Luffy saw the door swing open and felt his presence. Makino was busy fussing over him, cleaning the wound he scratched into himself and bandaging it. He could feel himself sweating and barely paid Makino any attention as his head swiveled and he made direct eye contact with Shanks. And then, the moment was over because a large shout was heard as Sabo came flying in, knocking the Captain over and Luffy watched as his brother came sliding across the bar. His jaw dropped and he yelled, "Sabo, are you ok?" as he got up to help him.

Sabo shook his head and said, "jeez Luffy, what happened to you?" as he grabbed Luffy's outstretched hand.

"Oi, what the hell, kid?!" screamed a red-haired man.

"That fucking hurt, ya bastard!" the pirate shouted.

"Hey mister, please mind your manners, these are children, I won't have you speaking to them that way," Makino spoke firmly above the chatter. Sabo and Luffy immediately stood behind her and the man smirked for a second before he said in a simpering voice, "Oh my what a beautiful maiden! Are you a magical selkie, perhaps, hmm?"

Makino laughed merrily and said, "Oh hush, as long as you respect me and the boys, we'll be good. You can't flirt your way out of this one," she finished. Sabo blushed at being included despite just having met Makino in this life for the first time by flying in.

"Dhahahah, of course not, my fair lady, my apologies for my language," Shanks said, taking his straw hat off and bowing. Sabo and Luffy growled at him and the man chuckled at their antics. Makino giggled at the scene and swiftly began taking orders from the crew making the captain frown at being ignored.

Luffy and Sabo started helping Makino serve drinks and Luffy slowly grew more comfortable as he fell into a routine with his brother. In all the chaos of the new pirate crew Luffy didn't get a chance to introduce his brother to Makino but she took his presence in a stride and Luffy beamed internally, loving how accepting she was.

Meanwhile, Sabo was internally panicking at having made such a spectacularly bad entrance in his mind and was debating different strategies to make it up to Makino. When Luffy handed him a tray of drinks, he immediately fell into step and got swept up in the commotion. He had forgotten how rowdy this crew was and was reminded of Luffy's crew when he met them in Dressrosa. As time wore on, he began to loosen up and smile as he also felt Luffy relaxing in the fun atmosphere.

By the end of the night, both boys were exhausted and while on a break Luffy took the chance to introduce his brother to Makino.

"Oi Makino, c'mere, meet my brother Sabo,"Luffy shouted, waving her over.

Makino looked over shoulder, interrupting a rosy-faced Shanks who was telling her a joke and smiled. Shanks huffed from his seat and watched her walk away towards the two boys who watched him stick his tongue out at them and frown while walking over to talk to his vice captain.

Sabo pushed Luffy and told him to give him a warning next time.

Makino was laughing as she walked over and bent down to meet Sabo at eye level as she said, " Brother, huh? So this is where you've been disappearing off to? Luffy, shame on you." Makino hugged Sabo and said, "Welcome to the family, Sabo, I wish Luffy brought you over sooner. Come over anytime. I wanna see you every day!" Makino stood back and said, " You were a big help today, thank you for working so hard! Luffy was smiling so much. I'm so happy he has a brother!" she said slightly teary-eyed.

Luffy and Sabo were both blushing and Luffy scratched his head and said, "Makino, we're hungry!" Sabo slapped his head and yelled "Rude!" Makino laughed and responded, "Why don't you boys have a seat at the bar and I'll bring you dinner. You must be starving after all the work you did today!" she said.

When the boys sat down, they were next to Shanks and Benn Beckman who had been quietly whispering and went silent when they sat down.

Sabo discreetly soothed his brother's shoulders and loudly asked, "So Luffy, have you ever seen a tomato as red as his hair? I don't think I have?" he said, smiling widely.

Luffy laughed loudly and Shanks angrily shouted, "Oi, I'm right here ya lil' rascal!"

Sabo said, " I guess it's true what they say about red-heads and their fiery temper, hahaha."

Shanks lunged but his second-in-command held him back and sighed, "Captain, please, they're just kids, we've been through this," the weary man said.

"Bennn," the captain whined, "But, but, they're so rude! They interrupted my time with a beautiful lady and made fun of my hair!" he said while pulling on his red strands.

"Stop being dramatic," Benn said firmly while Luffy jumped in, "In your dreams old man, Makino is outta your league, old bones!" he shouted.

Shanks gasped and Beckman let him go, shaking his head in the process.

"O-o-ld oldd maa-nn? O-o-old bonezzz?!" Shanks stuttered in dismay,holding his face in distress.

Makino walked towards the bar with a tray laden with food and tried not to laugh saying "Oh my Shanks! You look like a damsel in distress!" she tittered. Both boys laughed and so did the rest of his crew while Shanks turned red on the spot.

Makino set the food down while both boys thanked her and she went off again around the room refilling the pirates' drinks and going back and forth getting more food for the hungry crew.

Shanks glared at both boys while they ate, muttering furiously while Benn laughed silently beside him. The boys sat talking quietly with each other while they ate. The older boy holding his arm around Luffy.

"So, brothers, huh?" Shanks asked gruffly after a while.

Luffy stopped shoveling food in his mouth while Sabo answered, "Yup mister, what about you? What are you doing in these backwaters? Too weak to leave the East?" he said, spitting food everywhere. Luffy almost choked on a fish bone.

"Huhhh," Shanks said, dropping his jaw. "You sure got some big ones, kid. I'd watch my mouth if I were you, lots of dangerous pirates who wouldn't take kindly to your jabs," he said, taking a sip of his sake.

"Hah. Believe me, I can take the heat, can you?" Sabo asked, smirking. Next to him, Luffy had gone silent, his attention occupied by something else in the room.

"Heh. Kid, you sure are confident. I bet I can beat you in an arm wrestling contest. You up for it?" the captain asked while Beckman slapped his forehead in resignation.

"An arm wrestling contest? With me? You sure old man? I'll wipe the floor with you," Sabo responded laughing. Shanks tightened his fists and grunted, he smiled as he said, "We'll see, come right along," he said, sweeping his arms towards a table his crewmates cleared for him.

Sabo nudged Luffy, startling him and Sabo whispered, barely moving his lips, "You good, little brother?" Luffy shook himself and smiled at his brother, "yeah," he responded and more loudly said "Beat his Ass!" The pirates heard Luffy and laughed merrily while Shanks stood fuming.

They walked over to the table and Sabo sat while his brother stood behind him. Soon Shanks sat down too and the table was swarmed with pirates shouting and holding up belis as they bet on who would win. Some of the pirates remembered how Sabo came flying in and gave their captain whiplash as he crashed into him so they figured he was strong and bet on him to also make fun of their captain.

"Oi, I'll remember all of you scallywags betting against me, mutiny I say, it's mutiny to bet against your own captain, you scoundrels," Shanks shouted. "And you, Benn, my second, betting against me too? I'm hurt, truly I am," Shanks said, holding his fist against his heart as Luffy laughed across him. Luffy's heart clenched, thinking of Zoro, wondering how his own vice captain was doing.

He placed his hands on Sabo to steady himself and asked, "So, how you gonna play this, big brother?" bending down to murmur in his ear, movement barely visible. Benn Beckman and Shanks made eye contact, it barely took a glance for both men to be on the same page about the brothers in front of them, both of them noting something off about the boys.

"Treat it like we're in Edge Town, draw it out to increase the stakes and finish it," Sabo answered.

"Got it," said Luffy, "I know just what to do," he said, smiling widely. "So tomato-head, ready to lose to my big brother?" Luffy shouted as the roar of the pirates got louder at the insult.

Shanks reacted angrily, banging his leg on the ground, "Hah, your brother is so gonna lose, ya loser!" and Luffy stuck his tongue out, yelling, "That's a terrible insult, your jokes are old, just like you!"

Shanks stood up and shook his fist at Luffy and Sabo loudly cleared his throat, "You ready or not, old-timer?" he said as he brushed his shoulders. Shanks turned and shook his fist at Sabo this time and sat down. "Hmpf! Kids these days. No respect." Shanks said, turning his nose up while the others laughed around him.

The crowd got bigger as others finished eating and joined the fun. Luffy was absorbed into the rowdy group while Yasopp started announcing the arm wrestling competition.

Sabo was smiling while he placed his arm on the table and moved his chair closer. Shanks sat smiling as well and asked him, "How do you expect to win, I'm bigger and stronger than you?" and Sabo laughed. He shrugged and responded, "Let's get going, you third rate pirate," Shanks narrowed his eyes while the crowd got rowdier and slightly bloodthirsty at the disrespect coming from the young boy. "Oi, kid. Don't go insulting our livelihood," the vice captain rumbled. Sabo shrugged and wiggled his fingers. Shanks put his arm down and set his palm to face his opponent and grabbed Sabo's hand.

"Ok, OK," Yasopp shouted over the crowd. "Let's keep it clean! No funny business, from either of you!" he said, wagging his finger in each of their faces. "Bets closed, fellas, let's get this party started!" the marksman shouted.

The battle commenced and Shanks was smiling as he went to slam the boy's hand into the table to teach him a lesson. But instead, he gasped as Sabo started pushing back and narrowed his eyes. Benn stared at Sabo from across the table and glanced at his captain noting the surprise in his eyes. The noise around the table got louder and the men around them were shouting at each other and the competitors. Sabo started sweating but wouldn't let up as Shanks gritted his teeth and said, "hmm, you're a surprisingly strong kid. I'd say stronger than your average East Blue bandit…" the pirate captain stated.

"Hah. That trash. Anyone is better than them," Sabo said.

"Ooo, hit a nerve?" Shanks said grunting as he slowly pushed back.

Sabo rolled his eyes and was about to respond when he heard a shout and the sound of plates slamming to the ground.

"Oh my Enel!" a shrill cry was heard. "Luffy, my goodness, your arm is stretching so far!" she yelled. At the exclamation, Shanks turned his head and dropped his jaw as did everyone else. Shanks let go of Sabo's hand and quickly stormed over to Luffy, turning him upside down and shaking him down.

"Oi, oi, let him down!" Makino yelled, gasping as Luffy's neck stretched and his head rolled around the floor. "Oh my Enel,oh my, Luffy, what happened?" she said, fanning herself, feeling faint at the sight. People drew closer to the spectacle, muttering all kinds of things about the strange sight.

"He ate my precious fruit, that's what! You know how much you just cost me? Spit it out! Spit it out!" Shanks said, shaking Luffy while Makino hit him with a rag over and over again. Sabo was making his rounds and smiled over the commotion.

Benn Beckmann held his arm out to his captain and pleaded, "Let him go Cap, it's over, once he ate even a piece of the fruit, he became a rubber man."

"A rubber man?!" Makino shouted. "Sorry Makino," Luffy said while picking nose. "Will you let me go, meanie?" Luffy asked Shanks. Shanks looked contrite for a moment before he flipped Luffy around and planted his feet on the ground and shook him again. "Argh, kid, don't you get it? You ate a devil fruit! You ate the gomu gomu no mi. You can never swim again! People pay thousands! Even millions, if it's a logia for a fruit like that," Shanks yelled.

"So," Luffy said, shrugging his shoulders.

"So?" Shanks said dumbfounded.

"Dhahahahha, I like your attitude," Shanks laughed merrily in a complete turn around.

"Ah,I'm tired, let's go Benn," Shanks said, yawning deeply. His vice captain turned and signaled the rest of the crew to follow.

Shanks dropped Luffy on the floor and the young boy muttered angrily at him, rubbing his head. "Be more careful, tomato head," Luffy said and Shanks whipped his head furiously about to yell but blew a raspberry towards the boy and rolled his eyes. He turned and shouted happily at Makino, "See you tomorrow lovely lady, it was a pleasure to be in your company," Shanks said, smiling goofily at her.

Makino blushed and responded, "It was nice meeting you Captain, I hope you can tell me more about your adventures."

"Adventures?!" Luffy shouted excitedly. Shanks smirked and patted down his jacket and stood up straighter, "Yes, I've traveled to many places, even as high up as the sky!" he said grinning madly.

"You've been to the sky?!" Luffy exclaimed happily. Shanks smiled warmly at Luffy and said, "Yeah, I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, maybe it'll finally sink in you're rubber and you'll be yelling at me for ruining your life," he said looking down at him, thinking of another time, when his own captain was still alive.

Luffy chimed in, "Cool old-timer, your type always has interesting stories," he said

"Hmpf, old-timer? I'm not even 30 yet, so don't go calling me old-timer, you brat!" Shanks responded.

"Ok, that's enough Cap, leave the kid alone and let's go," Benn said, grabbing Shanks by the shoulder.

"Ah whatever Benn, you're always ruining my fun," Shanks told him, drinking a bottle of sake. Benn rolled his eyes and said, "you wanted to leave in the first place," he said, shaking his head. Benn waved his hand and walked out while pushing his captain out who was spilling his drink everywhere. The rest of the crew had walked out ahead and a few stranglers were making their way out into the night. This side of the island, the stars were shining brightly, illuminating the night sky in a beautiful picture.

Some Time later

"Phew, I thought they'd never leave," Sabo said while shaking a bag of belis. Luffy laughed, cheering loudly, and took out his stash as well. "Suckers, shishsishi," he laughed. They made eye contact and laughed together, high-fiving, "Classic." They quieted down and Sabo said,

"So, talk later?" while rolling up his sleeves. "Talk later," Luffy nodded, doing the same, walking towards the back to help Makino clean up.

A/N: I'm backkkkkk. I'm sorry for the long hiatus. Thank you so much for liking and following my stories, I appreciate the love. I'll do my best to update sooner. Thank you for your patience. How did you like this version of events? I'm not sure who's pov to do next, I have many ideas. Thanks for the support :)