Prologue

1 Year After The Death of Sabo

East Blue

Monkey D. Garp stood at the bow of his marine warship. His most recent trip around the New World had been… interesting, to say the least. Nothing had really shaken the now 67-year-old Hero of the Marines, he continued to dominate rookie and veteran pirates alike without so much as breaking a sweat. Ever since that moronic rival of his went and got himself executed, he has been forced to clean up the mess that was this new age of pirates. And being the only marine really capable of doing anything, sans the admirals, he became the defacto head of taking down New World pirates.

He hated admitting it, but the man once known around the world as the King of the Pirates was the only man who really made the job fun. Excluding a certain other man, that is. But he was dead, and so was Roger, and even his closest friend Sengoku had become a boring old man. Sure he was the Fleet Admiral, but that didn't mean he shouldn't have rice cake parties and eat donuts with his old friend! Garp would have to harass him the next time he'd go to HQ with his most recent report. He'd get a kick out of making the "calm and collected" leader of the marines scream his face red, and maybe get him to have a drink or three.

Speaking of his most recent report, Garp looked back towards the interior of the ship. He collected some potentially vital information while sailing, but he honestly wasn't sure what to do about it. He picked his nose and shrugged to himself, deciding that it was a later problem. He turned back forwards, staring out in the distance. A small island was finally coming into view, and a big smile appeared on his face. It had been a week since his most recent incident, and he was ready to return, even more a moment.

As much as they were a pain in his ass, Garp missed those damn grandkids of his. Sure, one wasn't actually his blood, but who cares?! The kid was tough as nails, and soft at heart. He just hoped he could get the two of them thinking right for once.

"Pirates! You both plan to be pirates?!"

"What's wrong with that gramps? My father was a pirate, why can't I?"

"Yeah grandpa! And I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

"What?! That's it, the both of you are gonna get a taste of my Fist of Love, and then I'm sending you into that bear cave!"

Garp smiled to himself. He was a good grandpa.

Dawn Island/Goa Kingdom Coast

Garp had docked the ship right outside of the Foosha Village, and was instantly greated by the local barkeep Makino, and the mayor Woop Slap. Their conversation was uneventful, with a simple check-in on how his grandsons were doing, hoping that they finally smartened up and listened to him. Makino was a sweet girl, and almost like a mother to his two grandkids, though she had a bad taste in men. Red Hair, really? Guy was trouble, and Garp still grumbled about him giving that so called "dream" of his to his grandson. Woop Slap was a grumpy geezer, but always had a soft spot for the two kids.

Turning back to the ship, he sensed something amiss, and a few moments later a scream was belted out from the deck. A marine called out, requesting assistance, and he sighed. He hoped he wouldn't have to deal with this now, and maybe the higher ups could handle it, but nooooooo. Now he had to make a decision. Monkeys weren't good at making that, including that damn son of his!

Garp slowly made his way up the ramp, intently listening in to the sudden rampage and yells heard on deck. He focused in, and sighed hard, knowing full well that the guest they were so unceremoniously being knocked out by was much more powerful than they were letting on, or maybe even realized. Great. More trouble.

Upon reaching the deck, a marine collapsed in front of him, and Garp picked his nose. His new "adversary" saw him, and immediately came straight on, full-sprint, probably intending to hit him. They were holding a blackened, yet dulled massive mace, almost as big as them, and swung it wildly, intending to do some real damage. Garp simply held up one hand, caught them, and held his "enemy" in the air. Enough grip was used to hold them in place, but otherwise he wasn't planning on hurting them. He scratched his head and sighed again.

"I am Oden! Kozuki Oden!" They screamed, as though this warrior call would cause Garp to crumble.

"Haha! Oden huh? I fought the man, and I can tell you right now, you are not him. I can't seem to remember him being an 8-year-old girl." Garp continued his laughter, even as he was glared upon with the most upmost anger.

"I'm 9 and I am Kozuki Oden! You cannot laugh at me! I will be the one to destroy Kaido and free Wano!" the girl retorted angrily.

"That so? Well, I think you'll need to be much stronger than you are now if you even want to make it a challenge." Garp pointed back towards the ship, at the many currently unconscious marines. Some were foaming at the mouth, others had a lump on the head, courtesy of the girl in his massive hand. "You did all that, huh?"

The girl shrugged, or at least attempted to, given the circumstance. Garp scratched the back of his head, trying to make a final decision. Well, he was already hiding a couple dirty secrets. What's the worst that could happen if he added another. And this feisty one might be another good recruit for the navy. He'd get all 3, even if it killed them!

"Listen here. I got some grandkids I've been taking care of, they could use a tough kid like you. They lost a brother, and having you around might cheer em up. How about you stick around, I help train you a bit, that way you can do my job for me and kill Kaido! I don't feel like working hard these days, and this means I don't have to file paperwork!" He began heartily laughing to himself at the thought. One day he'd tell Sengoku what he did, if not just to laugh at his reaction. It'll be priceless.

The little girl stared at him, confused. She was currently wearing a tiny white kimono, matching her bright white hair, and her tiny red horns poked out from the top of her head. She had no idea who he was, or how he could help, but she also wasn't sure where she even was. Wait a minute…

"Are we not in Wano?!" She all but cheered.

"'Course not. This is the East Blue, possibly the farthest sea from Wano."

The girl finally settled down in his massive hand and looked around in awe. No prison cell, no Flower Capital. Just a tiny village full of non-samurais. She yelled out in joy and fainted from excitement.

….

When she finally awoke, she was lying in a bed of a small room. This was definitely not part of the ship. No smells of the ocean, no sailors cursing and no calls to man the positions, whatever that meant. She sat up, and assessed her surroundings. For a 9-year-old girl, that meant look around and make sure no one was waiting in the shadows. Determining she was safe enough, she made her way downstairs, to come upon a bar. A green haired woman, no older than 21, was standing behind the table, cleaning up and organizing.

She turned to see the little oni and smiled. "Hi there! My name's Makino! What's yours?"

The little girl stared blankly at the woman before her, she wasn't a massive spider, or some physically strong warrior. She was just a tiny lady. "I'm Kozuki Oden!" she replied happily.

Makino pouted ever so much, before putting on another warm smile. "Garp told me you'd say that, but that's not your real name is it. C'mon, you can tell me."

The oni hesitated. She was strong-willed, and nearly wanted to yell out her hero again. But something in the smile and eyes of this woman told her that she might just be okay telling the truth. "…Yamato" she muttered, ever so quietly.

"What was that? You gotta speak up."

"Yamato!" Yamato yelled out, with as much aggression as a 9-year-old could manage. "My name is Yamato," she reiterated, and realizing her tone, quieted down.

"Well Yamato, Garp is taking care of some business in town, unloading some cargo and talking to the Mayor. But he wanted me to bring you over to a friend of ours' home in the woods to meet his grandkids." She smiled again, and beckoned the girl forward. She left her hand out, hoping Yamato would take it.

Yamato was tempted to just run away, maybe out into the woods of the island to find some food. She was asleep for the quite some time, and she really needed food. Samurai weren't supposed to be hungry, but she still did. She had more training to do if she wanted to become Oden. Yamato turned back and ran back up the stairs, searching for her weapon, and sprinted back down, club in tow. She took the woman's hand with a big smile and followed her direction.

Makino wasn't sure what to make of this tiny monster-like girl, but she was absolutely adorable. She just knew the boys would love her.

….

A few minutes later, they had made their way to a forest clearing, which held a house, as well as some interesting add-ons to the side. Two shacks stood side-by-side, one read Ace, the other in a much messier handwriting read Luffy. They hadn't been used in some time, but apparently had been hosting two individuals.

The pair stopped in front of the door, before Makino gave a quiet knock. A moment later the door swung open, and a massive woman with curly orange hair and a cigarette angrily appeared. "Who the hell is it?" the woman questioned. She seemed hell-bent on a fight, until she recognized Makino. "Oh it's you Makino. The boys aren't home right now, said they went hunting."

Makino smiled, before she properly introduced the two. "Dadan, this is Yamato. She'll be staying with us for a while," she warmly said. Dadan stared down at the little girl, with a look of absolute confusion on her face.

"Not again!" Dadan complained. She was finally getting used to two more mouths to feed, one of which ate all of their food. Bringing yet another child in, especially whatever this girl was, would just throw everything off again. "Tell Garp I ain't raising another one of his idiotic grandkids."

"I'm Kozuki Oden!" Yamato replied indignantly. She glared up at the older woman, ready to smack her with her club. This lady looked tough, but she'd faced much worse in Wano.

Makino sighed, placing her hand on Yamato's head, ruffling her hair a little. "But Dadan, look how cute she is! She's got nowhere else to go!" She gave her patented puppy dog eyes to the mountain bandit, who tried her damndest to ignore them. Just as they began to take effect, 3 monsters entered her peripheral. Two kids and one old man. Dadan quickly slammed the door shut, hoping to avoid the inevitable clash. Too bad.

The door busted back open, a fist laying in its wake. Garp had arrived on the scene, a wide smile playing on his face. "Good to see you Dadan! I got a present for you. Another kid." Her glare gave him all the response he needed, and he busted out laughing. Behind him, the two boys looked on in confusion.

The older one had dark black hair, and an orange shirt, with a bandage over his eye. He held a pipe over his shoulder, and a look of annoyance. The other boy carried his pipe on his back, and was adorned by a straw hat much too large for his small head. He had a scar under his left eye, and was sporting a few lumps. What was most interesting was the big smile he had upon seeing Yamato, whilst the other looked aggravated at the scene playing out.

"We can't take any more of these monsters Garp!" Dadan yelled, grabbing a hold of his collar. "You've cursed us enough with these two, have you no shame?" Garp continued laughing, tears welling up at the corners of his eyes as he couldn't contain himself. Makino giggled, knowing full-well the outcome before anything was even said.

"It'll be fine. She's a good girl. Her dad is Kaido," he responded between laughs. He was instantly dropped, with Dadan's mouth now agape. The commotion drew the attention of other bandits inside, who, upon hearing the news, began packing bags intending to run away, Dadan included. "Where do you think you're going?" Garp asked.

"Away from here! First you have me take Rogers kid. Then Dragons. Now Kaido's?! No way, not gonna happen. I'll be killed!" She was crying massive tears, praying to any gods that heard her for a chance to escape with her life. Garp just laughed again.

"You'll be fine. I'll be back in a couple weeks to train these brats anyways." He turned to the two boys and said "Ace. Luffy. This is Yamato. She's staying with you now. Treat her well, or I'll beat you both bloody." He gave them his classic smile and showed them his fist, already ready to smack them. Ace blinked, and turned away frowning. Luffy smiled a wide smile, excited at the prospect of a new friend. After what happened to his other brother, he needed someone to replace the void.

"Hi I'm Luffy! I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" he exclaimed to her, walking her way with a hand out. The custom confused the girl, who readied her club to strike. This was getting more and more confusing as the moments went on, she had no context to anything, and these people added absolutely nothing to work with. By the time he reached her, she had fully tensed up, expecting an attack. None came.

Luffy looked at her confused. "Don't wanna shake my hand?" She looked at the hand in question, unsure what to do. She looked up at Makino, who smiled gently at her, and motioned with her hand what she should do.

Understanding drew on Yamato's face, and she whacked the boy full force with her club. Luffy was launched a good 20 yards away, and smacked a tree. Everyone stared mouth agape except Garp who couldn't stop laughing. What a great day this turned out to be!

Luffy bounced off the tree and flew back nearly to where he was hit from. The biggest smile she'd ever seen graced his face as he said the following "That was awesome! You gotta join my crew, we can be Pirates together! When I turn 17, I'm gonna go out to sea. Wanna be my first mate? Ace told me no so you can be it instead!" His bombardment of questions and excitement frazzled her.

"Hey brat, how many times have I told you! You're not gonna be a pirate!"

Luffy stuck his tongue out at Garp. "Says you!"

"That's it, it's time for my Fist of Love!" Garp swung downwards at the boy, causing him to yelp, and leaving a sizable lump on his head. He walked over to Ace as well, and gave him the same treatment.

"Ow! What did I do?" Ace questioned angrily, while rubbing his head.

"Nothing. Just felt like it," Garp replied, smiling. He was always smiling. A frowning Garp meant trouble, and Yamato could tell that easily. If her swing couldn't hurt the boy, and his simple punch laid him out, she was worried he might actually be stronger than her father. Hopefully he didn't have the same attitude.

Luffy was back up and smiling again. "Well? What do you think. Wanna flip the world upside down with me? It's gonna be a blast!"

Yamato looked at the boy up and down, and knew in that moment, there was something about him you just couldn't help but adore. You couldn't say no to him. His smile was too infectious, and the gleam in his eyes made you know he would stop at nothing in search of his dream.

She never really had anyone who called her friend. Sure, Kaido had servants, and there were those adopted kids he was raising, but she was otherwise alone. Especially after deciding to be Oden. And yet this boy looked at her with anticipation, excited just at the prospect of being her friend.

So she did the one thing that made sense. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "But we gotta beat my dad up too!"

"'K! Works for me!" Luffy replied, happy to have his very first crewmate. His very first Nakama. "This is awesome!" he called to the heavens, looking up to the sky with a somehow even larger smile than he previously wore.

Yamato smiled at that moment, fully and completely happy. Everyone sans Garp and Makino looked on in surprise and/or terror.

And the world would be forever shaken by this moment.

Thank you everyone for reading the first chapter of my story! I know retelling can get old, but I was sparked by this idea from a number of older stories, and wanted to give this a shot. I will try my darndest to stay in-character for everyone. Most story events will play out mostly the same, but I will need to make changes, given the new Straw Hat I must now account for. Will also not be making everyone overpowered, although some slight boosts to both friend and foe will happen to compensate. Otherwise, Yamato, Luffy, Sanji and Zoro would no-diff everything up to Alabasta.

Be warned, I do love my ships. Although this has the romance tag, it woun't be at the forefront at all times, and it will be slow-burn. And no, it won't be a smutty harem, but it will contain LuNa, LuRo and LuYa. No one else. This will be a long project, so I hope I can stick with it.

Please like/favorite/follow if you and enjoy!