CHAPTER 3: Goodbye

Morning had arrived early, the soothing sounds of waves beating against the sand, the wind guiding them became louder as a large pirate ship was preparing to set sail. A fresh morning breeze rustled the sleeping seven year old from his slumber on the jungle floor. Glimpses of scorching sunlight peeked through the canopy of the jungle. The boy sat up and stretched, his back cracking in relief. Luffy let out an exhausted yawn as he awoke to the sight of a bustling port down below the jungle. The flag of the Red Haired Pirates furiously waved back towards him as it danced to the mercy of the wind, The ship gently bobbing up and down on the water as pirates restocked large crates of meat, fabric and maps for their next voyage.

Memories of last night's events came flooding back to him. After Shanks showed him the different variations of the power called Haki, Luffy stayed behind to practice the motions he saw Shanks execute against the baboon, trying to mimic the exact moments to unlock this 'Haki.'

Hours went by leading to midnight where a concerned shanks found him frustrated, with bruises and scratches over his body and fists. The man gave him some pointers to assist him in unlocking and using his Haki.

'Crap, they were going to depart today'' Luffy realized as he began to sprint back towards the village from the hill.

Windmill Village was a small circular island located in the East blue. Its port was situated on the very western edge of the island, a row of various stores and shops on both sides of the main path was the first sight that greeted visitors when they landed in the port. There were two paths that split off from the docks, one going around the island, eventually reconnecting with the port in almost a full circle, and the main path eventually connecting to the circular path at the giant windmill found near north of the island, just before the base of a giant hill/mountain which served as a home to the island's animals and as a base for the local bandits. Right now Luffy was running down from the giant jungle-like mountain at the northern edge of the island, heading towards the bottom of the hill where the giant signature windmill stood, peacefully rotating.

The black haired boy ran as fast as his small legs could take him, dodging trees, ducking low branches and jumping over fallen logs as he approached the bottom of the mountain, the giant windmill in view.

'I've got to hurry,' his breathing began to come out in short uneven breaths as he continued running though the main path leading towards the port.

The red haired captain had become a sort of friend to Luffy in the last year or so during their long stay in Windmill village. The red haired pirates didn't visit often, but when they did they'd stay a good while before departing. With little to nothing to do in Windmill village after his brothers left, Shank's tales of adventure and the pirate life gave Luffy something to look forward to when he got bored of training in the jungle or roaming around the village. Ever since Shank's had amazed the young boy with his tales and adventures, Luffy had begun asking him to join his crew. The captain always giving the same response each time.

Rows of fruit stands and shops ran by him as Luffy began to feel the effect of his long run as he weaved through people in the market. The boy was coated in a thin layer of sweat, panting with each step. 'Almost there'

The entrance to the port came in view as the small boy continued to weave his way through people. Up ahead he saw the pier where the crew of the red haired pirates were loading the final few crates of produce, the town watching them with smiles. Stiff surfaces of dirt and dust transitioned to finer mounds of sand. The red haired captain stood by gazing across the ocean with a far away look in his eyes.

"SHANKS! WAIT!" he doubled over taking a moment to catch his breath. The captain turned towards the boy with a smile.

"So you're leaving?" he questioned. An undertone of acceptance laced with the question.

"Yeah, it was a nice extended vacation but we have to part ways now, I bet you'll miss me right?" he responded as he turned back towards the sea.

"Yeah. This but time it's different. I won't beg you to take me with you. Because this time I'm going to become a pirate all on my own. Shanks turned around and stuck out his tongue

"Blehhh!"

"I wouldn't take you with me anyway, you'll never make it as a pirate ," Shanks teased. Luffy frowns and shouts back at the captain.

"NO! I will make it as a pirate. Someday I'm going to gather a crew even better than yours and I'm going to find the greatest treasure in the world!"

"And then I'll be KING OF THE PIRATES! I'll show you!"

"Huh?" he chuckled. "You think you'll surpass us?" he questioned with amusement. Luffy's face stood frowning with determination. Shanks reached over his head, taking off his straw hat and planting it on Luffy's head.

"In that case, I'll leave this hat to you. It means more to me than anything in the world. So you better take good care of it, You hear me?"

Luffy stood wordlessly, taking in every word as he realized just how much trust Shanks had put in the boy's hand. The weight of the hat suddenly grew heavier. He grit his teeth as he tried to stop the tears from welling up, Inevitably wet droplets spilled out, streaming down his cheeks as he lowered his head to conceal his watery eyes. Around them the crew finished stocking up for their departure, raising the anchor, ready to set sail as the townspeople waved their goodbyes.

XxX

Once again the Red Haired Pirates' jolly roger waved back at him, this time bidding him farewell. The town stood at the pier, waving their goodbyes towards the ship as it slowly sailed away from the port with its crew watching them being sent off.

Shanks stood on the edge of his ship with a smile on his face as he stared back at the port, Luffy's previous words reminding him of a certain man he had met in a previous era, his final promise lingering as the island became smaller. 'I want you to bring this hat back to me someday, In good condition. And only once you become a great pirate. That's our promise, Luffy.'

Shanks could only imagine how strong Luffy could become, Especially with his exposure to Haki at an early age, the boy would surely surpass him someday. Haki wasn't common at all anywhere in this part of the sea, Hence why it was called paradise.

The familiar crashes of waves once again enveloped him, the salty scent of the ocean bringing him back to his ship. His first mate approached him with a smirk, as his crew ran the ship.

"Seems like you're the one missing him captain," He spoke, releasing a puff of smoke.

"He'll be a strong one when he comes out to sea" shanks replies with a faint smile

"Indeed he will… Indeed he will." Shanks replies as he steals one last glance at the dot on the horizon as they set their course back to the grand line.

XxX

Authors Note: Man that chapter took a while, i know i mentioned i was going to post new chapters once every 2-3 weeks in my last authors note but i've had some time, so enjoy and leave a review. Also someone asked if there was any pairings, and to that i respond; probably not, beacuse as i've hinted this story is more of an adventure rather than a romance -however that dosen't mean no, i may decide to change that later on. Who knows. Also i think I'll be giving luffy a devil fruit at some stage. I've got a couple of devil fruits in mind however this story is still relatively in its early stages so ill take some time to plan it all out. I'm aware my writing is still a little bad, i don't know how to describe it, but it's missing that "flow/fluidity", and the format is still a little wonky and fragile, so I'll be planning on getting a beta reader once i can. Anyway that's all, the next chapter will take a while (around 3-4 weeks), though it will either be a long one or two chapters and the story will begin to progress faster. Thats all, if you liked this chapter, drop a review, if you didn't, drop a review.