Author's Note: Hey everyone! I'm actually really pleased with how this chapter turned out, so I hope you all enjoy it! Though I apologize in advance for the amount of information included...lots of stuff about summoning, rangers, and the different worlds ;)

To fluffypuppies: Haha I'm glad you look forward to my story notifications! Lu always makes friends fast, the little cinnamon roll. I'm also a sucker for a protective crew...lol Luffy disease, I approve. Thank you, as always, for reviewing and I hope you enjoy the update! Lots of info on my AU in this one :)

To Sophia Mendes-Coruja: Aw you're gonna make me blush XD LUFFY IS THE SUN, I LOVE IT! Lol we are mean aren't we...but hey, it makes a good story, right? *tucks Luffy into my pocket* Oh no, broke your leg!? That sucks! Glad my story can help cheer you up! Thank you for the review!

To Shiho-Akemi: You have every right to be confused since I really haven't explained summoners vs. rangers all that much. There's a more in depth description in this chapter, but here's a basic rundown of how it works: Summoners score a 50+ on their mana score and can summon magical creatures from other worlds while rangers, who score less than 50, travel to the other worlds and make pacts with creatures to borrow their mana and literally become them. The higher your score, the better summoner you are because you can summon more powerful creatures. I haven't gone into it yet, but the lower your score, the better ranger you are (good for Lu haha). Sorry for the confusion! I hope this helps a little bit. This chapter will go more in depth, but if you're still confused, feel free to ask me anything :)

To Red Voident Dragon: Thank you so much!

WARNINGS:

- Bullying

- Basic math (addition and multiplication mostly)

- A numerical mana system (think...video games and stuff)

The morning of their first day of school, Quiet Creek dorm was loud and noisy. Since most of the residents were first years, they had to be up early to make it to class in time (and still have time for breakfast).

Zoro woke Luffy with a reminder of breakfast, prompting him to scurry into the bathroom and quickly throw on his uniform. He didn't have time to shower, so he washed his face and combed wet hands through his raven locks in an attempt to tame the wild mess that was his hair.

Once Luffy and his friends were presentable, they grabbed their backpacks and jogged off to the cafeteria, where breakfast was served from 5:00 to 9:30 AM. Luffy waved enthusiastically at Vivi, Nami, and Sanji who'd already arrived and were munching on some delicious looking food.

"Good morning, Luffy." Vivi greeted sweetly, making Sanji swoon.

"Ah, you're so beautiful when you're nice…"

Luffy grinned and plopped his backpack into a chair next to Nami, who briefly glanced up at him before going back to her meal. The cafeteria served food buffet style, so he filled his plate up with as much meat as he could fit on it.

Usopp had a bowl of oatmeal and Zoro made himself an omelet.

"Oi, you should have a more balanced meal." Sanji chided, sliding over a fruit cup, "Otherwise, you won't have enough energy to get you through the day."

Luffy chuckled and gratefully accepted the fruit, finishing his plate in just a few minutes. Still hungry, he went back for seconds, this time accompanied by Sanji who held his plate hostage.

"…but…meat…" He whined, watching his friend put eggs and toast where bacon should be. Sanji bopped him over the head lightly.

"As a cook, I can't sit back and watch you drown in grease. Trust me, you'll like this stuff." Huffing, Luffy decided that food was food, so he trotted behind Sanji, content to eat what the blonde picked out for him.

He could have some more meat for lunch.

"Well, look who it is…" Someone interrupted, coming to loom over Luffy. It was Bellamy, the guy who'd tried to trip him a few days before. He was accompanied by three others, all who appeared to be nobles and full of themselves. "I heard you're a ranger, fitting for a loser like you. Commoners don't belong in the summoner class."

"Oi, check it out, Bellamy." One of his goons laughed, "Looks like Chibi here is so uneducated, he can't even pick out food for himself!" At that, they all laughed, making Sanji growl.

"Get lost, asshole, before I smash your face into the counter."

"Oh no, I'm sooo scared!" Bellamy sneered, backpedaling slightly like he was frightened, "A noble like you should know better than to hang out with this trash." He then grabbed a milk carton and made to pour it over Luffy's head but was stopped by a hand on his wrist.

"Didn't you hear Curly Brow?" Zoro said, voice gruff with anger, "Get lost." Bellamy grit his teeth and ripped his arm out of the other's hold.

"Ah, enter the prodigy. I've heard about you too, commoner dog." He taunted, tongue coming out of his mouth, "You're even worse than Chibi! Who's ever heard of someone like you scoring a 98 on your mana level test!? I bet you cheated or bribed someone-"

Luffy didn't let him finish.

He grabbed Bellamy by his shirt collar and pushed him up against a nearby wall, held firmly to his eye level.

"Don't talk about Zoro." He whispered, eyes furious, "You don't know anything about him, so just shut up!" Bellamy was definitely shocked, pupils dilated in surprise. The whole cafeteria went silent.

"That's enough."

Suddenly, Luffy was torn away from Bellamy and held in the air by the back of his shirt, the bully held firmly by his ear. The person who'd interrupted them was a tall man with long black hair and a manicured goatee. He didn't seem pleased.

"Ow, ow, ow, let go, bastard!" Bellamy argued, pulling against the iron grip that held him. The man looked between them with narrowed eyes.

"Students should not be fighting on the first day of school. That being said…" He stopped to pull Bellamy closer, "I witnessed everything that just occurred, and bullying will not be tolerated. Three hours detention after school. As for you, Monkey D. Luffy…"

His legs curled up instinctively as he was held higher.

"When I see you in class today, you will run three extra miles. Is that understood?"

Luffy swallowed nervously and nodded, suddenly recognizing that this was one of his professors. At that, the man released both of them and glared out at their audience, prompting everyone to quickly go back to their meals.

After the professor left, Luffy let out a sigh of relief.

"Holy crap, that was intense…"

With one last glare, Bellamy retreated to a table on the opposite side of the cafeteria, letting Luffy turn his attention back to his plate, still in Sanji's custody.

"Ne, ne, can I eat yet?"

Sanji chuckled and put one piece of bacon on it, before handing it back.

"Yeah, go ahead." Before he could head back, a hand landed on his shoulder.

"…thanks…" Luffy grinned.

"No problem, Zoro."

The rest of their meal was uneventful, though Vivi immediately began to fuss over him despite Luffy assuring her he was fine. Usopp didn't come back from his 'shock' until they were almost ready to leave for class.

"L-Luffy, that was SO COOL!" He exclaimed, "The way you grabbed him…man, you're awesome!"

"Shishishi, thanks! But I guess I'll have to do some extra running as punishment…" Luffy replied with a shrug. Considering his only possibly-athletic class today was Realm Combat, the long-haired guy must be his teacher.

A few minutes later, they headed off to their first class, General Practices, which they all had together. It was held in the same building they'd looked at a few days before. The classroom itself was quite large with amphitheater like seating and a chalkboard up front.

Luffy immediately chose a seat next to the window a few rows back, followed closely by Zoro and the others. Unfortunately, Bellamy and his crew were also in the class, but Luffy ignored them, too excited to let some bullies ruin his day.

Though he was starting with a rather…boring class, his next one was Ranger Studies 101, which he couldn't wait for!

"Take your seats!" A skinny man who must be the professor demanded as he entered the room. He had slicked back raven hair and a pair of glasses barely holding on to his nose. "Welcome to General Practices, where we will refine your knowledge of mathematics, physics, biology, the arts, expository reading, and the like. These are the bare minimum required by your average school system, crammed into only a few semesters. You may call me Mr. Kuro, and I expect nothing but perfection from all of you."

At the last statement, Luffy glanced nervously over to Zoro who frowned. He really wasn't all that great in almost all of the subjects Mr. Kuro listed. Someone in the back of the classroom raised their hand.

"Why do we have to learn all this stuff? Learning math won't help us be better summoners!" Many of the other students agreed, voicing their complaints loudly. Mr. Kuro simply adjusted his glasses (using the palm of his hand for some reason) and cleared his throat.

"Au contraire, mathematics is quite valuable to summoners and rangers alike. Shall I explain?" He stated, grabbing a ruler and making his way back to the student's desk, "What is your mana level?"

"…65…"

"Fairly average for a summoner." Mr. Kuro continued, "Now, given a Level IV creature with a grade of 173, what mana would be required for a joint summoning? Quickly now, we have no time to waste!"

The student looked confused and started to sweat as Mr. Kuro approached, ruler in hand.

"Uh…I-I don't really-"

"The answer is at least 346." The teacher answered, staring down at the uncomfortable student and slamming the ruler down on his desk, "That is, factoring in the rule that requires double the amount of mana required to summon a Level IV creature. Tell me, poor uneducated soul, is it not important to know and understand these calculations so that in the midst of battle, you can gather together your allies and summon creatures without fear of repercussions?"

"E-Er…yes?"

"Indeed." Mr. Kuro concluded, finally turning away from the shaking student, "Math plays a critical role in understanding mana and summoning. The system in and of itself can be explained through basic arithmetic. And, should you desire to become Celestial Knights, you must be a well-educated, well-rounded individual who also has knowledge of literature and science."

The teacher spun around dramatically once he reached the front again.

"THIS is why we are here. To refine your minds, not just your bodies! We will begin with a pre-test to judge what you already know."

Luffy groaned as the test was passed out. When it came to stuff like science and reading, he really sucked…

The pre-test was almost eight pages long and included questions from a variety of subjects, most of which Luffy didn't know and randomly guessed. He did feel okay about the physics part though. The test took nearly half of the three hour lecture to take and then Mr. Kuro made them 'read a textbook in silence' while he graded the exams.

By the time he passed the tests back out, Luffy was dozing with his head falling towards the confusing pages of his book (one of many textbooks required for the class).

"Some of you did well." Mr. Kuro said while handing a test to Nami, who smirked, "And some of you did not." He growled, giving Luffy his test with a 'D' at the top. Darn, that wasn't a good start. He took a quick glance over to his friends and noted Zoro got a 'B' and Usopp made an 'A-'. His friends were so smart!

"I expect those of you who did not do well to seek tutoring services from the library as I don't have the time to bother giving you extra lessons." Mr. Kuro stated shrewdly, "Now, let us move on to trigonometry and Shakespeare."

All in all, General Practices wasn't fun at all. Who thought it was a good idea to cram all of the basic subjects into one class!? Plus, Mr. Kuro was mean, and the content was difficult. Its only redeeming feature was that their teacher didn't seem to care either way if you were a summoner or a ranger since "everyone needed to be cultured". Luffy really hoped none of their other classes were like that.

After class, Luffy re-grouped with his friends, noting Nami had already left.

"Well, that was something." Usopp muttered, rubbing his hand, "I'm cramping up from all that writing!"

"Seriously…" Zoro put in, "Thought my head was going to explode."

They all chatted for a few minutes before it was time to go to their next class. His friends were all headed to Basic Summoning (which was in the same building) while Luffy was going to Ranger Studies 101 (which was…somewhere else).

"Tell us all about it at lunch!" Usopp exclaimed as they parted ways, making Luffy grin. It was nice to have such supportive friends! Taking off in a jog, he made his way to where his next class was being held.

It took a while to find the building since it was nestled halfway into the woods on the outskirts of Marie-Jois. It was small and rundown, but had a nice, clean sign out front that read 'RANGER HEADQUARTERS'. Everything else had ivy and other plants growing on it, like the walls and overgrown path.

Luffy could barely hold back a grin as he pushed the creaky door open and examined the inside of 'The Headquarters'. There were some smaller rooms on the left for faculty, a lobby, and one classroom to the right, where Luffy assumed he needed to be.

Most of the other students were already there (based on how many seats were available), and he was immediately struck by how much smaller their class was compared to his previous one.

'I guess there really are a lot less rangers than summoners.' Luffy thought while plopping down next to a jittery pink-haired boy.

"AH, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The kid apologized, bowing profusely to him and nearly making his glasses fall off. Luffy tilted his head in confusion.

"Why're you apologizing? I didn't do anything."

"S-Sorry, I-I…um…instinct I guess." The boy mumbled, looking down into his lap, "After my last class, I thought you might…well…" Luffy laughed and clapped his neighbor on the back playfully.

"Shishishi, loosen up! I'm not scary!"

His new friend introduced himself as Coby and apparently hadn't had a very pleasant first period of the day. A bunch of the noble summoners had picked on him relentlessly, a common theme among new rangers.

Looking around while they waited for their teacher to arrive, Luffy recognized Nero from his dorm. The scowling kid sat in the very back, away from everyone, and had a harsh scowl etched onto his face. Ignoring him, Luffy got up and introduced himself to everyone else, a total of fifteen students (including him). Some of them stood out to him.

To his left was Chopper, a short-brown haired kid interested in medicine and healing magic. He wore his emotions on his sleeve and was really funny!

Behind him was a guy with a green mohawk named Barto…something. He had cool tattoos and a nose ring.

Sitting to Coby's right was a girl named Camie who seemed really nice, if a bit clumsy. She'd already managed to spill out her entire pencil bag…twice.

And, right in front of him, was a girl named Kaya. She got along great with Chopper since they both wanted to study medicine.

Just as he was about to stand up and ask Nero how his day had gone so far, their teacher entered the room. Luffy immediately recognized him from the entrance ceremony, though he seemed a little more sober then he had been.

"Welcome, new rangers!" He exclaimed, pulling himself up onto his desk and sitting cross legged facing the class, "My name's Shanks! No need for 'Mr. Shanks' or anything like that, just call me by my name!" Luffy decided quickly that he liked this teacher.

At the red-head's direction, they all took turns introducing themselves.

"My name's Monkey D. Luffy!" He chirped, standing up, "Nice to meet everyone!" Shanks laughed and greeted him warmly before looking around to see who was left. When he called on Nero, the kid rolled his eyes and muttered his name, glaring at Shanks.

"It's a pleasure, Nero, welcome to my class! Moving on, I'd like to give you all a more detailed description of exactly what a ranger is." Shanks said, leaning on a hand, "I imagine most of you are probably disappointed you don't qualify as summoners, but let me tell you, being a ranger is not only fun, but necessary."

"What's so fun about tramping around in other worlds, doing community service!" Nero sneered, "Sounds like a bunch of bull to me." Shanks just chuckled.

"Allow me to elaborate. Because of our low amount of mana, we cannot summon creatures here to our world. We can, however, borrow mana from the creatures themselves and take on their form. Like so…"

Shanks then leapt off his desk with a flying flip, his body glowing as he moved through the air. When he hit the ground, he wasn't…human, anymore. Instead, his body was that of a gargoyle, made of stone, with bat like wings sprouting from his back. He'd also grown significantly, his head brushing the ceiling of their classroom.

Luffy let out a quiet 'woah' at the sight, completely enamored with the ranger's new form. Would he be able to do that too? Become a creature!? Unfortunately, some of his fellow students didn't take it as well. Coby promptly fainted and Chopper latched onto Luffy's back, terrified out of mind.

The gargoyle laughed, with a deep, gravely voice.

"Don't worry, I'm still me. This is one of five forms I can take after years of traveling the worlds and making pacts with creatures." At that, Shanks shrunk back down to his human for, smile plastered on his face, "Ya see, it's our job to keep the peace with creatures and what better way to do that then in a form they recognize? Plus, as I'll explain tomorrow in Mana Sight & Recognition, we can also refresh a summoner's mana when its depleted and disassemble spells, including summoning circles."

Luffy raised his hand while gently prying Chopper off his back.

"When will we get to transform?"

"Dahahaha, one step at a time, sport." Shanks said with a wink, "First, you learn the basics. Though, I'll go ahead and tell you now that your final exam is demonstrating basic competency with your chosen form, just one. Towards the end of the semester, we'll be taking you all into whatever world you desire to contract with a race of creatures. Up till then, it's all about preparation. Combat training, survival skills, and an understanding of mana are key if you don't want to get hurt or die."

"D-Die?" Chopper whispered, a quivering mess. Shanks shrugged.

"Well…yeah. The other worlds are dangerous no matter how you look at it. But you should be well prepared by then, so don't sweat it."

Shanks then began to explain about how exactly they could borrow mana from creatures, taking a moment to pour water over Coby's head to wake him up.

"Basically, summoners always look at the creature's grade, right? For example, a purple-mouthed toad is a Level I creature with a grade of 50, so, a summoner with a mana score of 50 or above can summon it no problem." Shanks took out a piece of chalk and wrote another word on the board, "Rangers, on the other hand, look at the creature's desired offering. This is essentially mana they want from us in return for borrowing their form. My gargoyle's offering was 15, so, I needed at least a mana score of 15 to complete the contract. Because my score is 49, I can make lots of different pacts and have five forms."

At that, Luffy bit his lip nervously. With a score of only 2, would he have enough mana to give in return for a cool transformation?

"Throughout the semester, I recommend you check out different reference books and identify some creatures you're interested in." Shanks stated, turning around with a smirk, "Now…shall we talk about the different worlds?"

Zoro shifted in his seat under the intense gaze of Headmaster Akainu, their Basic Summoning instructor. The man seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face at all times, and definitely wasn't a person to cross.

"As summoners, it is your job to uphold the honor and prestige of this academy." Akainu bellowed, slamming his fist against a diagram on the board, "That means using creatures from the various worlds to protect ours. Before we discuss the worlds themselves, you must learn the creature levels."

Zoro immediately jotted down the chart Akainu dropped down from above the board, indicating the mana required to summon Level I – VI creatures.

CREATURE LEVELS AND MANA REQUIRED:

Level I: 50 – 60

Level II: 60 – 75

Level III: 75 – 100

Level IV: 100 – 200 (2x mana required)

Level V: 200 – 350 (2.5x mana required)

Level VI: 350+ (3x mana required)

"As you can see, knowing your own score and capabilities is paramount to a successful summoning." Akainu continued, "The higher up the scale you go, the more mana is required. For example, at Level III or IV, you must start working together with others to joint summon. You, in the front, what's your mana score?"

The Headmaster pointed at Usopp who trembled under his intense stare.

"…55…Sir." Akainu snorted at his response.

"Quite low, disappointing. Regardless, say you wanted to summon a hippocampus. A water horse is a Level V creature with a grade of 200 exactly. How would you, with a measly score of 55, summon it?"

Zoro knew Usopp knew the answer, but he was too scared to manage a reply. To spare his friend from the verbal lashing he knew was coming, he raised his hand.

"He would gather together other summoners with mana scores that added up to at least 2.5 x 200, which is 500…Sir." Akainu nodded.

"Indeed. Now, can you tell me why we double or sometimes triple a creature's grade?"

"Because it lowers the risk of them breaking your control or a Reverse Summoning." Zoro replied, glancing over briefly to make sure Usopp was still breathing, the scaredy-cat.

"Many of you are probably wondering if using so many summoners for every summoning is efficient. The answer is…it's not." Akainu continued, "As such, we use items such as relics to cut the cost required."

Zoro knew a lot about relics considering he had three himself. His precious swords…all that was left of his family, had circles etched into them that linked him and his creatures together, effectively cutting the mana required to summon them in half for each sword.

Doing the math, it meant he could summon three Level III creatures at the same time, by himself, for only about 30 mana (instead of the normally required 90 each).

Akainu then moved on to lecturing about the different worlds and the creatures that lived in them:

Fos, or the World of Light. Its large sun constantly bares down on the land, leaving it desolate and barren. Creatures there live in complete reverence to the light and are often unintelligent, husks devoid of emotion. Due to the intense heat and somewhat hypnotic light, humans cannot travel there without suitable protective gear for more than a few minutes.

Louloùdi, a world of nature and vast forests. It is home to many diverse creatures, some purely animalistic, others more humanoid. Many have died attempting to traverse the vast and unpredictable terrain, falling prey to the perilous jungles and beasts.

Koràlli, or the Water World. It is completely covered in oceans with only a few islands here and there. Large monsters and fishmen live in the beautiful waters and hunt for unsuspecting prey.

Fotià, a world consumed in fire. With terrain covered in volcanoes, it almost seems like it rains flame from the heavens and scorches all with its fury. This is the home of the red dragons and other fire-resistant creatures that thrive in the heat.

Skotàdi, the World of Darkness. Here, it is perpetually dark with no sun to be seen. Vast amounts of creatures call this place their home including dark elves, Ursa, and the demonic races. Unlike the other worlds, a Demon King rules all with a heavy hand.

Zoro took a moment to circle the last world he wrote down. That was where he would find him, the beast who took his family from him. Though all of the worlds were dangerous in their own ways, Skotàdi claimed the most lives by far.

'Likely because a lot of the creatures there are intelligent, humanoid.' Zoro mused, thinking back on Luffy's description of his encounter with an Ursa. Plus, based on his latest research, there was power struggle going on for the throne of the Demon King, their rightful ruler by blood nowhere to be found.

Of course, there was also the fact that creatures from all the worlds (especially Skotàdi) found mana particularly nourishing and delicious, making summoners prime targets.

He huffed and looked up from his paper, only to notice Nami glancing down at his notes. Zoro immediately frowned and covered it with his hand, making her smirk and look away.

Nosey girl.

I know that was a lot, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask!