A/n: Hey guys! Sorry it's been a bit, I really wanted to post this, but I also wanted to post my other fic, His Shackles, and ultimately I ended up writing more chapters for this and kept reading ur amazing reviews, and just thought that there's no way I can hold back any longer, just post the dang chapter already! So here it is!
-Ryan Sensei
xX~OP~Xx
Multiple days of parties, training and fun had passed, but it was finally the day many had been dreading, the departure of the Red Haired pirates.
Luffy begrudgingly said his goodbyes to almost all of the crew, the only ones left were Yasopp, Benn, and Shanks. He couldn't stop crying! He had enough! No more goodbyes, they hurt too much, plus he didn't want any of them to leave.
With a firm 'hmph!' he crossed his arms, and sat crisscrossed on the dock, refusing to say bye and let them leave. With a small smile, Yasopp approached the kid and crouched in front of him.
"Ne, Luffy? Aren't ya gonna say goodbye to me before you go?"
"I don't wanna!"
Yasopp smirked as he suddenly caught Luffy off guard and picked him up, spinning him in a few circles before stopping and bringing him in for a hug.
"Shishishi, that was fun! Again!"
"Sorry Luffy, that's it for now, but that certainly doesn't mean it'll be the last… I heard from Benn that you're gonna be a pirate in the future, so we'll definitely meet on the seas somewhere!"
"I guess you're right… Ya know what? I've decided, if I'm gonna have the best pirate crew, I'm gonna need an even better sniper. So I decided I'm gonna recruit Usopp! If he's anything like you, he'll easily become the king of all snipers!"
"King of snipers? A soge-king huh? Sounds pretty neat, and with you as captain, I'm sure it can happen. Though if that's the case," he placed Luffy on his feet as he rummaged through his pockets, and pulling out a black flintlock pistol. "A couple trips back, I got this while thinking of my son… When you recruit him, can you tell him that I'll be waiting for him on the seas, and give him this? It's a gift for Usopp and it'd mean a lot-"
"I'll do it. I promise I'll recruit him and give this to him!" Yasopp couldn't stop smiling as tears streamed down his face, when Luffy made a promise, he never broke it. He was gonna miss Luffy.
"Sayonara Luffy," he said before placing the pistol in the boy's hands and heading on board. Luffy knew their departure was inevitable, especially now with only two men left to say goodbye.
"Benn… I'm gonna miss you."
"Luffy…" Benn whispered, before smoothing over Luffy's hair. "Ya know, I've never seriously taught someone before, but I can tell you that you'll always be my first and favorite student!"
Luffy could care less about his tears at this point; these pirates were the closest thing he had to family, and who knew when he'd see them again.
As the red haired man deeply inhaled the scent of the ocean, he took in his surroundings. More and more nobles began gathering by and intently starring, a crew that was filled with people he calls family, a vast sea, full of possibilities, and his first mate and Anchor, currently engrossed in a tear filled hug. He loved all of his nakamas, but in his head he knew that this was for the best.
Walking over to the two, he placed a hand on Benn's slumped shoulders. The man looked up and sighed, "It's time, huh… Oh! Before I forget!" The large man began frantically searching his bag that was slumped against his shoulder, pulling out weapons and trinkets as he searched. "Give me a sec-oh! Here it is!"
In the first mate's hand was a small black box with a gold sword design sewn on, that fit perfectly in his hand. Luffy observed the object with awe and curiosity.
"Wow! That box looks so cool! Is it your special treasure?"
Benn chuckled and gave a look filled with mirth. "Actually, it's your treasure now." Luffy gave a look of confusion, only making the first mate chuckle. "This is a gift I got you, which with your devil fruit powers might become beneficial… Here, open it!"
Gratefully taking the box, the boy's smile widened as he carefully opened the item. Placed on top of a mini pillow was a silver ring with a word inscripted on the inside.
"Nakama."
"So when you wear it, you always remember that you have us. Go on, try it on!"
With a small nod, Luffy delicately lifted the ring and held it in the air, watching as the sun gleamed off of it before placing it on his left pointer finger. It currently was a bit loose, but as he grew older, it'd definitely be a perfect fit.
"If you think it's just a ring you're in for a surprise. Since a lot of your devil fruit abilities come from exposed blood, and you may not always have blood laying out in the open, just rub the front side of the ring and a mini blade appears on the back side."
With this new information, Luffy tested out the mechanism, fascinated by the blade disappearing and reappearing by simply rubbing the ring.
"I know it's cool, but please only use it when necessary. I don't want you to have to do anything dangerous to your body just to get blood; with this you can limit the amount of blood you'll use. Just don't forget that if you lose too much blood, the same thing as last time could hap-"
"Don't worry Benn, I'm strong!"
The large man sighed before drawing the boy's attention back to the ring. "Now here's something else that's quite useful. It's something beneficially designed for only a blood-blood fruit user. First, prick your finger on the blade."
"Okay!" The boy's compliance threw both men off, suddenly worried about the potential threats the world could bring such an innocent boy.
With a quick shake of the head, Benn continued his instructions. "Now let some of your blood drip onto the dock. A small amount will do. In the future, you can use anyone's blood, depending on how large the pool of blood, that's how large the portal door will be."
"Portal door? Benn what the heck are you talking about?"
"Just give the man a sec Anchor," Shanks piped in from behind Benn, and the latter nodded in thanks.
"Now that your blood has made a tiny puddle, put the ring blade inside the puddle, and slice straight through it." The boy followed the first mate's instructions and the blood turned blue.
"Wow! It changed colors! This is such a awesome trick!"
"That ring is the only ring of its kind, it was made special just for you, and only recognizes you as it's owner. Only you, Luffy can open these blood portals and take or put whatever you want in them. Doesn't matter how big or small, as long as it's not living. Test it out!"
Luffy picked up the black pistol from the dock and held the weapon in his hand for a moment, registering its weight. With a swift motion, he plunged the weapon into the portal and it vanished.
"Benn it's gone, what do I do? Yasopp is gonna kill me!"
"He definitely wouldn't, but don't worry, you didn't lose it, you just put it in your portal. To get it back, I was told that you just think of what you want to get that you stored in there, and that's the thing that you'll grab."
Onyx eyes stared at the puddle for a moment thinking of the pistol and its appearance before he hesitantly dipped his hand in the puddle, returning with the gun in hand.
The boy tested out the function one last time before deciding that even if he didn't completely get how it was possible, if he was the only one who could use these blood portals, then maybe storing Usopp's future treasure there for safekeeping was a good idea.
The ring brought a smile to the boy's face as he one again embraced Benn, the suddenness of the tackle knocking them both to the ground. The first mate couldn't see the boy's eyes, but his sniffling said more than enough.
"Benn! Benn! Benn! Thank you so much. Not just for the ring, but for everything. I… I love you guys so much! Are you guys okay? Why are your noses bleeding?"
The captain and first mate both waved off the question, and with a final ruffle of the hair, Benn said, "I'm glad you liked the gift Luffy. Don't ever forget how much we care about you, even after we leave… Damn it, I'm gonna miss you. Good bye."
The first mate got up with his bag and immediately turned his back to the boy and his captain, but Shanks could still see the small tremors in his shoulders as he hopped on ship. Turning his attention back to the little squirt, he smiled a little.
"Last but not least, huh Anchor?"
xX~OP~Xx
By now Luffy was so used to the nickname that he didn't bother fighting it anymore, but this was his last chance to protest; after Shanks leaves, his whole family would be gone.
The captain could already see water pooling into his little Anchor's eyes once more, he hated seeing Luffy cry. It always felt like his heart was being squeezed whenever Luffy was in pan. Thinking quick, Shanks started tickling the boy.
His laughter was like a bell ringing, a small sound that filled the area with warmth. Satisfied, the pirate halted all actions to let Luffy breathe once more.
The child with ebony hair came down from his high before drowning into a sudden silence. The older man crouched down to Luffy's level, about to question the boy's silence when he heard the child's quivering voice.
"Shanks… Do you have to go?"
The man faltered for a moment. His resolve to leave was slowly crumbling the more he stayed with the boy.
"Look at me. Anchor, I'm a pirate, as much as I like it here, I can't just stay in one place, that's not the kind of life we pirates get. We go wherever the sea takes us, having adventures, getting stronger, meeting new people…"
"Can't I come with you then?"
Shank's hair shaded his eyes as he remembered his first mate's words. He's still young, he could still change his mind. I know we're training him and all, but I just don't feel right. Sending a boy as innocent and lovable as Luffy into the many terrors at sea…
"I'm sorry Anch-"
"But I thought you said we were nakamas? D-do you not want me? Is it because of my blood?"
"No! Anchor by no means do I not want you! Not just me, but the whole crew cares about you soo much. Benn and I already told you that stupid things like blood doesn't matter. You are my nakama, a part of my family and that's that."
Luffy let out a small sniffle as he proceeded to wipe the last of his tears. The corner of his eyes were slightly red, but Shank's didn't comment on it.
"Right now you're too young to be a pirate. Hmmm... 17! Yup, 17 is a good age to sail! That is… If you still want to be a pirate by then…"
"Of course I will!"
"Uh huh, sure. Keep talking pipsqueak."
Luffy couldn't believe Shanks! Even when leaving, he was still teasing him. Feeding into his slight anger, Luffy unleashed all of his thoughts.
"Shanks you... you big dummy! Just you wait! When I'm 17, I'm gonna have my own crew that's even better than yours! And we're gonna have soooo much fun together! And go on adventures together! And celebrate together! And fight in battles together! And! And! And after all that... I'M GONNA BE THE KING OF PIRATES!"
To say Shank's was stunned was an understatement. An image of a straw hatted man came to mind.
He's so much like you Cap'n…
"In that case, I'm gonna entrust you with my most special treasure," he said while shoving the hat onto the small head. "You're gonna have to return this to me when your the king of pirates, so can you hold onto this for me until then?"
A D-shaped smile made its way onto Luffy's face, and without warning, he wrapped his arms around the captain's neck, and was lifted into the air.
"Mhm! Just you wait Shanks! Monkey D. Luffy, King of pirates! It'll definitely happen!"
The two smiled and gazed at the outdoors picture with a comfortable silence. The sea glistening on for horizons, seagulls cawing here and there, all accompanied by the hussle and bussle of nobles and fishmongers by the dock.
"Shanks… can I tell you something?"
Said man turned his gaze to the demi-god, and gave a gentle smile in reasurance.
"For as long as I could remember, it's just been me and jii-chan... I'd always thought that that was how family was supposed to be until I came here and met Makino, Benn, you and all the rest of the crew. To me, you guys are like family. I don't know who my parents are, but to me you're the closest thing to a dad I could ever have. Thank you Shanks!" The boy ended, putting a kiss on Shank's cheek.
Shank's hair matched his face as he began stuttering jumbled words until finally, a comprehensible response came.
"Me- I- me too. I just like you think… I think of you like a son too. So yeah! And uh, that p-peck you gave there..."
"Makino showed me!"
"Right, of course she did. Just save things like that for those who mean a lot to ya!"
The child chuckled at the older man's antics, and was slowly lowered to the ground.
"That's exactly what I did."
Shanks only turned his head away in embarrassment.
This kid'll be the death of me.
"Ne, Shanks… will we see each other again?"
"We're nakama, of course we'll see eachother again! Now no more tears, I wanna go knowing that you're not gonna start crying again. C'mon smile!"
Giving a smile so wide he had to squint, the child gripped the hat on top of his head.
"One last thing," Shanks said before drawing his sword in mere seconds, ready to pierce Luffy. The attack was intercepted by two daggers made of blood forming an 'X' under the sword. The three swords quivered slightly in stalemate before the redhead used his free hand to poke the child in the forehead.
Losing balance and landing on his butt, Luffy rubbed his forehead in pain. That hurt almost as much as jii-chan's fists!
The Captain chuckled before saying, "we taught you well and you're strong for your age, but you're still not strong enough to beat me. Remind me how many different weapons you're able to make right now?"
Luffy sat criss crossed as the two daggers morphed into a katana, then a nunchaku, a couple of darts, a bow and arrow, a pistol, and finally into a chakram. "Well I can make about nine, but I'm only really good at the daggers, bow and arrow, darts and chakrams. Don't worry, I'll get better at the ones I can make before I try making any others!"
"Good to see you using your head… Promise to take care of Makino for me."
"I promise!"
"Don't cause too much trouble kay? This isn't goodbye forever, I'll see you again on the seas future pirate king!"
With that, the man headed for his ship, jacket fluttering behind each step, until he finally climbed on board.
"BYE SHANKS!"
Said man leaned over the railing as the ship began to sail, with a deep inhale he shouted back to the small child.
"SAYONARA LUFFY!"
Benn placed a comforting hand on his captain's shoulder as he lead him away from the railing. Their adventure was only continuing, little did they know that the nakama they left behind, Luffy's nightmare was only beginning.
A/n: Thus raps up that chapter! For the last time I will remind you that I am not going to post any warnings, so from here on out, when shit hits the fan, don't say i didn't tell u i wouldn't tell u... wait wat? watever, u get it. Thanks so much, and if u like wat ur readin, review ur thoughts to me!
-Ryan Sensei