Wow I just realized this chapter alone nearly doubled the size of this story in terms of word count, and also had a lot more happen, a lot more of the world is fleshed out here, and several key characters are established, while along with this post I've made a few edits to the two prior chapters, clearing some wording up etc., nothing major has changed but I thought I'd make anyone interested aware. The description has been slightly changed once again, but I hope everyone enjoys, and without further adieu, Chapter 2 of the Wildest Son.
Wildest Son
AN: I don't own any of the characters, concepts, or properties. Don't sue me please.
Romance Dawn Part 2/3
Chapter 2
Day 1, Shellstown
Arriving at the bustling port-city/Marine Base, the motley ensemble of two pirates, two thieves, a Marine wannabe, sailors, and cruise ship passengers who had come off their failed voyage well enough. Few injuries had befallen any of them beyond skin deep scratches and the like, so the Captain of the now sunken vessel grinned like a kid in a candy store as his men pulled the current ship into port. That is, until a platoon of Marines lined up on the dock, one yelled, "Give up Alvida Pirates! You cannot dock here unless you're turning yourselves in! The Marine Company under Captain Morgan does not take prisoners in war!" A cadet next to the shouting man whispered, "Um – Rokkaku, I thought we were required to take prisoners in such an occurrence?"
"I know but maybe they'll go away, we can't afford to lose any men, Petty Officer."
"When did Lady Alvida change her mark sir?"
From the former Alvida Pirates ship, a white flag replaced the skull and crossbones that had previously flown high and proud, the surrender offering eased the seamen a great deal; and when a rowboat filled with women, children, and two sailors to row started to come ashore their worries were nearly entirely vaporized. As two burly tattooed sailors helped the women out of the boat, they explained. However, Rokkaku's tan skin went pale as a ghost as he seemed to notice the Mast for the first time. A fearsome two boned Jolly Roger was thrown like a scar over the flapping sail, a proud mustache and a devious smile played into the Marine's heart. While he'd never seen the ship of an Emperor before, he didn't want to make this his first.
Wildest Son
An odd duo sauntered through the streets which had 'Marine' flags on every corner. While one was a man with closely cropped dark hair and a flower-like tiara around his head, the other was a more low key woman, who while being relatively plain looking compared to her flamboyant partner was ravishingly beautiful, long dark hair flowed to her shoulders and a fierceness decorated her eyes. Their clothes made them stand out even more, as the man wore lipstick and a swan-themed pink get-up with a thick bottom and flats for shoes, the woman wore a gi that looked like it had once been white in a past life, but bore no resemblance to that particular level of cleanliness at that point. Upon closer inspection there was a thin layer of grass stains, mud, and even traces of blood on it, as well as some flecks of such substances on her otherwise pristine looking face. The most striking thing about the woman was the way she carried herself, and not just the purposeful confidence that guided her every motion as she moved, but also in the way her hand was never far from the perfectly shined white hilt of a beautiful katana which was sheathed into clean ivory wood.
The man looked her up and down, muttering, "Once I find my crew we can get you some fresh clothes sister, because you need some serious wardrobe advice." The girl shrugged him off sullenly, mind elsewhere. The man pressed, "Excuse me? I'm talking to you. You've been quiet since I nearly chipped a nail hiking through the woods to find you. Boss Zero wants us to report for duty as quickly as possible, but that's weeks away so we might as well keep each other company, and I do mean better company than you gave that dog back there."
"You talk enough to keep me and yourself company 2, and that was a feral wolf, no dog."
"WHAT? That's the only thing you've said except, 'Why are you here' and 'we need supplies' to me since I've met you Ms. Independence Day, I think you could afford a little more kindness if you ask me, unless you've gone savage from all those years with only that sword of yours for company."
"Let's just keep walking 2."
"Why have you been in the woods for so long anyway? Don't you get sick of it, the heat, the dirt, the grime, the heat... Passion is good dear Independence – oh and what a fitting name that is, how did you and Boss Zero meet anyway? I was told he'd met you but -"
"Keep your mouth shut 2," The girl snarled as her well-trained hand went to her blade, but didn't draw it. "It's none of your business," she added. Mr. 2 gulped, but did as he was told. Despite his curiosity, he decided not to pry due to a combination of courtesy, convenience, and fear. He tried to be as courteous as he desired himself to be treated, and it was more convenient for him in that the more pleasant Ms. Independence Day was, the more pleasant the journey would be, but it was fear that largely drove him into silence, and thus, the pair walked quietly for several minutes. Somehow he knew that just as easily as she'd dispatched the massive wolf, she could have dealt with him with little more effort.
A sniff by 2 broke the silence, then he scrunched his face and gasped, "Why do you smell like dog pee?" It was just then that a platoon of Navy men who had been patrolling the street recognized her, and ran towards them calling to Ms. Independence Day, "That's the girl! She's the one we want! Miss Miss -"
Wildest Son
Clearing up the situation with the Marines, the children had exclaimed with a note of excitement that two of the Whitebeard Pirates had saved them, and that a grateful passenger had painted the Jolly Roger on over Alvida's crest which was seen to be noticeably dripping. This was just as they had been told to say, and when Rokkaku questioned them for the location of the Whitebeard Pirates, they all simply said they'd gone into the water and swam into the distance.
Of course, this was just what the blond brother had planned as the pirate crew of two got off the stolen ship and onto the dock. The golden haired buccaneer wore a dark jacket with a long pipe hidden within the folds of his coat, while the brother had been coaxed into wearing a light wrapping of bandages around his torso so as to hide the damning tattoo. As the siblings walked by the Marine in charge, they overheard him say, " - Morgan's going to want us to find that damned girl first, then we can arrest the Alvida Pirates and salvage the Cruise Ship. That is, if what the passengers say is true, but I doubt even a pirate from Edward Newgate's crew would show up in the East just to beat on a small fry like Alvida and leave peacefully." The blond elbowed his brother, "Hey Luffy, sounds like we've got a fan." Luffy smiled, then shrugged, "I don't know Sabo, but we need a new ship."
"Why, we can't just steal Alvida's?"
Luffy said nothing but pointed at the fluorescent pirate ship and looked at him as he would a boy struggling with basic math. Of course, this was a look usually reserved by Sabo for Luffy as the latter struggled with basic math, but this was Luffy's ship, and thus Luffy's obvious answer. The two walked down the dock toward the active town when Sabo beamed, "Well alright since you don't want Ace to make fun of you, we'll just take our rowboat and find a sailing ship later. But right now we need to worry about supplies and finding a crew to sail it."
"Yeah you're right."
"- Hey what about that girl the Marines were talking about? I bet she's strong if she's got the Captain of the base riled up."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because a crew is like family, you don't just pick a stranger you've never even met and invite them onto your crew.*"
Sabo agreed thoughtfully with his brother's philosophy, and then a familiar pink-haired former Alvida Pirate Chore Boy ran up and stopped just so he could walk beside them. Luffy smiled, but Coby, being Coby was worried.
"Luffy, Sabo, what are you guys doing here? This is Marine HQ in the East, and not just any Marine Base, this is run by Axe-Hand Morgan. Shellstown hasn't been attacked by the Fishmen in years, Morgan runs a tight ship and keeps almost everyone in this part of the sea aligned. He's been Captain since at least the Drought," Upon mentioning that particular event, Sabo flinched, but Luffy stayed quiet as he listened to Coby express his thoughts.
"Morgan is nobody to mess around with, and if you guys know what's best for you, you'll get out of here, I don't care how strong you are, this town is way too dangerous for you guys to be around."
Wildest Son
Lines of Marines combed the streets, but couldn't find either the girl, or the strange looking man she was with. This was due to the pair having been sheltered by a kindly bearded old man who was missing most of his teeth. 2 patted his shoulder thanking him with a shout, "Thank you kind man! We were almost caught back there!" Ms. Independence Day slapped her partner on the back of the head hissing, "Be quiet you idiot, we're being hunted! So, don't go yelling all willy-nilly."
The old man chuckled, "I saw you save that girl from that wild wolf, if it wasn't for you - well I just don't know what would've happened. Those Marines were all on high alert from that ship they saw on the Horizon, some big bad pirate they said, but it was a load of hooey, just some passenger cruise ship that had an accident." Independence Day nodded, but didn't say anything, I wouldn't have gotten into this mess if that damned Zero hadn't sent for me. That bastard Fishman is going to pay either way though.
Continuing, the elderly fellow seemed to realize something, "But, why didn't you pull out your sword? You swung it like a pro but you didn't even take it out of that sheath! Sword swingin' like that hasn't been seen since -"
"We should be going now," Ms. Independence Day interrupted and started for the door, gesturing for 2 to follow. Looking out a window, the swan fanatic cheered, "The Marines are gone!" But the old man went on like he hadn't heard either of them, reverently praising the girl, "You're a master, you make that blade dance like an art -"
"Hey! I dance as an art!" 2 interrupted, "Why can't you and Indie – wait, I've decided that once you come under my wing as my understudy, your swan name's gonna be Indie!"
"You want your wings cut, 2?"
"You're just jealous because you're an ugly duckling."
As the pair left his home, the old man sighed, "Not very often anything interesting happens in this town, always just more refugees, it's nice to see some people leaving Shellstown for a change, but it's dangerous out there, I sure hope those two can handle themselves. This place might be cramped but at least we're safe."
Wildest Son
As they left a general store and got onto the crowded streets, Sabo and Luffy walked back toward their rowboat. They walked quietly, with Sabo occassionally stopping to beam an award winning smile at passersby, who all seemed pleasant enough. They were then stopped suddenly when a small girl tugged on the front of Luffy's shirt as she and her mother passed by, both wearing worn aprons stained in alcohol and food. Sabo's stomach growled, but he stayed quiet. The girl asked, "Did you hear the girl who saved me from that wolf? She used her sword so good!" Sabo smiled down at her, Luffy did as well after he saw his brother. "No I didn't, it's good that you're safe though." Sabo gave her mother a nod and they went along their way.
They were nearly out of earshot when just as she grabbed her mother's hand the little girl asked, "Did you see that boy's tattoo mommy?"
Realizing his bandages had come loose, Luffy hurriedly tried to tie them up tight again, only for two Marines marching toward them to notice, and call, "PIRATES!" Sabo slapped his foreheard and pulled the pipe out from his coat and sighed, "Damn it Luffy." And Luffy sighed as he unbound his entire torso, revealing the Jolly Roger in its entirety. Sabo dove headfirst into one of the men, knocking him into a flower pot and smashing it with his body. A swift twirl of his pipe smacked the other in the jaw, dizzying him just long enough for a kick to the gut from Sabo to knock him to the ground as well.
"Good thing Coby's not around to see this, I hope his enlistment went well!" Sabo quipped as the two brothers now sprinted toward the docks, only to turn a corner and come face-to-barrel chest as Sabo went headlong into the bulging tree trunk mass of a man, literally bouncing off him. Sabo gulped as he took in the entirety of the man, who was easily three feet taller than either him or his brother, and was built like a brick stackhouse, with one hand large enough to engulf Sabo's head, and the other stopping just short of his elbow and a prosthetic replacing it, a massive axe-head on the end where his right appendage should be. Luffy took note of the steel bottom jaw the man also had, and eyed the axe instinctively.
"You go high I'll go low?" Sabo asked, and before he could answer both had to dodge a mighty swing of the Axe-Hand that gave the massive Marine his epithet, his blue jacket flowing in the wind over his otherwise barechest. Sabo then slid between the man's legs, and brought his pipe horizontal just in time to catch the man's shins and bring the behemoth down. As the man fell, Luffy delivered a fierce uppercut to his throat, winding the man. As the man got to his knees choking, eyes watering he finally caught his breath with a swift kick of a steel-plated boot into Sabo's own leg, bringing the boy down faster than reasonable for a man of the marine's size. He swung a meaty fist into Luffy's stomach, driving the boy back and grunted, "I am former Marine Captain Morgan Chop**: My town has been safe from the Fishman menace my entire tenure as it's leader, since well after the Government abandoned this entire region, I kept my people safe. I do not intend two idiot pirates like yourselves to spoil my perfect record."
Morgan wiped his face, turning so that he no longer had his back turned to Sabo, who was getting back to his feet. These were one of the times when the renegade Marine regretted the loss of his hand, and begrudged himself for letting his son practice with his pistol today. He held his axe out in front of Sabo, who held his pipe out, and started to spin it around while rotating which hand held it. Luffy on the other hand, cracked his neck and locked eyes with the man, a sharp note of indifference shocked Morgan, "Am I boring you welp?" He asked, before trying to bring a fist into the side of the boy's head while at the same time blocking a blow from the blond's pipe on his other side with his axer. Luffy kneed the man in the jaw, which led to Morgan start to laugh, only for the pirate's leg to kick out and into the man's chest, and Sabo slamming his shoulder into the man's stomach, and together the boys knocked him down. Taking full advantage of the situation, just as both Luffy and Morgan landed, the boy held the man in a chokehold, holding one arm in between both his legs as Sabo knowingly held the more dangerous appendage down onto the ground.
Morgan furiously rocked back and forth like a pent up bull, attempting to throw the attackers off, the fugitives must be brought to justice! But slowly his head grew cloudy and his eyes became heavy, and as the struggle wore on it wore his tense muscles out, relaxing slowly but surely. He growled, roaring at them nearly frothing at the mouth from pure rage but he fell unconscious soon enough. Luffy didn't loosen his grip. Sabo muttered, "We can let go I think," but Luffy shook his head, "He's probably faking,"
However clearly their conversation wasn't loud enough because a pink-haired Marine hopeful ran up to them from behind and kicked Luffy in the back screaming, "YOU'RE KILLING HIM!" Somewhere the boy had found a knife, which he swung wildly at his former friend. Luffy breathed in, then let a shadow coil around his right hand, and smoky black swirled around and covered his hand entirely, and he swung that hand at the knife, only for it to vanish, and the blackness just as suddenly. Coby stared at his tightly gripped fist where the knife had been, then looked back at Luffy, whose eyes clearly didn't understand what the boy was upset about. But then just before anyone of them could break the stillness, a massive entourage of Navy men swarmed the scene, what few civilians left outside in sheer shock retreated behind things or into buildings, and the pirates knowingly followed, diving through an open window in a bakery, and retreated into the other side and out the door, with the entire Marine Base right behind, and a former friend seething with hatred.
Wildest Son
Deep within the forest, beyond the stresses of the bustling Shellstown, beyond the noises and tradesmen and little girls, was quiet, was quiet and nature and tall trees. A place where a person could get lost, and, more importantly, lose themselves. This was where Mr. 2 had found his partner, who had been acrobatically rolling through grass and and seeming to dance with her sword, still sheathed in her hands. This was a clearing well past even those made by the expansions of the city, where lumber had been cleared for more buildings, to make Shellstown into the true HQ of the East, but this was a much more precise, much more unusual clearing. It was akin to a mass trampling, like a stampede had run through, but the grass hasn't had the chance to grow back. This was a stampede of prolonged months unto years of stomps and kicks and flips that have worn away at the ecosystem, this was the place where a young girl had come seeking betterment, where she'd rediscovered her own skill and talent. Where she'd gone from a sudden outsider to a natural occurence in that part of the wood, where wildlife would gather her in her surreal dance and gaze at the remarkable moves. This place was no real clearing, no plain or city extension this was the side effect of ambition, one of the casualities of a dream, and those were not something that Miss Independence Day would take lightly, in respect to the animals and life she'd disturbed, two words were carved into the center where the grass had gave way into dirt, and the dirt into gray dust-rock, 'For Them'.
Wildest Son
The two brothers in piracy raced down the street, having made quite a gap between themselves and the Marines within Shellstown, while then the boys had noticed that the streets were completely empty other than themselves and the Marines of course, Sabo didn't see a single soul, not even one that he recognized from the cruise ship from earlier that day. For some reason everyone in town had retreated into buildings and homes, doors locked as the boys ran by. He shrugged, a likely common response for pirates.
As they got closer to the docks, both pirates spotted a familiar short bespectacled boy who stood in between them and their boat. Sabo and Luffy skid to a stop before they plow into them, Sabo quickly spinning around to note the distance between himself and the Marines, who were still a good ways away from him and his brother. Luffy's eyes never left Coby, who shouted with tears rolling down his face, "How could you fool me into trusting you! You're monsters! Fugitives! I saw the kind of power you used Luffy! Everyone in town knows you're the Terror! People died! People drowned because of you!" Luffy didn't budge, didn't blink, as spittle flew from Coby's frustrated mouth. The boy continued begging, "Why were you going to kill Morgan? If he died we'll all be easy pickings for Arlong and his men! If you'd done that then East Blue could never be freed from Arlong!"
"Then I'll defeat Arlong. I'll kill him and this Empire, I'll bring it down."
"Like I'm supposed to believe you! Why are you always lying? Why did you even bother saving me, or pretending to believe in me? Or my dream!"
"We were never pretending," Luffy said as both he and Sabo brushed past and they started to row, just as the Marines charged onto the dock. They fired their rifles but the brothers had already gotten far enough away. Sabo mentioned, "Hey ya know if we had taken Alvida's ship with us we wouldn't have had the man power to use it anyway with just the two of us." Luffy didn't say anything, just watched as Coby cried out, "I swear, Monkey D. Luffy, Terror of the East, someday, no matter how long it takes or if I have to hunt you down to the ends of the Earth, I WILL BRING YOU IN AND BECOME A GREAT MARINE!"
AN:
*A key difference between the Wild Son and the Strawhat.
**Chop was supposed to be Morgan's original name but I figured Morgan Helmeppo sounds fine so I just gave him that name from the SBS.
Thanks to ASL D Brothers(who both followed and favorited), Harleyboy022(who followed), Tgm102(who both followed and favorited), Vongola10(who both followed and favorited), dagalo(who both followed and favorited), Uzumaki Dendi(who favorited), and sdkop21(who favorited).
R&R
Awareness Bringer(Rev): "A general story is a common term for something that all but forbids romance. And I rather like romance, preferably the straight ones. I don't think Shanks was already an Emperor when Luffy was seven, but I just don't see someone as influential as Whitebeard sailing the East Blue for whatever reason."
(Res): Ahhh thanks for clearing that up and thanks for coming back and reviewing again, I do intend to have a few relationships in this fic, mainly UsoppxKaya on the main crew with a ship with Sabo, and another one with Zoro, though Sabo's depends on if someone joins the crew while Zoro's I haven't decided which would be better between which other character. I want to have a bit more relationships than in canon, but Luffy will have none since he is canonically an asexual, but I will likely have a few gay ships involving characters that are canonically gay. While I'm not sure whether or not Shanks was an Emperor during the first chapter of One Piece, he was extremely powerful, having already gained his main crew and Conqueror's Haki, as well as being the Apprentice to the King of the Pirates and he wondered around East Blue even getting some of his crew from there(Yasopp). Anyway, Whitebeard's going to East Blue will not be for Luffy, but it will be explained very soon in this story. Thanks again for the review and sorry for the paragraph's worth of response.
SebasOoalDemiurge(Rev): "So, when you say that Zoro is going to be the strongest, is that physical strength, or would he beat Luffy in a fight? Considering you said that Luffy is going to be the most powerful, I'm guessing that its physical strength. However, the way you said it left it a little ambiguous."
(Res): Firstly, thanks for the review it's greatly appreciated, and in response to the subject of it yes, Zoro will be physically stronger, but will not be able to beat Luffy in a fight. In a one on one fight if going all out, this version of Luffy will be able to beat anyone that is going to join the crew, and on the subject of Zoro, a certain limitation of his during this story will greatly affect his fighting ability, but I don't want to get into that as his character is the one I'm looking most forward to, other than Luffy's himself. I will edit the Prologue to explain.
The next chapter will likely be posted on Saturday, thanks for the view and please remember to read, review, and get your game on!