Hello, hello! How are you, my dear friends? Hope you enjoy this chapter!
"So my first mate is somewhere in Goa Kingdom?" Asked a confused Luffy, while looking at the man.
"Yes, most of your crew members are already here, in East Blue or ,in two cases, in Paradise. Only two remain to come later this year. Now, for the swordman I'll leave the introductions for when you two meet, but if you want to recognize him ahead of time he has silver hair and is dressed in a white...kimono I guess? Anyway, he is really strong, despite his laid back attitude. You'll like him, I'm sure." Joy Boy said, while grinning at his protege.
"Sounds like a nice guy. Can't wait to meet him!" Shouted the time traveling pirate.
"Chill out, will ya? I need to see this guy for myself before giving my approval." Muttered Ace, as he pulled his little brother closer.
"So that's the famous Brother complex? Can't lie, it's kinda cute when you look at them now." Thought the ancient being, as he looked over at the two boys.
"You don't need to worry, your brother will be in capable hands." He tried to assure the older sibling.
"I'll have to see that myself, thank you very much." Ace said, while glaring at him.
"Ahem, as I was saying. We will head into Fosha after having this little talk, and meet up with him." explained the man, as he relaxed under the shade.
"Shishishishi~ What's next, Joy?" asked Luffy impatiently.
"Next, I'll tell you where are the rest of your crew. Your navigator is in Orange Town, along with his "partner", just ask the locals about the whereabouts of the mean eyed boy and the silver haired girl, they will know what to do. In Shells Town, the base that has yet to be controlled by that pice of shit Morgan, you will find your sniper, whenever she is in the same trouble as Zoro, that will remain to be seen. Blueish short hair, indigo eyes, and a large sniper rifle on her back, can't miss her. She'll be there later this year, so you don't have to hurry. For the new cook, well, he is currently in Lounge Town, being put under the care of a famous restaurant there, learning a little about this world and how to fight. He is not much of a warrior right now, but by the time you set for the Grand Line, he'll be ready for everything that gets thrown at him." Joy Boy explained, grinning as Luffy's eyes began to shape into stars.
"That's so cool! Oh man, I can't wait that long! Ace, I'll have to set sail before you do!" Shouted the excited boy, grinning madly at his brother.
Said brother on the other hand, just punch Luffy just like Garp used to. He sighed and with a tired tone he said "Luffy, don't even think about it. You aren't going to set sail at 14 years old, you crybaby!"
"Hey! I ain't a crybaby anymore! You are talking with the future King of the Pirates!" Luffy shouted, as he nursed his head.
"Nope! I'm talking to my dumb little brother, that doesn't know how to think strategical! C'mon Luffy, I thought you will have matured a little at this point." Ace berated his brother, as said brother just looked at his feet mumbling an apology.
"Sorry, Ace.." Muttered Luffy, as he played with his feet.
"Leaving this heartwarming moment behind, let's talk about the rest of them. Your archeologist, of some sorts, is currently in Cocoyasi Village, acting as a guard for when Arlong will go there. Knowing you tho, you will want to go there yourself and beat the blue bastard. But that's not another 2 years from now, so we have time to teach you a few things." The older man said, as he grinned maliciously at the young Luffy.
"Like what? A cool move?! Some secret technique?!" The naive pirate asked, as he looked at his companion hopefully.
"None of that, Luffy, as you have enough of those for the time being. What I want to teach you, before passing you to the new teacher, are some basic skills and tactics that any captain worth his hat should know. Your devil luck ran out, don't you remember?" The man said, as he gazed intently at the time traveler.
"B-but I!" Luffy tried to protest, but couldn't come up with anything to help his case. Sure, in the past he and his crew managed to overcome any impossible situation they found themselves in, but it was more of overpowering and getting lucky. But this time? He did not want to risk it this time around. "I understand. I will be in you care." He said as he smiled towards the ancient man.
Said man was left stunned at the young boy's willingness. "Now that's something you don't see everyday. I'm proud of you, Luffy!"
Said boy just grinned and scratched his head sheepishly. "I do have a question tho. Who will be my new teacher?" he asked, looking at Joy Boy in wonder.
"Well, I just told you about her, your archeologist. It's rather easy to recognize her, she has long scarlet hair, styled in two thick braids. Can't miss her." Joy said as he put on a thoughtful look. "For the rest of them, I'll just tell you after entering Grand Line. It's of no use since you're not gonna see them for some time now." he finished.
"Eh? That's fine, I guess. Is there anything else we should talk about now?" Luffy asked, as he looked over to Ace.
"I don't have any questions right now." Ace said, as they both turned towards Joy Boy.
The man smiled and said: "I think we should talk about your original crew members. I want to hear what you will say about my ideea."
"We are already talking about that?" asked a confused Luffy.
"Yes, yes we are. Ace, when you said that Luffy would not set sail at 14 you were right, but he will still be leaving in the same year as you do." Joy said, as he grinned cheekily at the older sibling.
"Huh? Your confusing me, Mr. Joy. How can he set sail at the same time with me? He is 3 years younger than me, remember?" Ace asked looking at the man suspiciously.
"There is one thing that I almost forgot to tell you. Luffy, you aren't 7 years old now, you are 9 years old this time around. I took the liberty to age your body with 2 years, so it would be easier for you to move around. " The man said, as he grinned widely.
"What?! That's amazing! Hah, I'm only a year younger than you now, Ace! I can set sail at the same time you do!" Luffy exclaimed, excited by the news they were given.
"No way! What did you do to my cute baby brother?!" shouted an enraged freckled boy. "And how didn't I noticed this?!" he added in his mind.
"Nothing bad, I assure you. Now, listen here boy, cause we're in one hell of a ride. First, I know this won't exactly be something Luffy will want to agree, but it's the best option we have at this moment. I want Ace to recruit your old nakama under the banner of the 2nd Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, just like you did in the past." Joy proposed as he looked over the two boys, specifically Luffy.
"I don't like this part of the plan, Joy, but it's not like I will opposite or anything. I'm fine with it, as long as it is Ace that takes them cause I know he will be able to make their dreams come true." Luffy said, as he looked over his brother, slipping in his captain persona.
"Well, when my little brother praises me like that, I have no choice but to go along." Ace said, smirking toward Luffy.
"Now that's what I'm talking about. Luffy, you really managed to surprise me there, gotta give it to ya kid, you ain't as dumb as you made yourself look. Moving on, as Ace will take care of them when the time is right, we can still do something for them to make their lives easier." The man said, as he gained a more thoughtful look.
"Well, we have Nami's case covered, as we will deal with Arlong before he even set foot on the island. I don't think we can do something about Zoro's friend and Sanji should already be with Zeff. We have Ussop in his home island, safe and sound. That leaves Franky which I know is not urgent. Brook too, will have to wait just for a little while till Ace and I help him. Uh, I don't think Chopper is in any kind of danger for the moment, and with that all we have left is Robin. The only problem here, is that I have no ideea what she's doing, or where she is at this moment in time." Luffy said, as he tried to remember certain aspects of his old nakamas lives.
"Very good Luffy, but you are underestimating me again. I have sent your new doctor on Drum Kingdom, to learn a little of this worlds medicine. While she is certainly a prodigy in the arts of healing, there is nothing wrong with knowing more. She will take great care of your little, errrr, raccoon? Whatever, as for Robin, you don't have to worry, the shipwright has already picked her up. She will be dropped at one of the Revolutionary Army's bases in the following week." Joy Boy explained, sighing a little at the end. "Man, that took some time, I'm beat." He mumbled to himself.
"Joy, your the most amazing person I have ever known. I can't thank you enough for what you did for my friends."Luffy said, as he smiled at the man.
"Yeah, yeah, you can thank me by kicking your ass in gear and learning everything that I and your new teacher will give you. You gotta stop being a dumb captain you know?"Joy said, grinning a little at the boy.
"I will give it my best! Don't you worry about that!" He shouted, his face morphing into a wide grin.
"Well Luffy, you sure got a powerful and kind friend, didn't you?" Ace asked as he grinned at the younger boy.
"I sure do, Ace!" He shouted.
"Alright, alright. Now you should go into the village and meet up with the swordman. He is waiting, you know?" Joy Boy said, interrupting the sworn siblings.
"Ah! That's right! Let's go, Ace! We have to meet up with him!" Luffy shouted, as he sprung on his feet and took of towards Fosha.
"Hey, wait up Luffy!" The older sibling shouted as he took off after him.
"Once a brat, always a brat." muttered Joy as he began to doze off.
The siblings got into the village rather quickly, with a grinning Luffy in the front and a seething Ace following him.
"Luffy! I'll roast you alive if you rush ahead without me!" Shouted the older boy, as he caught up to the rubber user.
"Shishishi~ Sorry, sorry! Now let's go to Makino's and see if my first mate is there. If he's not maybe someone might have saw him." Luffy said, grinning towards his brother.
"Ah, what will I do with you, Luffy? Alright, I really wanted to see Makino again, so let's go!" Ace returned the grin with one of his own.
Hearing this, Luffy laughed and began sprinting again, with Ace close behind him. They rushed trough the busy street, careful to not knock someone down. Soon enough, they were standing at the entrance of the bar Makino was running. Going inside, they were surprised to see some unknown travelers eating there, but what was more shocking that that was the fact that one of them, an old man, was standing beside a silver haired boy, who was eating a whole damn strawberry cake!
"Huh?" Ace mumbled, looking at the supposed first mate of his brother.
"Oi, that's the guy Joy was talking about! Let's talk with him!" Luffy said, excited to have found the swordsman so easily.
Said swordsman stopped devouring the cake and looked towards them, specifically towards Luffy. A second later Luffy was next to him, hand extended and grinning widely.
"I'm Monkey D Luffy, future King of the Pirates! You wouldn't be my first mate, would you?" He introduced himself while asking the boy the most important question.
"I'm Sakata Gintoki, and it happens that I am the first person to join you. Nice to make your acquaintance." The older boy said in his usual bored tone. But that was merely a mask, as his deep crimson eyes studied Luffy and Ace intently.
"That's so cool! Ne, what can you do? What sword style do you use?" Luffy asked, brushing the swordsman attitude aside.
"Hm? Well, I'm pretty decent with the sword, only one sword. Sometimes I would fight with two but it's too much of a hassle." Gin explained, maintaining his bored expression.
"Ehhh? I don't believe you. Joy said that only the best are on my crew, so you must be quite the humble guy. I would like a demonstration, if you don't mind." The atmosphere in the room shifted, as Luffy let go of his childish persona, opting for a more serious approach.
"Well, no need to get so serious. I guess it's something that I should do. After all, you are my Captain, and I don't want to be accused of insubordination on my first day here." The silver haired teen said, as he got up from the bar, leaving an empty plate behind him.
"Luffy, I don't really like this guy. He's too laid back for my taste." Muttered Ace as he strolled behind them.
"Ace, you should wait a little more before reaching a to such a conclusion. He isn't a bad man, I know it, and he will prove it to us soon enough." Luffy said, surprising Ace with his words. Never in his life would he have guesses he will get admonished by his little brother.
"Well, I guess that was rash of me. Sorry, Luffy, it seems that your older brother is doing stupid thing again." Ace muttered, as he looked at Luffy with an apologetic smile.
"It's no big deal, right, Gin?" Luffy said, smiling at the two boys.
"It's fine by me, I ain't one to take offense so easily." The swordsman replied, waving his hand at Ace.
"Phew, and I thought Luffy was going to go comando on my ass. Well, it's nice to meet you, Gin. I'm Portogas D Ace, this goofball's older brother. Let's get along." Ace said, smiling at the silver haired teen, while extending his hand forward.
Gintoki, seeing the change in attitude, gave a little grin and took Ace's hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you too. Hope we can work together." He said, chuckling a little.
"We will have to wait and see, you never know what this brother of mine has planned for us." Ace said, laughing.
"Oi! I heard that!" Shouted Luffy, glaring a little at the older raven haired boy. "Moving on, I was asking for a demonstration earlier. What do you say, Gin?" Luffy said, grinning widely at him.
"Well, if that's what you want, I have to oblige. Let me just finish another cake and we'll get going somewhere isolated. Don't want to get unnecessary attention, right, Captain?" Gintoki said, returning the grin Luffy had on his face with one of his own.
"Shishishishi~ This is exciting, isn't it, Ace?" He asked, smiling widely.
"Don't go overboard with all this excitement, Luffy!" Shouted the worried older brother.
Cocoyasi Village, a beautiful sight for travelers and pirates alike. Filled with kindhearted people, ready to help those in need, the village is a perfect heaven for the people that lost everything at sea and wanted to start anew. In this line of thought, when a 12 years old girl was found on the shore, unconscious, by the local law enforcer, Gēnzo, she was hurried in the local clinic to be treated.
Fortunately, she did not suffer any kind of injury, leaving exhaustion as a primary cause for her state. The said girl had an interesting appearance, with deep crimson hair styled in two thick braids, with two golden ornaments near the upper sections. Paying close attention to the occasional flutter of her eyes, you could see two brown irises, before disappearing again. Her attire was a simple black dress that reached her knees with a black and grey coat over it.
What left the people of the village a little confused was the witch's hat, which was much larger than her head and possessed dreadlock designs with white bandaging near its ends. It also had fur lining near its edges.
In Orange Town, a boy and a girl just finished planning their move, in the new room that the locals gifted them with.
"Are you sure he will come here? What if we have to go where he is right now?" Asked the girl, her voice sounding like a silver bell.
"Don't worry, Tella-tan. He will come here when the time is right. Till then, we have a lot on our hands, especially me. How the hell am I supposed to navigate?!" shouted the boy, crying anime tears at his situation.
"I'm sure you will pull trough, beloved." The girl said, rubbing his back.
Lounge Town, or better known as "The town of the beginning and the end", was, for the lack of better words, filled with all kinds of people. Be it pirates trying to escape to the Grand Line, tourists, curious about the story and the place of the First Pirate King, Gold Roger, or locals and merchants, trying to make a living, all of them were in that one place.
But if we go inside the kitchen of the famous restaurant, 'The Lighthouse' we will find a young boy giving orders to the senior chefs, while preparing a large variety of dishes.
"Oi, you red haired brat! What was the next ingredient for this 'Special Smoked Curry'?" An older chef asked while looking towards the teen.
"It's Souma! and next you have to..."
So, what do you think? I will introduce more members at a later date. Well, thanks for the reviews and see ya next time.