I do not own One Piece.


"Some warriors become Dragons rather then slay them" - Shogun 2 Total War.


Luffy sat down at Makino's, the only bar in Fuusha village, as he enjoyed the sights and sounds of the red-haired pirates partying after they had returned from another successful voyage. All around him, pirates drank, ate, brawled, and played games as they celebrated their success and spent their money as if it was going out of style.

The only thing that kept Luffy from enjoying himself was the horrible pain that afflicted his face after he had tried to prove his strength earlier in the day by cutting his cheek open with a knife to prove he wasn't afraid of pain.

"Ha, this didn't hurt one bit!" He declared proudly to Shanks, the captain of the red-haired pirates sitting next to him and the man that Luffy had been trying to prove his strength.

"Liar!" Shanks declared as he pointed at the now bandaged cheek. "Dont ever do something so stupid again!"

Shank's reprimand didn't faze Luffy. "I'm not afraid of pain at all! Take me out on your next voyage, and I'll prove myself!" Luffy proclaimed proudly.

Instead of being impressed by his declaration Shanks began to laugh. "You dont have what it takes to be a pirate, Luffy." The Red-haired pirate declared smugly. "You're like an anchor in the water, and being unable to swim is a pirate's greatest weakness. Why do you think we got you that shirt?"

Luffy looked down at his shirt, which was emblazoned with an anchor; Shanks had gotten it for him a few months ago. Luffy frowned as he now realized the insult, but he refused to let it phase him. "Then I'll just stay on land! I've been training hard; my punches are as strong as a pistol!" He proclaimed while punching the air.

"Pistol fire, huh?" Shanks said in a dismissive tone while sipping on his glass of sake, only half paying attention to what Luffy was saying.

If Luffy was angry before, he was furious now. "WHAT KIND OF TONE IS THAT?!"

"Come, one captain, one voyage wouldn't hurt," Lucky Roo chimed in as several crewmates voiced their agreement that taking Luffy out once would be harmless.

"Fine, I'll take him out if one of you stays behind," Shanks replied happily.

"We've said enough; let's drink!" They immediately ran off to the other end of the bar to resume their partying.

"What kind of friends are you guys?!" Luffy asked angrily while glaring daggers at the crew who had betrayed him.

"Look, Luffy, you're still too young. Wait at least another ten years; then I'll reconsider taking you out to sea." Shanks said calmly.

Luffy was anything but calm. "Darn it, Shanks, I'm not a kid anymore!"

"Look, calm down, here, have some juice." Shanks slid a mug of juice over from his side of the bar into Luffy's waiting hands. Luffy, never one to deny anything free, thanked Shanks and began to drink happily.

"HAHAHA, you really are just a kid; look at him drinking his juice!" Shanks laughed. His joke made the entire crew join in his laughter. "If that juice is too strong for you, I can get you a nice tall glass of warm milk!" Luffy felt embarrassed by the man's joke, so he decided to walk to the opposite side of the bar and sit next to Ben Beckman.

"Luffy, you should try and understand the captain's feelings." Ben Beckman said casually while taking a drag from his cigarette.

"Shanks…feelings?" Luffy asked, genuinely confused.

"Yes…he is our leader. He knows being a pirate is interesting, but he also knows how dangerous it is for someone as young as you to be out at sea." Ben paused to take another drag from his cancer stick. "If you were hurt on a voyage, he would never be able to forgive himself. "

Luffy hung his head a little after that explanation; he knew being a pirate was a dangerous thing, but he couldn't help but want to join Shanks. Just then, another presence entered the room; it was the owner of the bar. A pretty young woman by the name of Makino. Her dark hair and simple green dress stood out amongst all the pirates in the bar; she carried a large barrel of sake over to many pirates who were running low on the drink.

"You seem to be having a fun time, captain." She chimed in happily while setting the barrel down.

"Yup making fun of him is my joy in life" was Shank's lighthearted response.

Before Luffy could defend himself, Makino chimed in to stop the incoming fight. "Luffy, would you like something to eat?"

Luffy nodded happily and prepared for his meal. Luffy realized he didn't have any money on his person, so he decided to make a promise. "I don't have any money now, Makino, but I promise I'll pay you with my treasure."

"What treasure? Are you lying again, Luffy?" Shanks questioned.

"No, I'm not lying. I'm going to be a pirate and pay her back with the treasure I find." Once he got lucky and found buried treasure, he would pay Makino back with interest.

Makino smiled at that response. "I'll just add it to your tab Luffy." She said happily before walking to the kitchen to prepare the food.

Several minutes later, Luffy was biting into a steak and talking with Shanks. "So, how long are you going to stay?" The boy asked while trying to tear into the tough piece of meat.

"Well, set off a couple more times, then we'll head north." Luffy tried to hide his sadness at the news that they would be leaving soon.

"Well, I'll be sure to learn how to swim by then," Luffy stated proudly.

Just then, the bar doors swung open and slammed against the wall drawing the attention of everyone in the bar. A group of dirty-looking men walked into the bar. Their clothes were worn and filthy, but they were all well-armed and gave off a menacing presence. "So these are pirates, huh?" The group leader said out as he looked around the room at the Red-haired pirates who had taken a break from their partying to view the bar's latest occupants. "First time I've seen pirates, they look pretty dumb to me." He said, not caring they could hear everything.

He walked up to the bar, stood right next to where Shanks was sitting and addressed Makino. "We're mountain bandits; we aren't here to cause trouble. We just want to buy ten barrels of sake."

Makino ran a hand through her hair nervously before responding. "I'm sorry, but we've run out of Sake."

"Oh? Then what are all these pirates drinking? Is it water?" he asked while gesturing to all the pirates in the room who were drinking.

"They are drinking sake, but that's all we have," Makino replied.

The conversation began to bore Luffy. Looking over at his plate, he realized he ate all his food, but he was still hungry. He saw a small chest on the bar next to him, his curiosity overcame him, and he opened it up to see what was inside. It was a fruit, and it was unlike any he had ever seen before. Its skin was black and had numerous ridges on it that looked like scales. While most of the scales were black, there was an occasional red, yellow, and purple one.

Never one to turn down a chance to try something new, Luffy took a big bite out of the fruit. He almost had to stop himself from gagging. It was bitter and seemed to taste spoiled. Luffy never believed in wasting food, no matter how terrible, so he ate the rest in one bite and washed it down with some juice. He was distracted from the horrible taste when he saw the bandit smash a bottle of sake that Shanks was kind enough to offer him.

What shocked Luffy most was how Shanks didn't fight back; he just calmly cleaned up after the bandits. The leader took out a wanted poster."My name is Higuma, I've killed fifty-six people, and I have an eight million Beli bounty on my head." He stated proudly, hoping to intimidate Shanks and everyone in the bar.

Rather than be intimidated, Shanks simply ignored Higuma in favor of cleaning up the shattered bottle. "Makino, I'm so sorry about the floor. Do you have a mop?" Shanks asked as he began cleaning the mess.

Hearing this, Higuma took out his sword and swiped it over the bar destroying numerous bottles. "There, since you like cleaning, you can clean all you want now." Higuma stated while laughing along with his fellow bandits."See ya later, you bunch of chickens," He said right as he left through the bars front doors.

After a few seconds of silence, the bar erupted in laughter. "HAHAHA, he really got you, captain!' Lucky Roo stated cheerfully, causing more laughter amongst the crew; even Shanks began laughing. Luffy was standing there, not believing what he was witnessing.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" He yelled furiously. "You should have fought him; what kind of man lets himself get pushed around like that!?"

Shanks got up off the ground before addressing Luffy. "It was just a little sake; it's not worth getting worked up about."

After Shanks said that, Luffy simply turned around and began walking out of the bar. "Hey, now don't leave," Shanks said while grabbing Luffy's arm, stopping the boy.

"I don't even want to look at you, Shanks. LET ME GO. I'm going to find a better role model!" he yelled angrily, trying to shake the older man's grip. He could feel his anger building up as Shanks refused to let go of his arm. His stomach felt like it was on fire, and as he struggled, that fire seemed to travel from his stomach to his throat as he got angrier. "I said let me GO!" Luffy screamed as he did, so his vision was blurred by a bright light and a sudden heat filling the room.

Before he could figure out what had just happened, the sounds of screams filled the bar.

"Fire!"

"Quick, douse the flames!"

"Don't use alcohol, you idiot!"

The captains on fire!"

"Stop drop and roll!"

"My Leg!"

Luffy saw Shanks trying to pout out a fire that had engulfed his shirt as numerous members of his crew were trying to put out a fire that had erupted on Makino's bar.

"What's happening?!" Luffy cried out, but as he did, his vision was blurred by flames that erupted from his mouth. He was about to scream again, but he felt a pair of hands clamp over his mouth, and he looked up and saw they belonged to the red-haired pirate's first mate Ben Beckman.

"Stop yelling, Luffy!" The man ordered. "You'll only make it worse!"

A few hectic minutes later, the pirates put the fires out, and Luffy found himself face-to-face with a very frightened Shanks. "Luffy, what the hell was that?!" Shanks demanded as he gestured to his burned shirt and burned bar.

Before Luffy could answer, the voice of Lucky Roo called out. "The Devil fruit we took from the enemy is gone!" The portly cook held up an empty wooden chest. "Luffy, did you eat the fruit that was in this chest?!"

"Yeah...wasn't that desert?" Luffy asked as he remembered the strange fruit. "It was right next to my plate, I ate it, but it tasted terrible."

Before Luffy could say anything more, he was lifted upside down by Shanks, who had grabbed him by his ankles, and he was shaken violently by the captain. "Spit it out!" Shank demanded. "Luffy, you need to spit that fruit out right now!"

"Stop it, captain, the fruit takes effect after the first bite!" Ben ordered, which made Shanks stop shaking Luffy.

Once Luffy regained his bearings, Shanks began to yell at him. "Luffy, that was a devil fruit and one of the treasures of the sea. Whoever eats one will get a great power but will never be able to swim in the ocean again." Luffy's jaw was literally hanging to the floor; he was stunned into silence. It seemed as if his dream of being a pirate just ended.


One week later

Luffy was seated once again in Makino's bar. However, this time the bar was practically empty except for him, Makino, and a couple of farmers in the corner having their lunch. He sat there depressed while drinking some juice Makino was nice enough to give him. "I really misjudged those guys! I thought they were brave and tough…" Luffy muttered sadly.

"Are you sure about that, Luffy? Maybe sometimes it takes more courage not to fight." Makino said happily while she polished a glass. Luffy, however, did not look convinced.

"You're a girl, Makino; you wouldn't understand. Men stand up for themselves no matter what happens." Luffy said in between sips from his juice.

"Is that right? I guess I don't understand."

"I would have fought…" Luffy wasn't sure if he could win against guys like that, but ever since eating the devil fruit, he had been trying to unlock its power. Shanks and his crew had tried numerous times to get Luffy to do something, but he hadn't been able to replicate breathing fire.

As he thought about ways to figure out what his powers were, the bar door swung open. "Make way for the terror of the highlands!" The Mountain bandit from three days earlier walked in with his fellow bandits trailing behind him. They all took their seats around the bar. "No pirates in here today? It certainly smells better."

He sat down and leaned back into his chair. "Well, what are you waiting for? We aren't so cruel that we won't pay, so serve us some sake."

Luffy watched as the bandits drank the bar dry, laughing and joking with each other as they did so.

"Those pirates were weaklings!"

"Yeah, they act all cool, but they are just a bunch of sea rats that scurry away at the first sign of trouble."

With each insult, Luffy felt himself getting progressively angrier. He had always had a bit of a temper, but this was different, it felt like his stomach was on fire, and the fire was beginning to spread to the rest of his body. With each insult he heard directed at the red-haired pirates, he felt his body tighten as if there was something in him that was begging to come out.

"Yeah, that captain was especially pathetic." Higuma toned in. "Guys like him make me angry, a pathetic waste of space that should be out of his misery."

"Shut up!" Luffy roared as he glared at the bandit. "Shanks isn't pathetic!"

"You say something, you little punk?" Higuma asked as he turned to glare at Luffy. "You standing up for that chicken-shit of a captain?"

Luffy felt his anger boil to the surface, and it made him feel strong, stronger then he had ever felt before. As he gazed at Higuma, he felt the urge to crush him, tear him apart. "If you dont stop making fun of Shanks…"

"What's wrong?" Higuma asked sarcastically. "Is the baby angry that I insulted that pathetic pirate? What's a little brat like you going to do to me, finger paint me to death?"

"I'm going to rip and tear you apart…"

Higuma laughed as he drew his sword. "I'd like to see you try, brat; I think I'll cut off one of your limbs to teach you a lesson!" the bandit stepped towards Luffy with his sword.

Luffy looked up, and all he saw was red.


Shanks strode towards Fuusha village at a pace between walking and running; his crew members were behind him and trying to keep up as they hauled chestfuls of loot they had won on their last expedition and intended to use to buy all the booze in town.

"Slow down, captain!" Ben Beckman called out. "Some of us are carrying loot!"

"Then carry it faster!" Shanks ordered in a harsher tone then he intended, but he couldn't help himself. It was only a week ago that Luffy ate a devil fruit, and ever since then, Shanks had been concerned. He had no idea what devil fruit it was that Luffy had eaten, and the boy seemed unable to replicate the fire breathing abilities that he had demonstrated at the bar. At first, he thought it was some paramecia fire devil fruit. Still, after going out on this voyage and obtaining an encyclopedia on devil fruits that detailed many fruits' histories, strengths, and weaknesses. He immediately ordered his crew back to Fuusha.

He hadn't found the exact fruit; not all the devil fruits had pictures, some lacked descriptions, and some only had names. But he had narrowed the possibilities of what type of fruit Luffy had eaten down to a handful, and none of them were good.

He looked up and saw Makino running towards him and his men, the village was behind her, and he briefly glimpsed smoke rising from it. "Makino, what's wrong?!" Shanks asked as the girl fell to her knees in front of him.

"It's Luffy, the bandits came back and began to make fun of you, and Luffy got angry and…"

He didn't stay to hear her finish; he ran with all the speed he could conjure and sprint towards the village. His surroundings became a blur as he pushed his body to its limit.

As he got closer, he saw a decent amount of smoke rising from the village and saw that one of the town's many windmills was on fire, and as he entered the town proper, he saw the streets were littered with the bodies of dead mountain bandits. Many of them appeared to have been burned, but a few were torn in half as if a savage beast had cleaved their bodies with its claws.

He heard the sounds of his crewmates come up behind him as they finally managed to catch up with him.

"What the hell happened here, captain?!" Ben asked as the sharpshooter gazed at the damage.

"Luffy has activated his devil fruit powers…" Shanks answered as he looked around for any sign of Luffy, but all he saw were the dead bodies of bandits. A few villagers were hiding in their homes or trying to put out the fires with water buckets.

"What kind of devil fruit could do this?" Lucky Roo asked as the cook looked at the destruction. "A fire, Logia?"

The bodies looked like they had been torn apart by a creature with claws. "I would guess a Zoan fruit, a carnivorous one that allows the user to breathe fire." Shanks now had a pretty good idea of which fruit it was that Luffy ate; it could only have been one of a few mythical Zoan fruits. He had seen many Zoan fruit users during his travels with the Roger Pirates. Zoan fruits were among the best for up-close combat due to their power increasing with the user's natural strength and the animal's strength usually being beneficial. But there were side effects with the user taking on traits of the animal. That became an issue with carnivorous Zoans; individuals who transformed into carnivorous animals tended to be more violent, with their new animal instincts predisposing the user to hunt and commit acts of savagery.

Most users could suppress their new animalistic instincts and get on with life usually. However, many who gave in to their new animalistic nature became more beast then man. Individuals such as the Beast pirates, whose leaders were almost entirely composed of Zoan fruit users, were known to be ruthless individuals who acted with a savagery that rivaled the most feral animals.

Shanks knew Luffy wasn't a savage, he was a good boy, but he was still a boy who had no experience controlling his new power and didn't have the mental fortitude to fight off such powerful urges, especially from the fruit as powerful as the one he had eaten.

He heard screams coming from the other end of the village, near the small docks where smaller fishing boats would come and go from opposite of where his crew docked their much larger ship.

"Quickly, boys, we have to save Luffy; whatever you do, don't hurt him! We have to save him from himself!"


Higuma sprinted at speeds he never thought possible as he made his way towards the docks of the village he was fleeing from. Behind him, he heard the footsteps of his men who were sprinting after him in mad desperation to escape the monster that now hunted them.

He still wasn't sure what had happened; one second, that punk kid was yelling at him, and he was walking over to teach that brat a lesson. The next thing he knew, the boy's skin turned pitch black, and the kid had let out a roar that scared him so severely that his followers and himself ran out of the bar.

That decision probably saved his life since the bar doors behind them had been thrown off their hinges, and they were being hunted by a black scaled creature with a body roughly the size of a horse, not counting its long neck and long tail.

Higuma heard his men calling out for him as they ran behind him, but he ignored them. It was every man for himself; he heard several of them cry out in pain as they met their ends. He felt a burst of heat from behind him, followed by a scream as one of his followers was set ablaze.

He picked up his pace and eventually reached the fishing dock where a single small rowboat was docked. He jumped into the nearest one and, with his sword, cut the ropes that tethered it to the docks and immediately pushed off. Grabbing a set of oars, he began to paddle with all the strength he had in his arms, and soon he was moving away from the docks and the black monster that had been following him.

Higuma looked up at the docks that were getting farther away and saw a half dozen of his men reach them. They began to cry out to him, begging him to return and not to abandon them.

"Come back, Higuma!"

"Don't leave us here to die!"

"Get back here, you bastard!"

Higuma ignored them and kept paddling, and as he got farther away, he saw the monster that had chased them descend upon his remaining men.

The creature's body was large and somewhat serpentine, covered in black scales that shone like darkened steel; it had a long serpent-like neck with a reptilian head covered in spikes and two great horns like that of a devil. It had four legs, and behind it was a massive tail tipped with what appeared to be a giant sharp spike.

It was a dragon, like out of the storybooks Higuma remembered reading when he was a child. He remembered reading about two different kinds of dragons; the long serpent-like ones that brought rain and good fortune. Then there were massive black ones that hoarded treasure, devoured knights, and kidnapped princesses. This dragon in front of him was the latter type, although much smaller but no less dangerous.

He could only watch as the creature swung its tail and crushed several of his men who went flying through the air. The rest of his men jumped into the water and tried to swim away, but the creature responded by opening its maw and unleashed a gout of flame that hit the water where his men were swimming. Those who were above the water's surface were burned while those beneath the water's surface didn't fare better as the flames caused the water to boil, and the men were quickly boiled alive.

Higuma quickened his pace and rowed as fast as his arms could go until they burned with pain from the exertion.

The Dragon onshore glared at him and let out a roar followed by a massive breathe of fire that shot out across the surface of the bay and towards Higuma's small craft. The water boiled, and the flames came close as the very air around him steamed up with a mist as the water evaporated, but the flames stopped short of actually being able to reach him.

Higuma could only laugh, laugh at the utter ridiculousness of his situation and of his escape from death as the dragon seemed unwilling to jump into the water. "In your face!" Higuma cried out hysterically as tears of sorrow and joy fell freely from his eyes. "You can't reach me, you fire-breathing sack of crap!"

Suddenly the dragon let out an enraged roar and from its back unfurled a set of massive black wings.

"Oh, shit, I forgot dragons could fly..." was all Higuma had time to say as the creature took flight and soared up into the air before quickly descending upon him as its maw filled with razor sharp teeth crashed into him and the boat he was sitting in.


"Luffy!" Shanks called out as he watched the black dragon Luffy had changed into taking flight and crash into the boat he had been pursuing.

Whatever massive power the boy had gained from the devil fruit he had eaten, he was still a hammer in the water, so Shanks shed his cloak and jumped in after the boy. The ocean wasn't cold but felt unusually warm as he dove into the water of the bay. It took some time for him to reach where he saw the dragon fall, and with a deep breath and a deep dive, he managed to find Luffy's sinking body as it sank to the bottom of the bay.

After several minutes of struggling, he managed to get the boy back to the docks where his crew was waiting with open arms and quickly took the boy from Shanks and his first mate, Ben Beckman, wanted no time to lay the boy down and started compressing the boy's chest.

By the time Shanks pulled himself out of the water and came up alongside them, Luffy began to hack and cough up water as Ben gave one final compression on the boy's chest.

Luffy's black eyes darted around until they finally fell upon Shanks. Tears began to flow freely from them; Shanks quickly picked the boy up and wrap his arms around the child protectively.

"Shanks…" Luffy sputtered, his voice cracking with pain.

Shanks held the boy tighter. "It's okay, Luffy, everything's going to be okay…"

"Shanks…" The boy croaked again, his voice barely above a whisper. "I taste blood in my mouth; what have I done?"


Shanks let out a tired sigh as he took a sip of whisky straight from a bottle. The alchohol burned his throat and set all his senses alight as if they were on fire. He was currently sitting alone in Makino's bar, helping himself to her inventory of alcohol. While he usually preferred sake, he needed a variety of strong drinks to drown his sorrows tonight.

He took a break from his drinking to look at the bar's door, or rather a lack of one since all that remained was a massive tarp that was being used to protect the inside of the bar from outside elements. Part of the building had been taken out when Luffy transformed inside of the bar and started his rampage. The door, a few buildings that had caught fire, and the entirety of Higumas mountain bandits were the casualties of the day. That and a small boy's innocence.

"I'm sorry, Luffy, it's all my fault…" Shanks muttered as he reached for the whisky bottle to take another swig, only for it to be taken away by the familiar form of Ben Beckman.

"It's not like you to drink alone, captain," Ben said as he pulled up a barstool and sat next to Shanks. "You could try comforting Luffy, or you can help us in repairing the town."

Shanks shook his head. Luffy was currently staying at the mayor's house with Makino while Shanks and his crew fixed up Makino's bar and the town. He knew that he should try comforting Luffy, but he could barely look at the boy without feeling guilt. "What comfort can I offer him when I'm the one that ruined his life?" Shanks asked angrily as he reached for another bottle of alcohol and took a swig. Luffy's memory of the day had been hazy, but the boy remembered bits and pieces. The boy remembered getting angry, tearing apart the mounts bandits, setting fire to others, and worst of all, Luffy had remembered dispatching Higuma by biting the man in half. "A child doesn't easily recover from this type of trauma; killing is hard enough for grown men to deal with but a boy Luffys age having to deal with this is…"

"Luffy's strong." Ben offered. "He has a will of iron; I'm sure he will bounce back from this. It will be a challenge, but he seems the type to face challenges."

Shanks saw the truth in Ben's words, but there was something else irking him. "It's not just that Ben, it's that devil fruit he ate. It might just ruin his life…"

"Devil fruits can be a huge benefit to a pirate." Ben retorted. "You might not have one, but many pirates do; heck, pretty much every crew of note in the Grand Line is either captained by a devil fruit user or has one among their crew. In Luffy's case, the kid seems to have a powerhouse of a fruit; he's going to be big when he gets out there as a pirate in earnest."

"It's not just that, Ben!" Shanks argued as he slammed down his drink and reached over to the side of the bar where a book was sitting; it was a book on devil fruits and their powers and categorized all known fruits. He slid it over to Ben, who took it and opened it up. "Devil fruits have side effects, especially carnivorous Zoan ones! Zoan fruits imbue the user with certain traits from the animals they embody. For most Zoan users, this is mild, but it's different for carnivorous Zoan fruit users. They gain predatory instincts and other traits from their fruits; they gain power, but also violence and brutality come easier to them."

Ben pulled the cigarette out of his mouth. "Luffy is-"

"-A Child!" Shanks broke in, cutting off his first mate. "A child that eats a Zoan fruit is even more susceptible to mental changes; read it for yourself in that book. That book was written by Dr. Vegapunk himself, the greatest mind of this world."

Ben did as he was bid and began to read. "Hmmm, let's see... 'Children, in particular, are susceptible to mental changes brought on by a devil fruit, especially those of the Zoan classification. I believe this is due to the fact that children's brains are still developing neural pathways, thus making their minds more malleable to change when the fruit overwrites a person's lineage factor in order to adapt the person's body to the devil's power. This also applies as the child grows up with the fruit lineage factor affecting development during puberty. Further research is required to be sure.' Well, shit, that doesn't sound great…"

"Indeed it doesn't…" Shanks replied as he leaned forward onto the bar. "The devil fruit he ate in particular...I'm pretty sure it's the Mythical Zoan the Serpent Serpent Fruit Model: Chromatic Dragon. There's only one other devil fruit user who has eaten a similar mythical Zoan fruit, and it's Kaido who is more beast then man."

"Luffy isn't like Kaido; if you think he'll turn out like him just because of a devil fruit, then you're underestimating that kid," Ben argued. "As for his fruit...what the heck is a chromatic dragon?"

"It's a dragon from Elbaf legends," Shanks said, recalling his time in Elbaf when he was a cabin boy on Gol D. Roger's ship. "Chromatic Dragons have black scales, six limbs including their wings, and have a variety of breath attacks. I can't recall all the details, but Elbaf legend speaks of dragons like the Nidhoggr, Fafnir, Lindworm, Otr, and many more. They are portrayed in Elbaf legends as great serpents that are greedy, vengeful, and destructive."

Ben shook his head. "All we can do is have faith in Luffy and hope that he takes the right path in life; not much we can do about it now."

"Yeah…" Shanks looked down and his hands as he considered what he would do next. "The right path…" He got up and set aside his drinks, and walked out of Makino's bar leaving behind the alcohol and his first mate. The night air was cool and crisp; the moon was full, which was nice because his men scurried about the village hard at work.

Pirates weren't exactly the best when it came to manual labor, but he had a few shipwrights on his crew who were good at working with wood, and they were busy fixing up a windmill and several other buildings that had been damaged in the day's battle. His men scurried about carrying lumber, nails, and anything else needed to fix the damaged buildings. His crew made no complaint about their work, this village had been good to them for the last year, and this was the least they could do. Especially since it had been their fault that Luffy ate the devil fruit in the first place.

His men had already gathered the bandits' bodies and thrown them in a massive pile just outside the village, where they were promptly set aflame, creating a gigantic bonfire that filled the air with smoke. It was as good a funeral as a criminal could expect to get in this day and age.

Eventually, he reached the mayor's house, where mayor Woop Slap allowed Makino and Luffy to stay while the bar was being repaired. He entered through the front door and was greeted by the mayor, sitting at a small table with Makino, sharing a cup of tea.

"How is he?" Shanks asked as he walked up to them.

"He's doing well, all things considered," Makino answered as she took a sip of tea. "He coughed up some...parts…earlier."

Shanks knew what she meant by 'parts' considering the fact that Luffy had torn apart the bandits, in Higuma's case biting the man in half. Shanks found himself cursing his pacifism; he had heard from Makino that Luffy had started this entire altercation by standing up for him and his crew when the bandits had insulted them. "I wish I had dealt with Higuma when he came into the bar that day; none of this would have happened…"

"If wishes were boats, everyone in this world would sail." Mayor Woop Slap stated plainly, "It does no good to look back with regret, instead look forward with hope. I tried talking to the boy, but my words had little effect; I think you should give it a try; it will mean more coming from you."

Shanks nodded and walked upstairs to where Luffy was staying for the night. He found the boy standing on a chair so that he might look out of a window.

"Hi Shanks," Luffy stated without even turning around.

"Hey, Luffy," Shanks replied; he looked out the window to see what the boy was looking at and winced at what he saw. The bonfire where his men had piled the bandits' bodies was going strong; its flames leaped up into the air and lit up the entire village where his men were busy repairing the town's damages.

"I did all this," Luffy stated plainly, with very little emotion in the child's voice. "I didn't mean to...I just got so angry, and before I knew it, everything was just…"

"It's not your fault Luffy."

"I'm the one who killed them…"

"They chose their fate when they attacked you," Shanks replied. "Makino told me what happened. You were only trying to stand up for us when their leader drew his blade; those who live and strive for violence will meet a violent end." They might not be the right words, but they were all Shank could offer the boy.

"I guess so…" Luffy muttered sadly. "I just...what if it happens again? What if I can't control my power and hurt someone close to me?"

"You won't," Shanks stated confidently.

"How do you know?" Luffy asked as he hopped down from the chair and sat cross-legged on the ground. "How can you be so sure I won't change and hurt one of the villagers, or maybe even Makino?"

"Because you're strong," Shanks said as he put a comforting hand on Luffy and sat on the floor across from the boy. "You're probably the strongest kid I've met on my travels."

Luffy pouted. "You're always saying I'm a weak anchor…"

"That's just me teasing you," Shanks replied. "I need to get my teasing in now while I can; in a few years, you'll be strong enough to kick my butt, so I need to enjoy teasing you while you're small and scrawny."

"Does that mean you'll take me on a voyage?" Luffy asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Seeing Luffy's mood go through such a change filled Shanks heart with joy, to the point where he considered it, but he knew better. "You're still too young, Luffy, heck I wasn't allowed to go on a voyage until I was nine years old, and even then, I was a ship's apprentice who cleaned the deck, did the laundry, peeled potatoes, and unclogged the toilets."

"But that's only two years older then I am right now!" Luffy argued. "And I wouldn't mind doing all those crappy jobs either. Cant, you just do one voyage?"

"Nope." Shanks felt terrible, but he wasn't budging on this issue. "Trust me, Luffy, the ocean is a dangerous place; I learned that the hard way. I have no doubt you'll be a great pirate one day, but for now, you should focus on training yourself; if you master that devil fruit power of yours, then there won't be anyone in this world who can stop you."

"Really?" Luffy asked, excitement evident in his voice. "So what is my power exactly? I know I can change into a giant creature, but I didn't see myself in the mirror or anything."

Shanks couldn't help but smile at the boy's childish excitement. "You are a mythical Zoan devil fruit, one that allows you to turn into a Chromatic Dragon, a winged serpent from Elbaf legends. There's only one other pirate in this world that I know of who has a fruit similar to yours, and he's widely regarded as the strongest creature alive."

"Really?!" Luffy was obviously thrilled.

"Yes, but promise me you'll train and never rely on your devil fruit too much," Shanks stated thoughtfully. "In your case, training should never be ignored. Your dragon form will grow in strength proportional to your human form; in other words, the stronger you are as a human, the stronger you will be as a dragon. You should also try learning a martial art; it becomes beneficial when you use your hybrid form."

"Hybrid form?"

"A cross between your dragon and your human form." Shanks judged that he was confusing the poor boy; it couldn't be helped since he was hardly the authority on devil fruits. "Dont worry about that for now. Just tell your grandpa to teach you the six powers. It's the form of martial arts that many strong marines use; even some pirates have been known to have their own form of it."

"Okay," Luffy answered simply as he leaned back. "So...what type of ship were you an apprentice on? Was it a pirate ship?"

"Yup." Shanks nodded, glad the boy's mood was back to normal. "I was just an orphan in West Blue living on the streets; it was just me and another kid my age named Buggy."

Shanks spent the rest of the night telling Luffy stories about his past voyages, happy to offer the child a distraction from the horrors of the day's events.


Luffy watched as the Red-haired pirates finished packing up their belongings. It had been a little over a month since he had unlocked the powers of his devil fruit, and he was still coming to terms with it. But he promised himself he would be strong so that he never found himself in such a position again.

As he stood on the docks, Shanks came up alongside him. "You're leaving for good?" Luffy asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yup," Shanks replied. "We've been in this peaceful sea for too long; we need to get back to the Grand Line. If we stay here much longer, the marines will get word of us. Are you going to beg us to take you?"

"Nope," Luffy replied simply. "I want to go, but I've decided to become a pirate by myself when I've become comfortable with my new power." Until he could reliably control himself when in his dragon form, he would hold off on becoming a pirate.

"Even if you master the ability to become a Dragon at will, I'm still going to be a league above you," Shanks replied. "My crew and I are going to grow strong as well, but don't worry; well, leave some treasure for you and whatever crew you assemble."

"I will become a pirate!" Luffy declared stubbornly. "I'm going to have a crew that's bigger and stronger then yours! And I'm going to find the biggest treasure and become pirate king!"

Shanks smiled. "So you're going to be bigger then us, eh?" He asked in a light tone. "And you're going to find One Piece? I never had much interest in that treasure, but if you want it, then I have something for you."

Luffy watched as Shanks reached into his pocket and produced a compass. He flipped it open and held it in front of Luffy, who took it and looked at the strange navigational instrument.

Luffy wasn't an expert on navigation or compasses, but even he knew this thing was broken. "This thing is broken," Luffy complained as he pointed at the needle. "It doesn't point north; even I know that north is that way towards the Goa Kingdom." He pointed towards the Goa Kingdom for emphasis.

Shanks laughed. "That's because this compass doesn't point north. It points to whatever you want it to."

Luffy could only raise an eyebrow at that statement. "So...you're saying that this is a magic compass?"

Shanks chuckled and shook his head. "Nope, this compass is just like you." he held it up for emphasis. "This compass ate the Seek Seek Fruit, which allows it to seek out whatever the person holding it wants so long as the person has a general idea of what it is they are looking for. Devil fruits are tricky things, and this compass is finicky, but it has saved my life on numerous occasions."

Luffy was more confused then ever. "How does a compass eat a fruit?"

"Damned if I know." Shanks shrugged. "But this one did; it's one of three items my old captain gave to me, this compass, my hat, and my sword. I would give you my sword, but I get the feeling your more liable to hurt yourself with it then an enemy, and my hat probably wouldn't survive your transformations. But that's fine since this item will help you more; this compass is one of my greatest treasures." He pushed it into Luffy's hands. "It's yours now."

"Don't you need this?" Luffy asked if the compass really could do what Shanks was claiming then he felt bad for taking it.

"Nah, I mostly just use it to tell me where the nearest bar is or the nearest bottle of rum." Shanks shrugged. "Take care of it for me, alright? When you become a great pirate, you'll return this to me."

Luffy held back his tears as he watched Shanks board his ship, and Luffy spent the next half hour waving goodbye to the red-haired pirates until their ship disappeared over the horizon.

Luffy looked at the compass in his hand; the needle on the compass was pointing in the direction where Shanks and his crew had sailed off. "So you know I want to follow them, huh? Well, let's try something else…" He thought of what he could ask the compass to see if it really worked. "Point me to where Gold Roger's treasure One Piece is."

The compass's needle began to spin around in circles endlessly, never pointing in a single direction. "Hmmm, I guess that would make things easy, wouldn't it?" Shanks did say that the compass had limitations since he didn't know what the One piece was or looked like. Maybe the compass didn't have enough information to find the One Piece. Or perhaps it was being stubborn and was refusing to tell him.

Remembering how Shanks used it to find booze, maybe it could help him in the same way. "Okay then, point me towards the nearest piece of meat." The compass responded by pointing towards the east in the direction of Foosha village. Luffy couldn't help but smile. "Okay, now we're getting somewhere…"


Authors note

I know I have many other stories I should be writing for, but I couldn't help it. After catching up on One Piece and reading through the Wano arc, I wanted to write something like this. Kaido's devil fruit is OP, all the powers of an Eastern Dragon. Now Luffy has all the powers of a western dragon; I'm using most dragon folklore from western culture and chromatic dragon lore from d and d as inspiration for this.

And yes, the compass functions like Jack Sparrow's compass from pirates of the Caribbean with a few more powers. It eaten a devil fruit similar to the other items in the one-piece world that have eaten devil fruits, only this compass ate a paramecia.

Please leave a review to let me know what you think. Should I keep writing? Does Luffy as a dragon interest you? Please let me know!

Also, I dislike using Japanese words in my writing because it makes my grammar software drown me in error codes, so I won't be using Japanese terms to describe devil fruits or attacks. I know the Japanese sounds cooler, but it makes my grammar software drown me in error codes and gives me a headache during editing.

If you wish to support me check out my profile to get a link to a certain patronage site. I post both my original and unoriginal work there and patrons of any tier get chapters a week early.