinking?" he forced out through gritted teeth as the doctor finished stitching up the gash under Luffy's eye. He knew in the back of his mind Benn would probably be better at this kind of lecture (Shanks wasn't really the type to lecture anyone seeing as he did more stupid things than anyone else on the Red Force) but it was his teasing that had inadvertently caused this so damn him if he wasn't going to take responsibility for it.
Luffy just stared at him with wide, teary eyes, biting his lip to try and stop the pained whimpers from escaping him. The doctor had told him that Luffy had very almost severed several of his nerves and he was very lucky that he could still see out of that eye though he might have problems with his vision later on in life. More guilt on Shanks' conscience.
With a sigh Shanks gathered up the seven year old into a gentle but firm hug, rubbing his back as the tears finally started.
"...I...I just w-wanted...to be brave...like you..." Luffy sobbed quietly, clutching at Shanks in a way that had become very familiar to them both in the past few months. Another sigh escaped the red head before he could stop it.
"Why did you think stabbing yourself and giving us all heart attacks would prove anything? We're too young to have heart attacks y'know."
"...sorry..." mumbled Luffy, burrowing deeper into Shanks' shirt so he could hear the soothing beat of his heart. It calmed him down to no end, hearing the steady repeating rhythm. It soothed him so much he was almost falling asleep.
Shanks stared down at the little child in his arms and marvelled at how, in the space of a few short months, he had wormed his way so thoroughly into his heart that he was terrified at the idea of leaving the island for good. But he knew he had to soon; the call of the sea was growing stronger every day. But so was his love for the boy in his arms and that's why he knew he couldn't take Luffy with him when he returned to the sea.
Not only was the Grand Line no place for a child, for all Luffy's bravado he wasn't emotionally ready to face the dangers that lay in Paradise let alone in the New World. If he took Luffy with him, he would die for sure...and that idea terrified Shanks almost as much as the news of his old captain's execution had ten years ago.
No, Luffy had to stay here... at least until he was ready to answer the call of the sea by himself.
"Is it really that bad I ate that fruit thingy?"
For once they were not sitting in the Party Bar. Luffy had been rather down after eating their Gomu-Gomu fruit and after three attempts of getting Luffy to react to his questions Shanks got tired and had kidnapped the young troublemaker. That's how they found themselves sitting on the figure head of the grand pirate ship instead of in the bar enjoying lunch. Shanks let out a large sigh, wishing he had brought some alcohol with him. But unfortunately, he needed to be completely sober for this conversation.
"That depends on what you mean by bad."
Luffy hugged his knees to his chest, resting his cheek on them as he stared out at the horizon, avoiding Shanks' concerned gaze.
"...you were mad at me..." he mumbled after a few moments of silence. "...you never normally get mad..."
"You did something that has changed your life forever. I know it was by accident, but it still doesn't change the fact that you can never be the same Luffy you were a few days ago. You're a devil fruit user now and while that may sound awesome there are consequences as well."
Luffy turned to look at him with confused eyes, his brow furrowed in a frown as he tried to understand what he meant.
"But if I get stronger then it's a good thing, right?"
"Yes...and no."
Seeing he had not helped with Luffy's confusion, Shanks tried to elaborate in a way that would make sense to the seven year old.
"You can be strong without a devil fruit just as much as a devil fruit can bolster someones strength. You will have to build up all your strength from scratch and get used to your new body. It can take years to learn how to control a devil fruit but you will be stronger if you train hard, just like a normal human being. Eating a devil fruit just means you can do things no other personal can try to do but with every gain there is a weakness. You have to figure out those weaknesses now that you're a devil fruit user."
A long silence followed this explanation, in fact the silence dragged on for so long Shanks wouldn't have been surprised if Luffy had fallen asleep. But he consoled himself with the sight of Luffy frowning, deep in thought, obviously trying his hardest to understand what Shanks was trying to tell him. It was only when his face had turned red and steam was coming off of him did Shanks start to get concerned that Luffy's mental capacities were stretched to their limits.
"So...I can do things other people can't, but that doesn't mean they're stronger than me?" he asked finally, looking up at Shanks to check if he got it right. The expectancy in his face made Shanks laugh loudly.
"Dahahaha. Almost Anchor, almost. Just because you can do this others can't doesn't mean you're stronger than anyone else, got that?"
Luffy nodded happily, grinning brightly up at him. Shanks doubted Luffy really understood, wouldn't understand until he went up against someone and was defeated, but that day was a long way away from now; he had time to learn.
"Shanks?"
"Yeah?"
"What other devil fruits are there?"
Shanks looked down to see Luffy gazing up at him with stars in his eyes. He grinned at his little friend, thinking of some of the more bizarre devil fruits he's seen over the years.
"Didn't I tell you about my friend? The other boy who was on my old ship? He ate a devil fruit and he could take all his limbs off."
"What?" Luffy gasped, shocked. Could a devil fruit really give someone that power?
"Yep" exclaimed Shanks, grinning as Luffy's awed expression encouraged him to continue. "He could send his hands to go steal food from the kitchen and no-one would know it was him. There's also this amazing fruit that turns the user into a bird made of blue fire! I can't remember who ate it though..." he trailed out off with a thoughtful frown, trying to recall who the user of the Mythical Zoan Fruit: Phoenix Model was. He must have met him on a tropical island because all that was coming to mind were pineapples.
"Wow that sounds amazing." Shouted Luffy, staring up into the sky and imagining a great flaming turkey flying across the clouds and lighting up the bay in blue fire. How amazing would that be? Shanks chuckled t his enthusiasm.
"The strongest man in the world is a devil fruit user y'know? He barely uses his fruit though; he's strong enough that he doesn't need it's abilities to win wars."
"Wow, he must be really really really strong! Just like you!"
Shanks doubled over laughing. He knew as he was right then he didn't hold a candle to old Newgate. It made him happy to know how highly Luffy thought of him though.
"If you want strong pirates you just need to look at the warlords. Pirates who work for the government." He explained, noticing the confused look on Luffy's face.
"Why'd they do that?"
"Who knows? Some do it for noble reasons; to protect their homelands from other pirate crews and the government's laws. Others do it because they like power and fighting off bounty hunters was just getting too annoying. Then there's one other who joined just because he was bored."
"He joined because he was bored?" asked Luffy, eyes wide at the thought.
"Yup" said Shanks, popping the 'p' in smug satisfaction. "Hawky's one of the strongest swordsmen on the seas. Most are calling him the strongest. He gets bored really easily and he thought he'd have more things to do as a warlord than if he just stayed as he was. It's always important to have a swordsman on your side Luffy." He advised, patting his own sabre fondly. "They're some of the deadliest people on the seas that haven't eaten devil fruits. And those that have; they're really nasty to deal with."
Luffy nodded to show he understood before jumping up with a determined grin.
"I'll have to make sure I have a swordsman in my crew then! And he'll be three times as strong as this Hawky guy."
Shanks laughed loudly at that. A swordsman three times as powerful as Dracule Mihawk? He wished the kid good luck with that search; swordsmen like Mihawk only came around once in a blue moon. His generation was just unlucky it had experienced two blue moons in the same year; Shanks and Mihawk themselves.
"I wish you good luck, you'll seriously need it."
"I will find one!" Luffy exclaimed with a pout, frowning adorably up at him. "I'll have a sniper that even better than Yasopp, and I'll have someone that knows even more than Benn! And we'll go on adventures all over the place; we'll save princesses and fight dragons, we'll even sail to the bottom of the sea and right up into the clouds if we want."
"I'm sure you will Anchor, I'm sure you will."
It was quiet when Shanks returned to his quarters. Too quiet.
He had grown used to going in his room and being tackled by his little ball of sunshine who would then drag him out to play. He had grown used to the sunny smiles that greeted him every morning when Luffy realised he had stayed by his side. Now he would have to get used to not seeing them anymore or at least for a very long time.
He briefly wondered if this was how Yasopp had felt, leaving behind his wife and newborn son but shook off that thought before it was fully formed. Yasopp may miss his son terribly and brag about him at every chance but he didn't have any memories of him that he could hold onto when times were rough at sea. At least Shanks had that.
Maybe that was why he had panicked so much earlier on in the week when that bandit had almost killed Luffy. The idea of never seeing that smile again or hearing his cute little 'Shihihihi' was far more painful than the dull throb of the stump that used to be his arm. Even now, knowing that it would be a long while till he saw his little Anchor again made his heart hurt a little bit more, till he was almost desperate to order the ship to be turned around so he could kidnap the little kid that he loved like a son and bring him out to sea with him to share in his adventures.
Instead of doing that though, Red Hair Shanks walked over to his desk, opened his journal at a new page and wrote:
'Day 1: ...I'm waiting for you Luffy'
A/N: THERE WE GO! That's the end of the bonus chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it, thank you all so much again for your support! R&R!
MissJenca: Nope~ and boy are Ace and Sabo in for a nasty surprise when he realizes~ And Luffy is going to be hiding a lot next chapter from his brothers~
Transformers' BABY: *Throws update towards you*
Weird-Sunny-Chan: Aww thank you very much *hugs you back* I'm glad you like it so much, sorry you're going to have to wait for the Mama Marco vs Papa Shanks showdown~
thewibblywobblywolf: sorry I'm making you wait another chapter but I hope you enjoy this one at least!
Reira-Layla: I'm honoured you gave this story a try and I'm so glad to hear you're enjoying it. Also I love your username! Hope you enjoy the new chapter even though it's not Marco's reaction!
Little Bookwyrm: you're going to have to wait for Marco's reactions next chapter but in the mean time; have more feels!
Backstage-worker: Thank you! You got it semi-right. Sabo did realise that Luffy, Shanks and Ace are all connected by Roger but it goes a little deeper than that. Thank you for guessing though!
Shiningheart of ThunderClan: Oh don't you worry, Mama Marco is kicking butt and taking names next chapter but you're going to have to wait for it~
Olympian-King: Thank you for your suggestions, they were a lot of fun to write in. And Marco is never going to get rid of that nickname, ever!
Jessica Season: Kiss to you too! I'm so glad you're enjoying it. A lot of people seem to be looking forward to Garp's introduction but it's still a couple of chapters away~ And you're English is incredibly good, well done.
Guest 1: heh heh, cause a war? Heh heh heh, it's not like Shanks is going to end up going to the Moby Dick and drinking his arse off when he hears what Luffy calls Marco, heh heh, not at all!
subaru1999: I hope this chapter is just as cute!
MysticWaterWolf: Sorry, the fireworks aren't going off in this chapter, it's the next chapter you have to wait for for those to explode ;p
JadeOccelot: Yes and no to the chapter competition. Sabo has figured out the link between Shanks and Roger but he relates it back to his brothers rather than to the Whitebeard pirates. That's all I'm going to say for now~ You won't see a lot of pairings, they're very much in the background so I will be impressed if you can work any out~
Little Lady Slytherin: THANK YOUUUUUU!
MegDBrew: Thank you! As long as you can wait until every Wednesday you'll be okay~
animesarecool: Thanks, I enjoy writing Ace and Sabo a lot XD
9momentos: I hope you're meaning this chapter and not the next XP
TheCaptainOfShips: NAKAMASHIP RULES THE OCEANS!