This is NOT my story. I have changed and added parts from various other One Piece Fem!Luffy and Luffy x Zoro stories to create a full one.
As I get further into the story, about chapters 5 and 6 it will start becoming more of my own writing mixed in with everything else I have added.
Parts of this chapter were taken from Killjou's 'First encounters with the stretchy type.' The story is amazing and I definitely recommend it!
Most of the flashback scene of this chapter was written entirely by me and I am pretty proud of it. Enjoy!
Pizzafan123 - Here is Shanks' chapter. Thanks for reviewing and reading. Hope you like it!
Shirani-Chan – Your reviews make me really glad my friend talked me into posting this. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!
The authors I have borrowed from are: Pen-Woman, ChemGirl, and Killjou. (If someone thinks I have added some of their story, I apologize for not listing you. PM me and I will add you)
Beta reader for Pen-Woman is TheBlackSeaReaper.
One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda
Luffy's Past! Enter Red-Haired Shanks
Memory, you walked in to my life, but just like that, you walked back out, still you will be a memory. A memory that I have created in my mind, still you will be a memory, a memory that will always be locked, away in my heart and my mind, I will always have a memory of you in my heart, and I will always carry that picture of you in my mind, still you will be a memory…..by Nicole Edwards.
Somewhere in the middle of the ocean, three weird looking men sat on a small boat counting a large pile of treasure with greedy glee. They are the Tightrope Walking Funan Bros, members of the infamous Captain Buggy's Crew.
"Hehe, look how much loot we stole in only two days."
"All of this should keep Buggy from being mad at us."
"Hey, what's that?" one of them saw another smaller boat not too far from where they sailed.
"We should check it out," another said, tilting back the brim of the hat on his head.
They changed course and sailed their ship closer to the small rowboat and when they leaned over to take a peek inside. what they saw made them smile deviously. A girl with orange hair lay limp over one of the sides of the boat, appearing to be unconscious.
"Hey wake up, little girl," The pirate with the hat called, poking the girl's arm a few times. She stirred slightly and blinked up at the grinning men leaning over her. A soft smile came to her face and she said in a dazed voice.
"Ah, thank goodness, a rescue. Please, please, I desperately need water. I've been thirsty for two days, just please give me just one sip and I'll give you as much jewelry and valuables as you want. I just need water." She waved her hand dismissively towards a very fancy looking chest that sat at the opposite end of her rowboat. The lid was closed but with its style it was probably filled with tons of treasure. The three pirates smirked at their luck, another treasure they could steal and a pretty girl to boot; things couldn't get much better than this.
"Don't worry, will help you. But first we want to see the treasure, then you can have as much water as you can stomach," said the Pirate who had first sighted the ship. The three quickly made their way over to the girl's small rowboat and the third bent down to try and open the lock. With a click he threw the padlock away and just about to open it when suddenly a panda head spring from the chest like a jack-in-the-box. The surprised pirates jumped back in shock and stared at the box in confusion when they heard a mischievous chuckle coming from behind them. All three quickly turned around to see the orangette girl sitting calmly in their boat, sailing further and further away from them.
"If you want, you can keep the whole thing it's not my style." She called cheerfully back to them.
"HEY, GET BACK HERE!"
"SHE STOLE OUR BOAT!"
"YOU TRICKED US!" They kept yelling and cursing at the thief who stole their boat and their stolen treasure. Their Captain will be really mad at them now and probably kill them in a most sinful way; then the girl held one hand up to shade her eyes.
"From the look of those clouds moving in from the south, you guys should expect a strong wind and squall any time now." True to what she said, a big cloud formed above them almost instantly, its edges sparking with lightning. Then the girl continued.
"Also, a small boat like that won't last long in a storm." Once she finished the clouds drew closer and closer toward the three panicked Pirates. It started to rain and a powerful wind is knocked the boat around, making it wobble and shake brutally, before flipping it over along with the pirates on board. The whole event lasted barely three seconds. The girl grinned in triumph, her plan had worked perfectly.
"BINGO, see ya! I'll just borrow whatever treasure you got here."
"GET BACK HERE YOU, BITCH!"
"WE'LL GET YOU FOR THIS 'plurrbb'!"
Meanwhile, Luffy and Zoro had been sailing over the endless ocean for two days now with no island in sight and the food supplies disappeared quickly after the first day. Zoro rested against his trademark napping spot at the bow of the boat, his three swords resting protectively in the circle of his legs. He watched Luffy, his eyes bored, as the small captain hung over one of the wooden sides, fingers dancing across the waves.
"So hungry," she moaned and let out a small grunt as her stomach grumbled and gurgled. Zoro let out a sigh and closed his eyes, his mouth down turned in a frown.
"This is just great. We're in the middle of nowhere, we have no food and no water and on top of that we have no idea where the hell we are." he grumbled and for the millionth time wondered what had possessed him when he decided to follow this clueless girl. Luffy remained silent and didn't say anything back to Zoro, which was rare for her. For the past two days that girl had been nothing but a big ball of limitless energy. She was talkative, laughable, and downright childish, as such, at the current moment, Zoro was doing what he could to hold onto the ridiculous amount of sleep he had missed out on lately while Luffy was miraculously distracted with… wait, what was that hyperactive captain of his actually doing?
Shuffling a bit, Zoro peeked one eye open to see Luffy still at the other side of the boat (which was really only few feet away) craned over the side of the boat, staring at something in the water. Zoro watched for a few minutes as Luffy's head dipped lower, disappearing from sight and moving back and forth.
Zoro snorted slightly, struggling not to laugh. No doubt there was some kind of big fish Luffy couldn't help but follow, like a cat with a goldfish. She reached out further, this time one of her hands reaching out to the water and skimming over it and back, tracing the waves as she hummed loudly to herself.
As Luffy pushed herself out just that tiny bit further, Zoro frowned, moving forward slightly, body tensing. Luffy was a devil fruit user, right? So that meant she couldn't swim, yeah? So why the hell was she balancing so precariously out of the side of the boat like that? What if she fell in?
Zoro contemplated it for a few more seconds before forcing himself to relax back again, a slight scowl traveling to his face. Who made him her babysitter? Luffy obviously wasn't a child. She was his new captain, not his charge. She could look out for herself. After all, he didn't really think the younger girl was that irresponsible with her own safely, especially when she had shouted her dreams of becoming the Queen of the Pirates to Zoro loud enough for everyone to hear.… but Zoro had been wrong before. But what did he really care if Luffy fell in? Well, he'd have to save her, of course. But she'd survived this long on her own, hadn't she?
Sighing, Zoro let his head fall back, and he groaned to the sky. This one-man-crew job seemed to already be much more trouble than it was worth. But, Zoro knew deep down that was wrong. There was something about this girl; this hopeful, dopey kid, that made Zoro want to be all he could be.
So maybe he should do something about the impending danger Luffy constantly seemed to put herself in.
Blinking his eyes open to do just that, Zoro was met with a nice view of Luffy's small, tight ass. It was high in the air, with Luffy's torso well over the side of the boat by now.
Shaking away the hot flush that rose up his neck, Zoro reached out a hand to grab her ankle. "Luffy-" he started warningly as his hand closed around the skinny limb.
At the same time it did, there was a splash from the side of the boat, and a thick tentacle waved itself from the water toward Luffy's face. She leapt back with a squeak as the tentacle shot for her neck, but Zoro's grip on her ankle contradicted the huge sideways leap she attempted. As a result, Luffy's ankle was ripped from Zoro's hold and she toppled backwards over Zoro. Right over the opposite side of the boat.
The spray from Luffy's splash showered over Zoro, who was still sitting there, staring dumbly at his hand which until recently had held Luffy's foot. She wasn't there anymore, though. She was in the water. Zoro's eyes finally widened in pure panic.
The tentacle had stopped in its assault, and had paused when Luffy hit the water, before shooting downwards eagerly. Without hesitation, Zoro followed. "Oh no you don't," he growled to the unnamed tentacle as he dived under and everything turned blue around him.
He immediately caught sight of the octopus right below him with the source of his problems drifting helplessly within the clutches of the masses of thick and powerful tentacles that were winding themselves around every part of her body. Zoro angled himself down, pulsing with anger. The Octopus was no bigger than Zoro, but that didn't hamper it from going after Luffy.
He could see it now; it wasn't just that devil fruit users couldn't swim when they were underwater, they were completely immobile. And powerless.
Luffy couldn't even struggle. She was limp, easy prey for the giant Octopus, who now had his impressive amount of appendages curled far too tightly around her thin neck, waist and legs, and was now starting to move towards the far off bottom, probably to slowly digest its meal.
Reaching them, Zoro grabbed the closest waving limb he could and yanked it with all his might back towards him. Like hell I'm going to let that happen, he snarled internally.
The Octopus whirled on him, it's black eyes narrowed in anger as it horded Luffy behind it, its front tentacles flying out at Zoro. Zoro caught each one, and yanked the Octopus again around to avoid a third coming for him.
This would have been so much easier if he had his swords, or just one. Damn.
Wasting no time, Zoro pulled the whole Octopus towards him and leveled it was a smashing blow (still holding the tentacle in his hand as he punched), which regrettably wasn't nearly as powerful as it would be underwater, but still had the desired effect. The octopus reared back, it's tentacles lashing, but Zoro held tight.
Gritting his teeth, Zoro tightened his grip on the two tentacles he had and planted his feet squarely between the beast's eyes, before pushing as hard as he could, straining against the octopus's attached muscles.
Harder and harder he pushed while ignoring the attacking tentacles, pulling and pulling. The skin around the base of the two tentacles he had started to tear, and the octopus started spasming under the pain, it's eyes wide and unseeing.
Black blood started pouring from the octopus, and it went crazy. Satisfied it would no longer fight back, Zoro's grip eased, only to have the octopus rip away from him in blind fear and take off. Luffy was seemingly forgotten within its hold, and her limp body was dragged along.
Zoro started swimming frantically after them, his panic rising. He hadn't planned on it bolting like that with Luffy! Damn it!
After a short bout of swimming in crazed panic, Zoro just managed to dive forward and grasp the tip of a tentacle, ripping the poor beast back towards him again. Shoving the failing tentacles out of his way with a bubbled grunt of anger, he located Luffy and started to madly rip all the tentacles off her. The suckers popped off, leaving behind tight bruises and circled marks, but Zoro couldn't have cared less about that right now.
His breath was starting to run out, and he needed to get Luffy out of the water now.
Finally disentangling Luffy from the terrified octopus, Zoro kicked his way to the surface, allowing the octopus to dart away. They burst to the surface in a rush of water and air, both panting heavily as the sun turned their eyes to slits.
Luffy coughed and hacked as Zoro held her head up, water spewing from her mouth in gasping spurts. Zoro winced at the blossoming bruises that were forming on her too pale neck as she spat out the last of the water.
Zoro quickly cast his head around for the boat, before spotting it nearby and, making sure Luffy was breathing against his chest, started paddling awkwardly with one hand. He didn't get very far before Luffy's head weakly slumped forward right into the water. Zoro stopped immediately with a curse and pulled Luffy's head up gently by the forehead. His brow furrowed as he thought of the best way to transport the exhausted devil fruit user in the water.
Coming up completely blank, Zoro almost missed Luffy's small hands trying to grasp at his chest and encircle his neck, unable to do so because of her sapped strength. Catching on, he wrapped a hand around her waist to hold her up and used the other to lift each of Luffy's arms around his neck, automatically leaning back so her hands would stay there.
Luffy's head rested on Zoro's chest for a moment before she slowly lifted it and met Zoro's eyes, their faces close. She smiled weakly, but brightly. "Thanks, Zoro," she said warmly. Then, giggling, she leant forward as best she could and pecked Zoro on the nose.
Zoro blinked, his mind chugging along, before he realized what happened and he flushed. "Yeah, yeah," he mumbled, leaning back further so Luffy was fully supported by his top half. "You're an idiot, you know that?" Zoro received a cute giggle in response.
Turning around, he held one arm around Luffy's back as they lay in the water chest to chest, and he was not letting his mind wander to how it felt to have her small body pressed against him, his powerful legs kicking them back towards the boat. He tried to keep the embarrassment, or worse, the pleased smile off his face, but failed as soon as Luffy's forehead fell back to his chest, where she definitely wouldn't be able to see his face.
It was annoying for Zoro to try and drag the both of them into the boat, but as soon as he did they fell together in a tumbled heap. Rubbing the back of his neck with a grunt, Zoro sat up, realizing Luffy was sprawled in his lap, panting lightly as she tried to regain her strength. He also realized he didn't have the heart –or need- to push Luffy off.
"What the hell were you thinking?" He asked shortly in a frustrated voice, his now mild panic fading, but still present. "How the hell could you let yourself fall in like that? You know you can't swim!"
He lifted Luffy up like one would to a child, frowning at the light bruises forming along her arms and neck. None of them were bad, but they would be impressive soon, and he hated the tight feelings they brought to his chest.
"I know," Luffy's voice was weak and hoarse but she grinned happily at Zoro, before innocently stating, "But wasn't Zoro the one who tripped me up by grabbing my ankle? That would make it Zoro's fault!"
There was a short brooding silence from Zoro, who realized that Luffy was (shockingly) right, before Luffy laughed, pushing herself up Zoro's body until she was resting with her side to Zoro's chest, legs curled over Zoro's and head resting leisurely against his collarbone.
"But I wasn't worried. I knew Zoro would save me," Her voice was so confident and serious as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Zoro was an idiot for not knowing.
Zoro opened his mouth to say something, then realized he didn't know what to say to that. The unwavering trust that had so easily been placed in him without a second doubt… no-one had ever trusted him with such responsibility before…
"But…but… you dumb-ass! What if I hadn't been here?" he groused, still struggling with the strange situation.
Luffy tilted her head up cutely, blinking, her face blank. "But you were."
Zoro growled in frustration at Luffy, again finding no rebuttal to her innocent and straight forward logic. Luffy grinned knowingly at him, her hand reaching up to tip her straw hat back, only to find it wasn't there.
Luffy's eyes widened, and she scrambled wildly out of Zoro's hold, falling flat on her face before pushing herself quickly to her feet. The boat rocked, and Zoro gripped the side for support. "Luffy!" he yelled. "Calm down, you'll fall in again-!"
"My hat!" She cried, panic in her tone, looking around, head whipping almost comically from side to side. "Where is my hat?" She finally spotted it floating in the ocean where it had fallen, a far ways off from where their boat now drifted. Without a second thought, she leapt off the side of the boat for it.
"LUFFY!"
Zoro dived for Luffy without leaving the boat and swiftly grabbed the scruff of the girl's vest, jerking her straight from midair and back into the boat, fuming.
"Wait HERE," he snarled, anger clouding his eyes at the thought that she had just tried to throw herself back into the water he had barely just dragged her out of. He quickly removed his water-logged boots. "I'll get it! You know, cause I can actually SWIM!"
Completely oblivious to the pissed sarcasm in Zoro's voice, Luffy clasped her hands in worship-like wonder, staring at Zoro with stars in her eyes from her place at the bottom of the boat where Zoro had unceremoniously dropped her. "Ne, Zoro? Really?"
Her answer was a huge splash as Zoro hit the water a second time that day, and started stroking swiftly towards Luffy's wayward hat. He reached it in no time, grabbed it, and started making his way back, grumbling sourly the whole way.
Before he could even clamber back in the dingy Luffy had whipped the hat from his outstretched hand and was hugging it for all she was worth. Zoro growled angry as he hooked his leg over the side and rolled in, dripping water everywhere. That was just great, no gratitude-
He wasn't prepared for Luffy to suddenly pounce on him, eyes shining like the sun, even though he strangely expected it. "Zoro, you saved him! You saved my hat!" And just like that, Luffy began raining light kisses on Zoro's forehead, nose and cheek.
Zoro's eyes bulged to a comical degree and his hands landed on her slim shoulders, ready to shove. Then one of the kisses landed pleasurably right beneath one of his eyes, and his mind short-circuited.
"Uhn, wha-?"
Luffy didn't slow down. "Thanks, Zoro!" she squealed. "No-one has ever jumped into the ocean for my hat before! You're the greatest!"
Zoro seriously considered sharply telling his new captain that no one had ever jumped him and considered him the 'greatest' before just because of a stupid hat, and no-one ever should, but as her smile widened and her mumbles of gratitude continued, Zoro found himself suddenly not as obliged to shooting his captain down as he would have.
Luffy stopped after a minute and lay over him grinning, before she sat up. Zoro about to protest at the stop before he caught himself. Silence reigned as the two stared at each other, before Luffy simply smiled at him.
Zoro found himself blinking, his face slowly melting into a small but pleasured smile.
"Thank you Zoro, really. This hat means the world to me."
Zoro shifted back into a comfortable sitting position and reached for his swords, his eyes still focused on Luffy's happy face.
"You're welcome, captain." She placed the hat happily back on her head and turned to stare out at the endless sea, humming happily to herself. Zoro watched her, content, for a moment before a thought popped into his head.
"Hey, Luffy?"
"Hmm?" She turned back to face him, head tilted in a curious manner.
"You said you promised someone you'd become Queen of the Pirates, right? Does that hat have anything to do with that promise?"
She giggled and pulled the hat over her eyes, her smile wide. "Yeah!"
"This straw hat means more to me than you can possibly know. It's been with me through many fights, it's something so precious that I couldn't give it to you, Luffy."
*Flashback*
Ten years ago…in the peaceful town of Fuusha Village, part of the small island of Goa, located near the Red Line northeast in East Blue.
In Party's Bar, a group of Pirates are having a celebration. There is no true reason for them to be partying but they do so anyway, eating pork and drinking Sake until their stomachs bulged. Except for two who seemed to be chatting. One was a man of twenty seven years, with the most striking features; bright red hair, three scars across his left eye, short scruffy beard, and a straw hat. Next to him sat a seven year old Luffy, her hair pulled up in a short ponytail, wearing a white and blue striped shirt and a pair of blue shorts. She turned to the man next to her and said.
"Hey, you gotta take me with you on your next adventure, Shanks. I want to be a Pirate just like you!" then Shanks laughed.
"Right, as if you can ever be a Pirate."
"Why couldn't I?" she whined.
Off to the side, Shanks' first mate, Benn Beckman, sat at an empty table watching the conversation while smoking a cigarette. His long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and he smirked at the young girl's never ending demand. At another table close to him sat the ship's sniper Yasopp, skinny with shoulder length blonde cornrows, who watched Luffy fondly. Next to him was Lucky Roo, the roundest pirate on the ship, eating a leg of meat and waiting to see what would happen next.
"Look Luffy. You can't even swim sweetheart. You'll never make it out here as a Pirate." Yasopp chided gently.
"But I'm a great fighter! My punches are like pistols! And I can just stay on the ship." she said as she held out one of her fisted hands.
"Are they now?" Shanks replied in a bored tone, head resting in one hand as he ate his meal.
"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"
"Haha, it means you're too much of a kid, kid." said Lucky Roo.
"Yeah, he's right I got boys that are older than you," one of Shanks' crew said.
"I'M NOT A KID! I'M A GROWN UP!" she yelled again.
"Here, have some juice and calm down" Shanks chuckled handing Luffy a glass cup of apple juice, her favorite, and the kitten-like anger she was feeling melted away.
"Wow, thanks Shanks!" She drank the juice quickly and put the glass back down, humming happily when the entire crew laughed suddenly.
"I don't know one pirate that drinks juice," said Shanks, covering his mouth while he laughed.
"Hey, you tricked me!" The crew began to laugh even harder at her glare.
"STOP LAUGHING! THAT WAS A CHEAP SHOT!" as they continued to laugh, Makino, the owner of Party's Bar watched the scene with a chuckle. She wore a yellow kerchief, an orange blouse with black sleeves and a long light blue skirt with orange and white sneakers. Her hair is dark green that flows down to just above her shoulders and cute chocolate brown eyes.
"Luffyko? Would you like something to eat?" She asked maneuvering a large barrel behind the bar.
"Yeah! I'll pay you back with my treasure!" She cheered as she turned to face the older girl, her original anger at Shanks fading.
"What treasure, Luffy? You're lying." Shanks teased, poking at her face.
"NO I'M NOT!"
"You seem to be having fun today, captain," Makino giggled, ruffling Luffy's hair affectionately.
"Of course," He laughed. "Teasing her is my joy."
"Told you!" Luffy hissed back at Benn. The first mate had been continuously trying to tell Luffy that Shanks didn't tease her to be mean but to make her think seriously about what she said. 'Right now though,' he thought, muffling a chuckle. 'Luffy might be right for once.'
"Shanks?" Luffy's voice turned serious and the red headed captain turned to look at her. "How long are you gonna stay?"
He thought about it for a second, downing a bite of food with a swig of sake. "Well, we've been using this island as a base for about a year now. We'll come back a couple more times before we head further north."
"A few more times, huh?" Luffy sat back, shoulders slumped slightly, before she sat up straight, eyes flashing with determination. "I'll learn how to swim by then!"
"Good luck." Shanks encouraged.
Suddenly the door burst open, flying off of its hinges and sliding across the floor. They all watched as a tall man followed by a troop of mean looking bandits stepped into the bar. Luffy recognized the leader as the mountain bandit that had been on all those wanted posters, Higuma. He had black hair and a goatee and an "X" shaped scar above his right eye. He wore a long purple coat with a white shirt and black trousers. He also had a golden necklace around his neck. Everyone sat perfectly still, tensing as if preparing for trouble, except Shanks who continued to eat his meal.
"Excuse us" Higuma said in uncaring tone as he walked past Shanks' crew, stepping on the pieces of the broken door as he walked. He took notice of the pirates around him and smirked in disdain.
"So these are the pirates I've heard so much about." He chuckled humorlessly. "They look rather sad to me." He shoved in next to Shanks, upsetting the pirate's balance somewhat and slammed a hand on the counter. Makino quickly walked over to Higuma, wanting to avoid any unnecessarily violence.
"Good afternoon, what can I get for you, gentlemen?" Her tone is polite, but you can clearly hear that her tone was stating that she didn't want any trouble in her bar. Luffy watched on worriedly.
"We're Mountain Bandits, but we didn't come here to tear your place apart. We just want some Sake. Ten barrels should do." said Higuma.
"I'm sorry. I'm afraid we're fresh out of Sake right now," Makino apologized, body slightly shaking.
"Interesting, those Pirates seem to be drinking something and it doesn't look like water to me."
"No, that just happens to be the last of what I had stocked up. I'll have more of it next week though." She bowed slightly in apology but it didn't seem to have much effect because Higuma's expression began to darken with anger. Shanks turned to the bandit leader and held out a bottle of sake he had been about to open.
"My apologies gentlemen, it looks like me and my friends drank the whole place dry. I've still got one unopened bottle if you'd like. Go ahead." Shanks offered Higuma the bottle with a smile which only seemed to anger the Bandit Leader more and he grabbed the head of the bottle and struck the pirate with it, shattering the glass and spilling sake all over Shanks. Makino and Luffy gasped in surprise at the sudden attack but Shanks' crew seemed…unfazed that their Captain was attacked.
"Who do you think I am?!" Higuma shouted angrily. "One bottle is not enough. I'm a wanted man with eight million Berris on my head and I've killed 56 people. Don't insult me" Shanks sat there silent, his face hidden underneath the brim of his straw hat, ha almost appeared angry but then he bent down and picked up a large shard of glass.
"Geez, the floor is all wet with sake now. It'll get sticky if it dries. Sorry about this Makino," he apologized, moving to pick up the rest of the shards of the broken bottle. "Do you have a rag?"
"Oh, don't worry about it," Makino stuttered, moving to run around from behind the bar. "I'll take care of it." Before she could reach Shanks, Higuma unsheathed his sword and slashed horizontally at the bar backing where plates and empty cups rested. Shards of glass and ceramic flew everywhere, forcing Shanks onto his butt on the floor.
"Since you like to clean so much, here's some more work for you." Higuma hissed, turning his back on the bar. "Geez, a place with no Sake is not worth our time then. Let's go boys, see ya later, pansies." As Once they all left things got really quiet, Luffy could hear her teeth grinding as she fought back her anger. That rotten bandit and made fun of her friends and Shanks. But what angered her even more was that none of them did do a thing to stop him, not even a good punch to the face.
"Captain, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" Makino asked leaning over Shanks as she wiped Sake and food away from his face.
"Not a problem in the world, Makino." Then he began to laugh, a loud wholehearted laugh as if it had all been some kind of practical joke. His crew quickly joined in.
"He really got you good, Boss," said Yasopp sniggering into his fist.
"Talk about a loser," Lucky Roo added holding his round gut as he chortled. The crew continued to laugh, the sound so loud that even the townsfolk could hear them from outside. Then Luffy stood on her stool and howled.
"WHY ARE YOU ALL LAUGHING?! WHAT SO FUNNY?! YOU SHOULD'VE FOUGHT BACK, SHANKS! IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW STRONG THEY LOOK OR HOW MANY OF THEM THERE ARE, BUT INSTEAD YOU JUST LAUGH IT OFF! YOU'RE NOT A MAN OR A PIRATE!" When she finished, she stood there gasping, tiny fists shaking with rage. Everyone was silent, surprised by her outburst at Shanks, but the red haired captain understood. She was angry, not because he didn't stand up to Higuma, She was mad because that man had insulted him and his Crew because he thought that they were weak.
"Look Lu, I know how you feel but the guy just spilled some booze on me. He's not worth wasting my time on." Shanks spoke softly, trying to make the little girl understand, and deep down, she knew he was right but she was still angry.
"Whatever, I don't want to talk to you right now." She turned away from Shanks, biting her lower lip to keep from yelling or screaming or crying. Instead she jumped down from the stool and started to walk away.
"Luffyko..." Shanks sighed reaching out a hand to catch her arm as she passed him. She continued to walk, ignoring his call and expecting her wrist to slide out of his hand. What she wasn't expecting was to feel her arm stretching the further away from Shanks she walked. Apparently she wasn't the only one shocked by the new twist of events. Most of the pirates around her let out similar cries of shock and even Benn jumped out of his chair to run over to where she stood, staring back at Shanks with wide eyes.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" She screamed, trying to yank on her arm and finding that it only stretched more. Lucky-Roo abandoned his place at the nearest table and ran to the bar, where a small treasure chest had been sitting.
"Captain! The devil fruit we took from the enemy's ship is gone!" Shanks let go of Luffy's arm and it quickly snapped back towards her and she would have fallen over had it not been for Benn appearing behind her and steadying her.
"Luffy!" She turned her head to stare at Lucky-Roo and stared quizzically at the piece of paper he held in front of her face. It was a quickly drawn picture of a round piece of fruit. It would have looked just like an orange if not for the swirls covering every bit of its surface. "Did you eat this?" The large pirate asked, shoving the drawing closer to her face, as if that would make her remember quicker.
"Yeah..." She began cautiously, drawing out the word. "It was dessert, wasn't it? Not very good tasting though." She wrinkled her nose in distaste and stuck out her tongue before glancing up at Benn, whose hands were tightening on her shoulders. "I'm sorry. Were you guys saving that for later? I don't think you would have liked it Benn."
Shanks knelt in front of Luffy and placed his hand on her cheek, turning her face so she would look at him. "Luffy, that thing was a devil fruit! One of the rarest treasures of the sea. Whoever eats it becomes a rubber man."
"Like super powers?" Luffy began to get excited and a small grin started appearing on her face before Shanks continued.
"NO Luffy! It's a curse! Now that you've eaten it you will never be able to swim, EVER!"
Her eyes widened in shock. "WWWHHHHAAAAATTTTTTT?!"
Months passed uneventfully. Shanks' crew had left a few weeks after the incident in the bar with a promise to return. Surprising everyone but Benn, Luffy had taken to her new life as a devil fruit user with the same amount of cheerfulness that she approached everything in life with. She had promised Shanks that she would learn some new moves by the time he came back even though she claimed she was still mad at him. But now, there was a commotion in Party's Bar. Inside, everything was completely destroyed; plates and glasses broken, food scattered across the floor, and tables and chairs knocked down and broken. The commotion had started while Makino was preparing to open the bar. Luffyko sat on her normal seat, using a straw to swirl ice around an empty glass.
"Shanks and the others have been gone a long time now." Makino commented, wiping off the wooden bar. "Are you lonely, Luffy?"
"No!" She pouted, turning her head. The lie was obvious to spot, Luffy had always been a terrible liar but Makino and the others found it slightly endearing. "I'm still mad at Shanks for letting that guy badmouth him."
"Really?" Makino asked. "I thought it was brave of him to laugh it off after getting picked on."
"You don't understand Makino!"
The doors swung open before the young woman could reply and Luffy turned to see who was entering. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of the mountain bandits from before stepping into the bar, led by Higuma.
"Well, looks like the pirates aren't here today," Higuma chuckled throwing himself into a seat. "Well?" He pointed towards Makino. "We're customers, bring us some Sake!"
"MAYOR!" Makino burst through the door to the mayor's house, panting heavily.
"Makino, what's wrong?"
"Luffy was... Luffyko was kidnapped by the bandits!"
Outside of Party's Bar, Higuma was pressing his foot into Luffy's stomach, attempting to suffocate her, but she continued to struggle, feet kicking out and fists striking at his leg.
"You know, we were having a nice time in there until you opened your big mouth" Higuma hissed glaring down at the small girl.
"You better apologize!"Luffy shouted. "No one messes with Shanks' Crew and gets away with it." Higuma pressed his leg down harder and was surprised when Luffy's stomach just flattened and stretched to accommodate it.
"I don't think I said anything to offend you directly."
"You think wrong! Now apologize!" Luffy's arm shot out, stretching slightly and clipping the side of Higuma's jaw.
"Well well. What have we here? A rubber human? I could sell her to the circus." He lifted his foot off of Luffy and she threw another punch before he kicked her in the stomach and placed his foot on her head. "Might make a lot of money for this one."
"WAIT PLEASE! let the girl go, I beg you" the mayor yelled from behind them. Higuma turned to see Makino standing behind the mayor, a worried expression on her face. He bent himself down onto his knees and bowed his head. "I don't know what she has done and I certainly I don't want to fight over it. I'll pay whatever you ask, so please let her go."
"While the oldest generation may know how the world works better than us all, I'm sorry but this kid already made me angry. Nothing can save her now." He brought his sword up high, as if preparing to stab Luffy right through her heart.
"It's your fault! You rotten old man!" she insulted him again.
"I've decided. I'm not going to sell you. I'll just kill you!"
"NO, DON'T!" both Makino and the mayor yelled.
"I was wondering why no one came to greet us at the port." both Makino and the Mayor turned slightly to see Shanks standing between them, hat bent low over his eyes.
"Pirates, so now you're showing your sad faces, have you been spending all this time scrubbing the Village?" said Higuma but Shanks ignored him and glanced down at Luffy.
"Luffy, didn't you say your punches are like pistols?"
"Shut up!"
"I suggest you leave right now," Higuma continued, angry at being annoyed. "Come any closer and I might have to open fire on you cowards. Of course, I'll take out the little girl first." Higuma threatened Shanks, digging the point of his sword into Luffy's back. Shanks took a step forward and one of Higuma's men appeared, pointing a gun at his head.
"He said not to move, pirate. Do you want me to blow your head off?" he spat on the ground at the last sentence and the surrounding bandits began to chuckle. Shanks just stood calmly, sliding his eyes to the side to stare at the bandit.
"Would you risk your life?" he asked seriously.
"…Huh?"
"Now that you've drawn your pistol, are you willing to use it?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" the man looked at Shanks as if the pirate captain was a nutcase.
"I'm saying that guns are not for threats. They're for action." Before the Bandit could answer him Lucky Roo appeared, his own gun drawn and shot the Bandit in the head, killing him instantly his free hand still holding a leg of meat. Makino, the mayor, and Luffy gasped in surprise and horror at the fact that the man was dead and Luffy was awestruck that no one had seen Lucky Roo move. The Bandits seethed and shouted at the sudden attack.
"You…You're dead men!"
"These guys fight dirty!"
"Dirty? Who do you guys think we are anyway?" Yasopp scoffed placing his gun over his shoulder.
"What, you guys think we're a bunch of saints or something?" Benn chuckled.
"You guys are dealing with a real group of Pirates so let me tell you something Bandits. You can spray me with alcohol or douse me with food; hell if I get spit on, I'll just laugh it off but… I won't forgive anyone who hurts a friend of mine, that's where I draw the line!" said Shanks, his voice going dark with anger. Luffy couldn't believe it, that Shanks would risk his life for his Crew and for her. She felt tears coming on but quickly blinked them back, she needed to be strong for Shanks.
"HAHAHA, won't forgive me?! HAHA lousy Pirates KILL THEM ALL MEN!" Higuma yelled with a chuckle. The bandits charged at the Pirates with their swords ready, screaming the whole way. Benn stepped up next to Shanks and turned to look at his captain.
"Let me deal with this captain. I've got it." Without even breaking a sweat, Benn charged forward and used his rifle like a club, knocking out any bandit who got too close to him. In only a matter of seconds, Benn was the only one left standing, idly smoking a cigarette. "Don't overestimate yourselves, bandits." He muttered quietly. "You want to fight us? Bring at least a warship."
Higuma was shocked to see that his men had all been beaten by one guy, he had never seen such strength in a human before. Luffy just stared on in shock, barely recognizing the laughing, joking people she had made friends with.
"Wait, please it was a kid who started it!" Higuma panicked.
"Didn't you say you're a wanted man with eight million Berri on your head?" Shanks countered coldly. Higuma flinched and then he threw a smoke screen bomb on the ground, causing the pirates to cover their eyes with a curse. When the smoke finally cleared, Higuma was nowhere in sight and Luffy was gone too
"Luffyko! oh no I let that guy take her! What are we gonna do?" Shanks panicked, looking around quickly.
"Captain, calm down. Let's not freak out and let's find her!" Lucky Roo interrupted, trying to calm his Captain. Everyone spread out to cover more ground and Shanks sent out a silent prayer that nothing happened to the little girl he saw as a daughter.
In the middle of the ocean, Higuma had made a clean getaway, stolen a small boat and captured Luffy as his hostage. He now stood in the boat, pointing his blade threateningly at Luffy, who was curled on the other side of the boat.
"Haha, your friends will never find me here." Higuma laughed, taunting her.
"Damn it! Stay the hell away from me, you dumb-ass idiot! I really hope you die," said Luffy.
"Heh, yes, I know but now you're the one who's gonna die. I told you what would happen when you made me angry." he walked slowly forward so the boat wouldn't flip, ready to kill the girl. Luffy had no idea what to do now, she didn't want to die, she had so much to do, so much to live for. She had a dream that needed to be fulfilled, she couldn't die now, she just couldn't. Once Higuma got close to her, he lifted his sword with a menacing look on his face prepared to strike her down. Luffy screamed, her eyes closing, and tried to throw herself backwards, away from the sword, and ended up tumbling off the back of the boat and into the water.
She tried to stay afloat but it was like her own body was pulling her down. She felt herself getting tired and was barely able to keep her head above the water. A loud splash echoed in front of her and she cracked open her eyes to see the large sea-king, guardian of the island, staring down at Higuma's tiny boat as if seeing a snack. Luffy tried to yell but she only ended up swallowing more sea-water and could only watch helplessly as Higuma turned around in time to see the monster's large jaws close around him.
Then the monster turned its eyes to Luffy, watching the half-conscious girl curiously before charging towards her. She let out one last scream and suddenly, a large arm was there, pulling her back against a warm chest.
"GET LOST," Shanks hissed darkly, glaring at the giant sea king. Luffy watched in shock as the sea king's eyes widened before the giant eel like creature dove back into the water and began to swim away. Shanks sighed with relief and shifted his one-arm hold on Luffy, pulling her closer against him. She clutched at the pirate's shirt, sobbing, afraid that if she let go, Shanks would disappear.
"Thank you Luffy. Makino told us how you stuck up for us at the bar. I'm so proud of you, willing to stick up for your friends and put yourself on the line." Shanks spoke softly trying to reassure the small girl but it only resulted in more tears.
"Hey, don't cry, you're a big girl now."
"But Shanks" She sobbed. "YOUR ARM!" Shanks' left arm was completely gone, bitten off by the sea king that had tried to eat her. Because of her, he would never use his left arm again, because of her, Shanks was hurt! Guilt, sorrow, and grief overtook her. "I'M SORRY!" She cried.
"Lu-, sweetheart, its just an arm. I've got another one, I'm just glad you're all right" he smiled sadly, as she continue to cry. 'Thank god,' he thought, closing his eyes with relief. 'Thank god I made it in time.'
After what felt like hours floating there, Shanks heard the sounds of rowing and cracked his eyes open to see Benn quickly making his way towards them, a relieved expression on his face.
"What took you so long?" Shanks joked, passing a now unconscious Luffy up to his first mate before using his one remaining arm to pull himself ungracefully into the small boat. Benn's eyes widened in shock at the blood dripping from Shanks' body but he didn't say anything, just sat Shanks up in the boat and began to paddle back to shore.
"Benn..." Shanks whispered, holding out his arm towards his first mate. Benn nodded in understanding and quickly handed over the little girl resting in his lap, setting her gently in Shanks' embrace.
"She's ok, captain. Just exhausted. We need to get you looked at!"
"I'll be fine," Shanks chuckled, placing a soft kiss on Luffy's head. "I'm just glad I made it in time."
After a week of rest and recuperation, Shanks had begun to make a full recovery. Little Luffyko had been with him every step of the way, refusing to leave the pirate captain for very long. Shanks had begun to tease her again and before long, it was time for them to set out again.
The next day, the Townsfolk watched as Shanks' crew loaded the last of their new supplies on their ship, laughing and singing with each other. They bid the townsfolk farewell and were wished a safe trip in return. Shanks was the last to board the ship, kneeling on the harbor in front of Luffy, smiling as she tried to fight back a pout.
"So you're leaving?" Luffy sighed.
"Yeah, it was a nice extended vacation, but it's time to part ways. I bet you'll miss me, huh?" He teased. Shanks still wore his usual clothing but had added a black cape to hide his missing arm.
"Yeah, but this time it's different! I won't beg you to take me with you cause I'm going to be a Pirate all on my own." Luffy declared pointing her finger at Shanks. The red haired pirate stuck out his tongue, mocking her like a child would.
"I wouldn't take you with me anyway; you'll never make it as a Pirate." Deep down though he was happy; even after all that had happened, his little girl was still the same.
"No, I will make it as a Pirate," She shouted. "I'll gather the most strongest Crew that's better than yours! And I'll find the greatest treasure of them all, the One Piece, and I'll be the first ever QUEEN OF THE PIRATES!" Most of the crew stopped their jobs to stare at the small 7 year old girl in shock. It was her craziest declaration yet, but it was also her most profound one.
"Heh, you think you can outshine us?" said Shanks raising one of his eyebrow. Luffy stared at the ground, embarrassed, refusing to look up at her role model, and then Shanks removed his hat and plopped it gently on her head.
"In that case, I'll leave this hat to you. It means more to me than anything in the world so you better take good care of it, you hear me?" He tilted the brim down over her face to hide his own watering eyes and stood up before turning to walk towards his ship. Luffy stood there in shock, Shanks had given her his favorite hat, she was honored and happy and sad at the same time. 'I won't let you down Shanks!' she thought.
After they finally finished packing, Shanks gave the order to unfurl the sails and ship of the Red Hair Pirates began to sail away. The villagers stood on the dock, waving goodbye until the ship was out of sight.
Luffy stood next to Makino, clutching the straw hat to her chest and waving to Shanks, tears flowing freely down her cheeks as she remembered his last sentence to her.
"I want you to bring this hat back to me someday, in good condition, and only once you've become the Queen of the pirates. That's our promise, Lu."
*End Flashback*
As she finished her story, Luffy smiled, a bright, happy smile that had Zoro staring at the young woman. She took her hat off with one hand and stared at it fondly, remembering her promise to her role model, her idol, her inspiration, her…Father-figure.
"Hey, Luffy, don't drop that again if it's so important," Zoro huffed crossing his arms over his chest and and looking away from his new captain. She smiled at him and placed it back on her head with a laugh.
"It is, thank you again Zoro."
"Ugh, I'm so hungry it's killing me," he groaned for what had to be the hundredth time, ignoring Luffy's praise, it was just his job, after all. She laughed and leaned her head back to stare up at the blue sky before blinking.
"I think that's a bird up there. Maybe I can catch it."
"Go for it, captain." Zoro encouraged, not really paying attention. With a nod, Luffy hooked her hands onto the wooden poles at the top of the sail.
"Gum Gum Rocket!" She launched upwards towards the bird and for a moment it looked like she had caught it, but then Zoro looked closer and saw that the bird had grabbed her tightly in one of its claws and was quickly carrying her off. "Ahh! ZORO! Help!"
…
…
…
"WHAT THE HELL?! GET BACK HERE YOU OVERGROWN BIRD BRAIN AND GIVE ME BACK MY CAPTAIN!" he rowed as quickly as his arms would allow him, trying to catch up with the bird, not realizing the statement he had just made.
In the middle of nowhere, the Tightrope Walking Funan Bros that has been tricked by the orange haired girl had been drifting for a long while with no end in sight when they suddenly spotted a small boat heading their way.
"HEY, WAIT, OVER HERE! MEN OVER BOARD! MEN OVER BOARD!" One shouted, waving his arms.
"Great, that just what I need" Zoro sighed, not slowing in his rowing. "I CAN'T STOP NOW! YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO JUMP IN!" He yelled back, continuing his journey. The three quickly grabbed on before he could ram them, trying to pull themselves up against the harsh current.
"Wow, I'm impressed that you made on board," he muttered under his breath.
"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US?!" they yelled at him together and then one of them stood up, drawing his sword and pointing it at the green haired man.
"Stop the boat; we're members of Buggy the Pirate's crew so the boat is ours now!"
Bonk
Bang
Blow…
"Hehehehe! we're sorry!" One of the pirates bowed to Zoro while the other two sat behind him, rowing the boat. They all had sizable lumps on their heads from where Zoro had easily beaten them and were now rowing the boat as an apology."We had no idea you were the great Pirate Hunter Zoro, please don't kill us."
"Great," Zoro hissed. "Thanks to you three idiots, I lost sight of her."
"Oh, I didn't know you had a girlfriend Mr. Roronoa, sir."
"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND, YOU MORONS!" Zoro yelled with a look that could frighten Sea Kings…a tiny blush crossed his face, but despite that he still looked menacing.
"Y-y-yes, sir" they stuttered in fright. Zoro looked up at the sky to see if he could spot Luffy and the bird anywhere but knowing her, she'd probably try to pull something off as soon as she saw land. He silently hoped she was alright, then mentally slapped himself for thinking so…mushy.
He distantly heard the three idiots talking about some girl that tricked them and stole their boat and treasure. In his mind that made them more than idiots. To be fooled by such a lame trick, then he heard them mention Captain Buggy.
"Huh, so who's this Buggy person?" Zoro asked.
"EH, you've never heard of Buggy the Clown?!" the three yelled, shocked that the famous East-Blue hunter had never heard of Buggy.
"Uhhh, nope" Zoro answered in uncaring tone. To him, that had to be the most ridiculous name he had ever heard. Buggy the Clown; what kind of pirates name is that? Then one of the pirates replied.
"He is the most ruthless pirate in the East-Blue. No one in their right mind would dare go against him and he's eaten one of the Devil Fruits! Above everything else he is truly one terrifying man."
In Orange Town, a once peaceful town on an East-Blue island, things were hectic. Buggy the Clown had recently caused havoc in the town, wrecking buildings and taking control of the main streets. The civilians had been forced to flee to the other side of the island because they were too weak to stand against the pirates.
The streets were quiet for the moment, until a mysteries and familiar girl slid around a corner, running from her life from a group of three men dressed like circus performers.
"Give us back or else," One shouted, raising his sword angrily.
"We just stole that and now this girl stole it from us," Another whined. "She's gonna pay." The girl spared a glance back and grinned smugly, feeling the chart of the Grand Line pressed securely against her stomach, under her shirt. It had almost been too easy, now she just had to get away from these guys.
"If we don't get that Chart back our Captain won't be too happy."
"Yeah, he'll kill us with his Devil Fruit powers!"
On top of the town hall building, there was a large tent with Buggy's flag on top. Inside sat Captain Buggy, hiding himself from plain sight and silently waiting for the crew he had sent out to recover his Chart. He appeared calm on the outside but those who knew him could see that he was seething with anger.
"Captain Buggy, I spotted something high in the sky above the port," one of his crew spoke when he spotted a giant bird thing in the distance.
"Well, shoot it down."
The girl continued to run, still finding no opportunity to lose the three pirates when a powerful explosion from one of Buggy's cannons echoed through the streets. The girl and her pursuers all stopped to look up, wondering what the cannon was shooting at. There seemed to be something, no, someone in the sky falling right towards them. As the figure got closer they could tell it was a girl.
"AAHHHHHH! ZORO!" She screamed as she fell. She landed with a loud BANG on a pile of crates near Nami, causing smoke and debris to surround them all.
"What the hell was that!" the girl asked in surprise.
"Is that…a girl fell out from the sky…" one of the Pirates said uncertainly.
"Don't be stupid, that's impossible," another hissed.
"Damn it, why does this always happen to me?" As the smoke cleared, the orangette and the Pirates gasped in surprise to see that it had actually been a girl that fell out of the sky. A young and pretty girl who climbed easily out of the rubble and brushed away dust from her hair and clothes.
"That was AWESOME!" She laughed, stretching her arms above her head. "Huh? I wonder what happened to Zoro?"
End of Chapter 4
What did you guys think of the flashback? Really looking forward to Buggy's chapter next along with the whole confrontation with Luffy in the cage.
Here's a little excerpt from it because I honestly can't resist -
"But I'm interested though. Killing you would boost up my reputation." Buggy tone suggested he was confident that he could take down Zoro. Luffy frowned at that, she knew Zoro couldn't be beaten that easily.
"If you try, you'll die." Nami shivered at Zoro's look and at the dangerous edge to his voice when he addressed Buggy. She was thankful that the swordsman didn't know that she had been the one to let his captain get captured. She didn't want that anger directed at herself.
Hope you're looking forward to it and don't forget to review.
See you guys tommorow!