Anttolas: Thank you, thank you. I appreciate that. As for not making big reviews too often, don't worry about it. While I do love big reviews, not going to lie some have driven me to get things done faster though not always, it doesn't matter. As long as you enjoy the story and continue to support it, I simply can't ask for more. So thank you for your support.
Zaralann: Thank you! Yeah, he almost didn't. XD
DarkPirateKing69: Well you're right, but I thought it best to give a heads up anyway. As, in my experience at least, people tend to have more problems with sexual content rather than violent content. And, not gonna lie, I've always been a wee bit paranoid about getting my stories taken down. So to avoid that I try to take every precaution I can. Onto the peeking scene, I'm sorry if it wasn't to your taste, I really am, but I really wanted to put that in. I had it in my head for a while, and I just thought it would be so funny. As to why I put it in there...well there wasn't any real reason, I just thought it'd be a fun scene, even if it was small. And as to Nojiko's motive, well she's a little more playful in this story and isn't quite the same person as in Canon so...yeah. Once more though I'd like to reiterate, sorry if the scene bothered you or anyone else who read it, just something I wanted to do.
Anyway, to the most important part of your review. Sanji's newly revealed heritage...it will eventually come up. However, I'm afraid it won't happen until a good deal more has been revealed about exactly what's going on with that. Why? Because I like to have something to go on. I want to find out what the deal is, so I can decide whether I want to incorporate it as is, or make my own modifications to it, as well as how I might add on extra bits or even whole scenarios associated with it of my own design. The only way I would run with something like that with what little information I have on it is either, A-if I'm at the point I need to use it and it's going to be awhile before it's expanded upon, or B-If I have something I want to put in motion right then concerning such a matter without actually requiring any more information on it. So to sum up, yes it will, but not for a while.
F-ckthesystem125: Glad ya did. I wouldn't say that...but Zoro would. I think that's a given at this point, but as to how much higher it will be? Well, I'll let you speculate on that until the time comes for me to reveal his bounty. Heads up, won't be long at all. :P As for the others, no, not yet. But you have a point, now I'm going to have to work around that little problem with Big Mom. Hmm...if you'll excuse me, I have some brainstorming to do. Funimation App Ho! In otherwords, I'll think it over while binging on One Piece. XD
Johnny Spectre: Are you absolutely sure about that? Cause I know for a fact I've seen Luffy use Gum Gum Storm while flying directly at an enemy, not upward, though I can't quite remember when. Then there's the Elephant Gun Gatling against Hody, could've sworn he was coming down at him while using it. Haven't seen the scene in much detail as I only watch the English Dub, but since I'm online a lot, well, I tend to see a lot of One Piece ahead of where I'm at., so...yeah. Anyway, as to the drug...huh? Is there some kind of adverse effect for the New Fishman steriod on Devil Fruit users? Is that what you're saying? If not, I'm sorry, I'm just a little confused as to what you're trying to tell me. Even if that's what you're telling me, and it's true, it doesn't really matter when it comes to the drug that's popped up so far in this story, as it has little to no relation to the drug Hody and his cronies used.
Tonlor: Thank you! So did I. Really glad you feel that way.
Ranger Station Charlie: Yep, wrapped up and done. You think so? I do my best to keep true to their personalities, while also accounting for the changes made to them because of their altered histories. And I'm interested in writing it. I actually even have a few scenes planned for later concerning them. As for how the Luffy and Nami will react to seeing Tashigi with Zoro...well, shock and disbelief is a fair guess to how that'll go.
Lobisomen616: All twenty seven chapters in one day you say? Binging for the win! Yeah, there will be spots like that further on in the story too, darker than they were in the original, but that just comes with the story I'm trying to tell. You may feel bad for Arlong, but I certainly don't. We can both agree that he deserved it though, that's for sure.
Well damn...I...I'm not sure how to respond to that. That is one hell of a compliment, that's for sure. Reading that, not gonna lie, it fills me with pride and makes me elated. To think someone could think so highly of my work, it means a lot to me. So thank you very much for such kind words and high praise, they mean quite a lot, truly they do.
And I can't wait to write the rest of the story! But I don't think it'll take years to get that-okay maybe it will. Cause, not gonna lie, Pre-timeskip is going to be around...at least a hundred chapters. Seriously, this story will probably be the longest story I ever write. Well, a DBZ story I plan on writing might come close, but I doubt it'll match the length of this story when it's completely done. Not even the other One Piece stories I have planned will be able to stand up to this one when it comes to chapter count, and I plan on those being quite long as well. So...yeah, it'll take a while. As to how long it'll take to reach the arcs you mentioned, well, that's debateable. It will certainly take a long time, but, if I find myself in the right mindframe, I can easily pump out close to a dozen chapters in less than two months. On the other hand, the opposite can and has happened, where not a single update takes place in six months or more, so it's a gamble really. It all just depends on where my mind is at and what fandom I feel like writing for.
Darkangel665: I'm so very happy you and so many others seem to have enjoyed the chapter so much. Well it being higher than before is a given, how much higher though, you will have to wait and see. Neither can I. You're quite welcome, and thank you. :)
HP-DG-SB: So...I just now realized I could have been calling you by this rather than your full penname, since you used to give a signature with this shortened version. How silly of me. Anyway, to your review. Thank you very much, glad you liked my little wrap up of the arc. Here's the next chapter, so no more waiting for the next chapter! At least until you finish this one that is...okay, stopping now so I don't start rambling on.
Dissenter: I can't say I approve of someone putting off their exams for my story. What I can say however, is that it brings a big ol' grin to my face that someone could enjoy my story so much as to put something like that off. Mixed messages, I know. Anyway, thank you for your kind words, and as to alterations to canon, I'm trying. I just don't feel like some stuff has to be changed and I want to keep it. On the other hand, there's a lot of new stuff I want to introduce, and the farther I get into it, believe me when I say that the more stuff will change. As to your request for Vivi to join...well I'll consider it. But don't get your hopes up, as while I do plan on adding more crewmembers, anywhere from two to four, Vivi just doesn't seem to be in the cards. I apologize for disappointing you. Luffy's bounty will be higher, scroll down, you'll see. Finally, thank you for your review and I hope to continue to hear from you.
Gmann: Okay...(Is unsure what to say at first). Anyway, I made you laugh huh? That's good to hear, as I don't want my attempts at humor to fall flat, especially when it comes to One Piece, as it present me with the most opportunites to be funny. As to the voice of all things...no comment for now. Just about every addition to the manga will be included in the story, whether they're incorporated the way they were in canon or not is up in the air though. As for if there will be an Alabasta arc...well, without giving too much away, there will certainly be an arc concerning Crocodile.
Also, before we get to the next chapter, I'd like to discuss something. I took a look at the layout of Going Merry, not realizing until now that I could have found a picture of it so easily. Looking at it, I realize I didn't keep entirely true to it so far, seeing as the girl's room is accessed by stairs and a hatch that leads up to the storage room. Not to mention the hole Luffy put in the wall would lead to the emergency passage that leads to the boy's room, not another room like I had put down. I will fix that at a later date, when I go back and polish the chapters even further, though that will be a long time from now. With that said, please try to be patient with me, as I do my best to stay faithful to the layout of the Merry. I will do my very best to keep to the layout in this and all future chapters.
Considering the fact that no one said anything about this, I'm assuming you all were just being polite by not pointing out the error I made. And while I do appreciate all of your kindness, if you see I've made an error as to the layout of an area, please let me know. As long as you aren't rude about it, believe me, I will not be upset. In fact, I would greatly appreciate knowing of the error so I can correct it. Why? Because I love One Piece with all my heart, and want to do everything I can to keep true to the series. I'm messing with strength levels, plotlines, character ages, the order of events and just the timeline in general, because that is what an AU story is about. The layout of the Merry however, there's no reason for that to be different, seeing as nothing happened to change it. Although I'll tell you right now, when they get the Sunny, it will include an extra room not in the original design. As to what that room will be...that's for me to know and all of you to find out.
Something else to put here, unrelated to what I was just talking about, but I'm gonna put it in here anyway. Chapters one through nine were basically the prologue, while chapters ten through twenty seven served as the first season. In otherwords, last chapter was the final episode of season one, while this chapter is the first episode of season two.. Just felt like putting that out there.
One last thing guys, as of this chapter a month has officially passed in the story. Meaning this chapter takes place on Febuary fifth, three months before Luffy originally set out in canon, and a month after he set out in this story.
Okay, here we are, the first chapter of season two. It's not much, but it's gearing up for the next series of events at least. Please read, review and enjoy.
Several days had passed since the Strawhats had left Cocoyashi, and since then it had been nothing but peaceful. There was no longer any drama between Luffy and Nami, no tears or anger, nor broken hearts, if you exclude Sanji that is. On top of that, they hadn't seen battle since the navigator's island either. Things were quite calm, as they made their way toward their destination, the Grand Line. Which allowed them a rest from all the crap they had dealt with island from island after having gotten the original three of them together. Though they all used this time differently.
Zoro was napping peacefully near the stern of the ship, his legs crossed and his swords resting at his side.
Sanji stood guard over the three tangerine trees Nami had brought on board, all too happy to protect them for her.
Luffy was currently sneaking around the blonde, getting ready to steal one of the tangerines right out from under his nose.
Usopp was sitting on the deck, busy concocting a new type of projectile for his slingshot, which he dubbed the 'Tobasco Star'.
And Nami, who was now wearing a short sleeve blue shirt with a v-neck collar, along with that blue skirt from before, was relaxing in a lawn chair near the bow of the ship. She was barefoot, having not bothered to put her boot-like gladiator sandals on today, as she basked in the pleasant weather.
That was when a medium sized seagull cooed, letting it's presence be known, as it came to land on the railing of the ship, near Nami. It wore a white cap and had small bag over it's right shoulder, showing it was a News Coo.
Upon seeing it, Nami got out of her chair and approached it, pulling a berri coin out as she did, so she could pay for the paper. As she tried to hand it over, the bird shook it's head at her, letting her know the same way it had in the past that the amount wasn't enough. "You've raised your prices again?" She questioned, clearyly annoyed by this. As it nodded it's head to confirm that, a frown crossed the cartographer's face. "The price for a newspaper's getting a little steep, don't ya think?" She didn't recieve an answer that time, which only annoyed her further. She did want the paper however, so she put the coin away and produced another one, this one of greater value. Handing it over, she took the day's newspaper from the bird, warning it as she did. "Raise your prices again and I'll stop paying." She recieved a nod from it at that, before it returned to the air and took off.
Usopp, who had heard all this since he was barely even ten feet away, couldn't help but ask why she seemed so aggravated over this. Though he didn't turn around to do so, in the middle of proportioning the Tobasco Star. "What's the big deal? It's just one paper."
"Just one paper? I buy these everyday." Nami told him, her annoyance clearly having not faded even a bit.
"Yeah, but there's no need to save every last berri so you can buy back your village from Arlong, ya know? You can finally stop obsessing about money." He said as he turned to face her, after having finished proportioning the tobasco sauce.
"You're so stupid." She told him bluntly, taking a page out of Luffy's book. "Now that that's over, I'm saving money for me now." She explained. "I have no intention of being one of those poor pirates who can't even afford to dress up. Besides, money makes the world go round ya know, so it wouldn't hurt to have some stashed away, just in case." She informed him, her aggravation now directed toward him.
"Okay okay, fine, just calm down a little. I'm in the middle of developing my special tobasco star, and I can't afford to have any distractions." He replied, trying to keep her from getting angry, not only because of what he was working on, but also because he didn't want to give her another reason to charge him, as he suspected that since she wanted to save money so badly, she would jump at the chance to get more berris out of him, or anybody else for that matter. Now that he thought of it, he should have seen this coming what with what happened right before they left Cocoyashi.
It seemed to work, as Nami just rolled her eyes and took her place back in her chair, dropping the subject as she did. Since this was the case, Usopp turned back to what he was doing, as he moved to the final step of creating the tobasco star, saying to himself as he did, "After all, an eyefull of this would send anybody running around screaming their-" Before he could finish speaking, Luffy's body collided with him, back first, knocking him back onto the deck, as well as dislodging the jar of tobasco sauce from his hands, causing a good deal of it to spill out onto his face, more specifcally his eyes, before it hit the deck. Thankfully the glass bottle didn't shatter, it only cracking, but that was the last thing on the sniper's mind, as he blinked a few times real quick, quite confused at first.
Just as he realized what happened, he was on his feet, running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, screaming at the top of his lungs because of how much the sauce burned his eyes. Even as he did this, no one really paid him any mind.
"Oh come on! I just want one of'em!" Luffy insisted, as he sat up after being kicked halfway across deck by Sanji, readjusting his hat as he did.
"No! This is Nami's tangerine orchard! I won't let anyone lay a finger on it!" Sanji proclaimed. "Nami, can you see how well I'm protecting your trees!?" He asked her excitedly then, his eyes morphing into hearts as he did.
Nami put the paper aside, not having gotten to open it yet, as she stood once more. "I can. But I think you're forgetting something." She said, as she began walking toward the three tangerine trees she had brought on board from her mother's grove before leaving Cocoyashi.
"And what is that my dear?" He asked her, his body beginning to sway a little as she drew closer to him.
"That Luffy's allowed to have one everyday." She answered as she came to a stop, picking a tangerine and proceeding to toss it Luffy's way, said rubberman catching it immediately. "Ah, thanks Nami!" He said gratefully, smiling at her as he did. She smiled in return, as he bit into it.
Sanji on the other hand wilted like a flower, nearly falling over at the scene, the hearts in his eyes vanishing as tears streamed down his face. "Right, I'm sorry Nami." He apologized, sounding quite pathetic as he did. Everytime he saw the two interact like this, all sweet like, he was reminded that the orange haired teen was taken and his heart would break all over again.
Looking to the blonde, Nami offered a few words of encouragement to cheer him up. "Beside that, you're doing a great job. So keep it up Sanji."
And just like that, Sanji was standing upright and at attention once more, the hearts back once again, though the tears continued to flow. "Of course my dear, anything for you!"
Zoro, who had been awoken by all the noise, shook his head at the scene. "Ol' Sanji's getting used, that poor bastard."
Usopp, who was still experiencing the agony of tobasco sauce in his eyes, finally got the idea to wash his eyes out, the pain having clouded his judgement up until now. So, still screaming his head off, he rushed past Luffy and Nami, who was on her way back to her chair, and down below deck into the storage room. From there he near broke the door down to the bathroom, it swinging shut after he charged in. Not wasting time, he turned on the faucet and began to feverently wash his eyes out, in hopes of not only bringing a stop to the pain, but to also prevent any permanent damage from occurring.
It took a few minutes, but he eventually managed to get the burning to stop. Once he had, he turned the faucet off and looked up at himself in the mirror. His eyes were quite raw, the area below them a deep red, just as his eyeballs were quite bloodshot. However that seemed to be the extent of it, there didn't seem to be any serious damage. And as he realized he could see just fine, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "That's better."
He dried his face with a handtowel before exiting the bathroom, closing the door behind him as he did. He then moved to go back up onto deck, before he could leave the storage room however, he noticed the hatch to Nami's room was just slightly ajar, leaving it the tiniest bit open. Seeing no reason to not close it, he stopped and then came over to it. As he took hold of it though, he couldn't help the feeling of curiosity that came over him. "I've never actually been down there have I? " He wondered to himself. "I've been to every part of the ship except down here." He thought to himself. "The ship was a gift from Kaya though, I owe it to her to see every room at least once, right?" He didn't recieve an answer to that, even though he had asked it aloud. Nevertheless, that didn't stop him from making the decision to go down there anyway. "I should see it before Nami changes it around too much." He told himself, as he opened the hatch fully and began to descend the stairs.
Once down there, he took in the layout of the room. The small bar that a carpenter from Cocoyashi had installed, a desk Nami was to draw maps at, a bookshelf next to it, a small closet next to that, a small sofa, a table in front of it and a treasure chest that Nami had brought on board beside the right arm of said sofa, the ceiling fan and hammock storage above and the few paintings hung on the wall. What really caught his eyes though, was the panel that hid the emergency exit that led to his and the other boy's room, more specifically, the hole that was in it.
As Nami finally got to open the paper, a loud screech of shock caught her attention, as well as the attention of Luffy, Zoro and Sanji. All eyes were on the door that led to the storage room, as Usopp burst out of it onto the deck, his cry coming to an end as he did.
Luffy, Zoro and Sanji all approached Usopp, who was standing near Nami after coming out to the deck.
"What are you screaming about?" Zoro questioned with a yawn, voicing the thoughts of Luffy and Sanji as he did.
"What's wrong Usopp?" Nami asked, taking her eyes off the paper to regard him.
"There's a hole in the wall down in Nami's room! A big one, the size of a fist!" He exclaimed frantically.
"Oh, is that all? Yeah, I did that." Luffy told the slightly older teen bluntly, clearly not thinking it was a big deal.
Usopp turned toward his captain then. "You what!? Why the hell would you do that Luffy!?" This ship is a gift from Kaya!" He shouted.
The rubberman shrugged at that. "I was angry." He spoke in a way that made it sound as if he thought it obvious.
"What kind of stupid reason is that!?" Usopp questioned.
"Wait a second, why were you down in my room in the first place?" Nami inquired with a quirked brow, a frown on her face. And as she said this, Sanji grew angry. "How dare you enter Nami's room without permnission!" He yelled at the curly haired teen, looking ready to kick him twice as hard as he did Luffy earlier.
Usopp realized just then that he had made a mistake, his anger being overcame by fear as he looked toward the sixteen year old cartographer, as well as the seventeen year old cook. "I-uh...well a-about that...you see I-uh you left the hatch open a bit. I went to close it an-and, well, I got curious. I wanted to see what the room looked like, since it was the only room I hadn't been in. It was a gift from Kaya s-so...I-um, wanted to see all of it from top to bottom. I didn't touch anything, I swear, i just looked!" He assured her.
Her eyes narrowed for a moment, as if she was scrutinizing him, but soon enough she let up, the frown disappearing as she went back to reading the paper, saying as she did so, "Whatever. Just don't let it happen again." Sanji didn't seem as if he wanted to forgive such a transgression so easily, but did not push it since Nami let it go.
With that settled, Usopp turned back to Luffy, his anger and aggravation returning immediately. "Back to the hole, do you know what you did? Not only am I going to have to fix that and explain to Kaya why it needed fixing, but you also could have caused us some serious problems!"
"Huh? How so?" Luffy asked, confused as to what his friend was talking about.
"Luffy, if that hole was in the opposite wall, we'd be taking on water right now! You could have caused a serious leak!" Usopp explained to him.
"Oh." Luffy said with recognition. "Yeah, that would have been bad." He admitted rather calmly.
"How could you say that so calmly!?" Usopp asked exasperatively.
As Zoro and Sanji moved to return to their spots, Nami was flipping through the pages of the paper, all three ignoring the marksman's little rant. However, as said young navigator got to a specific page, a piece of loose paper fell out, which floated down to the deck as it did. It caught her attention, as well as Luffy's and Usopp's, and as they realized what it was, they all three screamed. Only...Luffy's was one of excitement, Nami's was one of distress and Usopp's was one of shock.
Cocoyashi Village
"Hey Genzo, Nako, you two read today's paper?" Nojiko inquired, as she entered the house of the former.
"Today's paper? No, not yet." Nako answered, sitting at the table with his friend and host, the two having just been chatting about something.
"I haven't had the chance to pick it up myself. Why?" Genzo questioned. "Interesting story inside today?"
"Oh there was something interesting inside alright, but it was no story." She replied with a wry smile. "Here, take a look at this." She brandished Luffy's newly issued wanted poster then, placing it in the middle of the table for both men to clearly see.
"He's got a bounty already?" Nako asked more to himself than the other two, a bit of disbelief in his voice despite what he had seen the young man do. "And a sizeable reward too." He added.
"That amount's nothing to scoff at, that's for sure. But why such a high bounty in the first place? He did take out Arlong, but that alone couldn't have warranted this price, could it?" Genzo wondered aloud.
"Maybe not, but Nami did tell me about how he took out a corrupt marine captain and three other big name pirates before even coming here. Combine that with what he did here and the size of the bounty makes sense." Nojiko explained.
"Yeah, that would explain it." Genzo admitted, before a small frown crossed his face. "With a bounty like this the marines are sure to take notice of them." He remarked. "That boy better keep Nami safe." He said aloud without realizing it.
"Don't worry, I'm sure he will." Nojiko assured Genzo, having nothing but faith in the rubber pirate. And at her words, the scarred man couldn't help but think she was right, as he remembered all Luffy did for Nami, not only against Arlong, but also when they were children, the teenage girl not sparing any of the details when telling him about her time in Fusha. "I suppose you're right." Genzo conceded, a smile taking the place of his frown then.
The Baratie
Zeff was unable to wipe the smirk off his face, even as he chopped up a platter full of onions. As he had just recently found Luffy's wanted poster, said poster having put the smile on his face. Shortly after having found it, he had Patty and Carne hang it up for all to see in the restuarant, as he came back here to continue cooking, as the lunch rush had just hit. "That brat...he really is going to do it, I can feel it." The aging chef said to himself. "And I'm sure he'll guide you to your dream as well Sanji, the All Blue." His smile widened as he said this to himself as well. "You punks...I believe in you."
Syrup Village
"Miss! Miss Kaya, you have to see this, it's amazing!" Merry exclaimed excitedly, as he came running into the lady of the house's study.
"Huh? What is it Merry?" Kaya inquired, raising her head from the text book she had been reading to regard her butlet.
"Have you seen this poster?" He questioned, a large smile on his face as he handed said poster over to her.
Taking a look at said poster, a smile crossed the blonde girl's face. "It's Luffy, he's got a bounty now. I bet he's really happy about that." That's when she noticed something there in the background of the photo of the strawhat pirate, and as she realized what it was, her smile widened. "It's Usopp!" She suddenly said.
"Huh?" Merry muttered, confused as to what she was talking about.
She showed him the poster then, as she pointed out what she had seen. "See, that's definitely Usopp facing the other way!" She told him, now just as excited as he had been.
"But Miss, where is he? I don't see-" Merry cut himself off as he finally realized what Kaya was pointing at was indeed the back of Usopp's head covered by his bandanna. "Hey, you know what? You're right." He admitted, glad to do so.
Kaya stood then, placing the poster down on her desk as she did, before moving to the window, opening it and leaning forward onto the sill afterward. Breathing in the fresh air, she looked toward the ocean, more specifcally, the way that Usopp and Luffy had sailed off in. "This is great news! Usopp and Luffy are moving toward their dreams!" She went silent then for a few moments, her smile widening even further, Merry watching her allthewhile, a wide smile on his face as well.
"I'm chasing after my dream too, so don't worry you two. When we meet again, we'll all be the people we've always wanted to be." She proclaimed with certainty.
Shimotsuki Village
Koshiro sat in his empty dojo, having just let his students leave for the day, looking at the bounty poster he had found in the newspaper as he thought back to his time in Fusha. He remembered Luffy well, seeing as he was Zoro's best friend and proclaimed brother, as well as the fact that he had not only made friends with his daughter, but also had warmed her icy attitude a little. He had known of the boy's dream, but had not judged him for it, as he saw first hand what kind of person he was. Besides..."A pirates does not an evil person make." The swordmaster spoke softly to himself.
A smile appeared on his face then, as he asked aloud to no one in particular, "So Zoro, how long until you've got one of these of your own I wonder?"
Fusha Village
Partys bar was as rowdy as ever, as near the entire village was packed into the establishement, celebrating Luffy's first bounty. "TO LUFFY!" One man exclaimed, standing on one of the tables, a drink in his hand.
As the other villagers joined in the toast, chanting Luffy's name, Woopslap entered the building, looking quite grumpy as he did. "Shut up you idiots! The fact that a no good criminal came from our village is nothing to be proud of!" He reprimanded, only to be ignored as they partied on.
With no one even pretending to listen to him, Woopslap muttered angrily to himself as he went and took a seat at the countertop where Makino was at. Makino wouldn't just let him be of course, as she came over to him and showed him the poster. "Just look at him Mayor, he's so happy. Can you honestly say that seeing him like that doesn't make you happy too, like the rest of us?" She inquired, a bright smile on her as she did.
Woopslap hmphed at that. "Of course it doesn't, a pirate's a pirate, no matter who they used to be." He replied stubbornly.
"Stubborn shortshit." That remark called attention to the person who had just entered the bar, Dadan. Her appearance in the village startled many a villager, but none dared say anything, lest she retaliate. Nevertheless, all the rowdy merriment came to a stop as she showed herself.
"Foul-mouthed insults? I'd expect nothing less from a bandit such as yourself." Woopslap responded to her jab at him, a scowl on his face.
The large woman just waved him off, which was unusal for her. Then again, she had more important things to focus on, not to mention more pleasant. "Let me see that."
Makino gladly obliged, handing the poster over to her, so she could examine it. As she did, Woopslap asked the obvious question, "Why have you come down from the mountain Dadan?"
"The boys are hogging the one we got, so I decided to come down here and take a look at the one Makino surely had." She answered the agitated old man, her smile widening as she took in the poster.
Her desire to see Luffy's bounty sated, she handed the poster back to Makino, who moved to pin it up. As the green haired barmaid did so, she said quietly to herself, "I hope you never lose that smile Luffy."
"Thanks Makino." Dadan said, before turning and moving to leave. "Don't you all piss your pants, I'm leaving." She told the rest of the patrons, exiting the establishment just a moment later.
Marine Headquarters
Garp, who had greyed considerebly since Luffy was eight, sat alone on the grass near a small pond, having slipped away from a certain superior, as he finally took a good long look at his grandson's first ever wanted poster. Staring at the straw hat wearing teen's smiling face, in spite of the dread he felt about what the future might bring, he couldn't help the large smirk that came across his face. "Look's like you've finally begun your career as a pirate Luffy. And the size of your first bounty is pretty good too." Unable to help himself, his grin turned to an even wider smile, as he began to laugh boisterously. "Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" Despite what he had planned and wanted for Luffy, he still felt proud of his grandson, even if he didn't agree with the path he was taking.
At an undisclosed location, on an unknown island
A young man, who appeared roughly nineteen years of age, stood on a small hill overlooking a wasteland. He stood six feet tall, had light to fair skin, a lean and somewhat muscular physique, shaggy mid-neck length blonde hair and a scar over his left eye. His attire consisted of a long sleeve blue shirt, a vest over that of similar color, a long black jacket with a buckle on the left sleeve, a frilled cravat and brown gloves. As well as minorly loose light blue pants, a simple black belt, and black boots wrapped with buckles and cloth bracings. The most interesting article however sat atop his head, a black top hat with goggles wrapped around it.
This young man wore a proud grin, as he stared down at the bounty poster he held in his hands. "This bounty you've acquired...it means you've taken the first step down the path to becoming Pirate King. I know you can do it Luffy." The teenager said to himself, before turning to face his two companions who were already ahead of him.
Catching up to the two, he presented the poster to them. "Dragon, Kuma, you two've gotta see this."
The largest of the three, Kuma, made no move to truly get a good look at it despite the fact that it was nearly sixteen feet below his head, though there was a tiny spark of recognition in his milky eyes as he saw it. "It seems the boy has finally set out." He remarked evenly, apparently not needing to look too hard to recognize who picture was of.
Dragon on the other hand took the poster, so he could examine it. As he did, a smirk close to the size of the teen's who gave it to him appeared on his face. "It seems the path you chose so long ago is indeed the one you intend to follow. Show me your conviction, my son." He spoke almost wistfully then, as if he had been waiting a long time for this. But as soon as it had come, it had gone as well, as his voice returned to it's usual baritone. "It's good to see his face again, but we have work to do. Now come." He ordered, as he handed the poster back to the blonde teen and continued on the trail he had been walking moments ago. As he did, he thought to himself, "Perhaps, if all goes well here, I can be there to see him off."
In spite of the imposing man's order, both of his companions lagged behind, as the larger of the two watched as the shorter one stared down at the poster. He seemed entranced by it, enraptured almost, his grin just refusing to die as he looked down at it. Seeing this distracted state, Kuma decided to break him from it. "Sabo, Dragon has given us an order. Let us follow it."
Those words broke Sabo from his trance, his eyes removing themselves from the poster and moving up to his friend's face. "Heh, yeah, sorry about that." He said with a nervous chuckle. "Let's go." With that he followed after Dragon, letting go of the bounty poster as he did, causing it to slowly begin floating to the dust and debris covered ground.
Just as said piece of paper hit the ground, the towering man leaned down to grab it. Once he had ahold of it, he stood to his full height as he brought it closer to his face, to really get a good look at it. He managed to do this even though the poster was barely a fraction of the size of the giant hand he picked it up with.
"Do you truly have the strength to survive in this world?" Kuma inquired to the photo of the smiling Luffy, as if it would give him an answer. After several seconds of waiting though, and no answer came, he let go of the poster and let it be blown away in the sudden gust of wind. And as it did, he turned and followed after his fellow revolutionaries.
Somewhere on the Grand Line, aboard the Moby Dick
Ace, now twenty years old, leaned on the railing of the gargantuan ship he was aboard, a large grin present on his face as he stared at the piece of paper in his hands. Now all but fully grown, he looked a good deal different. He stood six one, was lean and muscular, had mid-neck length black hair and had two tattoos, one on his left bicep and one on his back. The first was bold black lettering, ASCE, with a line through the s. While the second was the mark of the Whitebeard pirates. As for his clothing, he wore black knee length shorts with a studded light orange belt, a second short belt of similar color with a silver belt buckle and red A worn over his right hip , which was left unfastened and the free end of it was threaded along the back of his shorts. Then there was a blue pouch belted around his left leg, a green knife sheath hung at his right hip with a knife resting within it, and there was a red and white striped bracelet around his wrist, a log pose above that. He also had a single light orange elbow guard on his left arm, a pair of black hiking boots, a red beaded necklace and finally, a light orange hat affixed with two blue smileys, one frowning and the other smiling and a string of red beads sitting above the rim. Two large orange side straps hung down from the inside of his hat and met down at his midsection in a large medallion of a bull's skull with a single long orange tassel.
Now, as to why the paper he held in his hands had him grinning so wide, it was Luffy's bounty poster. "Looks like you've finally started your journey, huh Luffy?"
Moving away from the railing, the young man approached two individuals, calling to them as he did. "Pops, Marco, you guys have gotta see this."
These two he spoke to turned to look at him as he came toward them.
The first of the two, the one called Marco, stood just a little over six one, had a lean and muscular build, light skin, blonde hair in a unique hairstyle, a bit of dark stubble on his chin and a dark blue tattoo on his abdomen, which was of a cross and a crescent moon that faced upward intersecting. As for what he wore, an open purple jacket, dark blue pants, a light blue sash adorned with a black and gold belt, and a pair of black sandals.
The second of the two, who Ace referred to as Pops, would have stood roughly eighteen feet tall if he was standing up, the man sitting in a chair befitting his size at the moment. His physique was extremely muscular, he had countless scars running across his torso, light skin and a large white crescent shaped mustache. And his attire was made up of a black bandanna, a white captain's coat with his jolly roger on the back, said coat worn loosely around his shoulders, a dark purple sash with a black tint, and somewhat baggy tan pants tucked into large black boots.
"What's up Ace?" Marco questioned, wondering what he was talking about, as the large man simply regarded the twenty year old silently.
"Look what was in today's paper." He said excitedly, as he brandished the paper to Marco and the man he called Pops, pointing specifically at Luffy's smiling face as he did. "It's Luffy's first bounty." His grin grew wider as he said that.
"Your brother? He's got a bounty already?" Marco asked, as he looked the piece of paper over. "And it's a sizeable one too, at least as far as first bounties go anyway. Even more so when you consider he's still in the East Blue." He remarked.
"Yeah, I know. His first bounty is even bigger than my first one was too! Talk about making a first impression." He said with a hearty chuckle, causing the other two to begin grinning as well. "Though it's not even a tenth of my current bounty, so he still has a ways to go before he even reaches my level."
"Considering he's your brother, this comes as no surprise to me my son." The much larger man spoke, entering the conversation. "Besides, you said his dream is to become the Pirate King, right? Then this is only the beginning for him. To claim such a title he will have to surpass even me. So if he truly possesses the will to reach that dream, the will you've told us he has, then it is only a matter of time before he closes the gap between you." He told Ace sagely.
The twenty year old couldn't help but laugh at that. "I know, which is why I gotta get stronger. I can't have my little brother showing me up after all."
Somewhere on the Grand Line, on an unknown island
Shanks sat under the shade of a tree, his head down and his eyes closed, Ben, Yasopp and Lucky not far from him, as he nursed the hangover he had. All was quiet even though near half the crew sat in the clearing they were in, so as not to aggravate anyone's migraines, more specifically their captain's.
This silence was soon broken however, as another member of their crew came running into the clearing. He tried to skid to a stop as he reached Shanks, but failed and ended up falling onto all fours, panting as he was out of breath from getting to him. Not a moment after this happened, the red haired man had put a mug of water down for his crewmate, who gulped it down greedily. As soon as he was done, he spoke the words he had rushed over here to say, "Boss, it's Hawkeye!" Not so much as a nanosecond passed after the man said that, before the person he was talking about appeared behind him.
This man, known as Hawkeye, stood six foot six with a lean and muscular build, had pale skin, raven hair, a short beard accompanied by a mustache and sideburns that appeared to point upwards, and, his most distinguishing feature, intense golden colored irises. As to his apparel, he sported a wide rimmed black hat decorated with a large light green plume, a long open black coat with red floral patterned collar and sleeves, a pair of light purple tinted grey pants, which were tucked into black boots with brown straps, a decoartive brown belt and a gold crucifix pendant. He also carried a very large sword on his back.
The member of Shanks's crew who had come to warn him of Mihawk's arrival noticed the presence behind him immediately, and proceeded to scramble away in fear. As he did, the man himself appeared indifferent. While Shanks himself on the other hand, he lifted his head and greeted the imposing man. "Hey there Hawkeye. To what do I owe the pleasure? Have you come to fight? If you have you're gonna be disappointed, cause ya know, I'm not feeling so good at the moment."
The look of indifference failed to fade from the man as he responded. "Hmph. Now that you no longer have your left arm, I have no intention of settling the score." With that stated, he brandished a piece of paper. "I recently recieved this wanted poster, and upon seeing who it was of, I recalled a story you used to tell. A story about a boy, a strange boy from a small village, who vowed to become the next Pirate King." He showed the poster to the red haired pirate then.
"Luffy, you made it." Shanks thought to himself, Ben, Yasopp and Lucky thinking the same thing from where they sat.
The one armed man chuckled then, "Alright then Hawkeye, in that case...I'm afraid I can't let you just leave, not now." At those ominous words, many of the red haired pirate's crew thought a battle was going to take place and that they needed to move quick, lest they get caught up in it. However they were proven wrong, as Shanks proceeded to slam a mug down before Mihawk, before motioning for him to sit down, to which the man, surprisingly, complied, putting the poster away as he did.
"Go on Hawkeye, drink up. It's time for a celebration!" Shanks declared, a wide smile crossing his face, pouring booze into the mug allthewhile.
Having noticed what kind of state he was in, Mihawk questioned, "Aren't you already hungover?"
Shanks looked almost offened at that, before his face splitting grin returned. "What? No way! I'm too excited to be hung over now! So come on, drink it." He insisted. And as Mihawk seemed to give in, lifting the mug, Shanks continued egging him on. "Drink, drink, drink!"
Finally it was at his lips and he began drinking the alcohol, and as he did, Shanks couldn't be more ecstatic. "That's it!" He glanced around at alll the crewmates he had in the area, before crying out, "Everybody, LET'S GET DRUNK!"
"Huh? But Boss, I thought you said you felt like crap because you drank too much last night." One of his crewmates reminded him.
"Don't be stupid, I can't not drink on a joyous day like today!" Was his rebuttal to that.
"But the sun is still high." Mihawk said, giving a final protest, as if the fact that mentioning it was too early to be drinking would actually get the happy go lucky pirate to rethink his actions.
It didn't of course. "Don't sweat it! Time to party!" Shanks exclaimed joyously.
Zoro, Usopp, Nami and Luffy all stood in a broken semi-circle near the bow of the ship, Sanji a few feet away but his attention directed at them, the oldest two of them having stopped from going back to their original spots as they had wanted to see what the other three had been screaming about.
"Hahahahahahahahahaha! Alright guys, we're wanted criminals!" Luffy declared joyously with a round of laughter, as he held up his bounty for all to see.
"About time they issued a bounty for the future King of the Pirates." Zoro stated with a grin. At the same time though, as his eyes caught sight of the reward on his captain's head, in the back of his head, he thought to himself, "With that kind of money on the line, bounty hunters will undoubtedly be coming after us. And they'll be good ones too."
Usopp began to read the wanted poster aloud then."Strawhat Luffy, wanted dead or alive." His eyes glanced down to the reward then, "Fifty million berris!?" He near shouted in surprise, the shock of the amount nearly causing the marksman's eyes to bulge.
"That's a whole lotta berris!" Luffy shouted with glee before more rowdy laughter escaped him.
That was when Usopp noticed the back of his head in the picture. "Check it out, I'm there too! That means I'll be seen all around the world!"
"What!? They put long nose in but left me out!?" Sanji questioned disbelievinjgly, as he rushed over to check the poster out. After several seconds of examining though, "Where are you? I don't see you anywhere, you're not there!" The blonde insisted.
"Uh-huh." Usopp corrected him smugly, as he pointed himself out.
And just like that, Sanji was sitting almost ten feet away with his knees pulled to hs chest, sulking. "It's the back of your head, that's not so great." The blonde said sourly.
"Oh don't be so glum. You don't have to be a captain to get your picture on one of these things." Usopp informed him, his wide grin not leaving his face.
"Really? Is that true?" The cook inquired hopefully from where he sat.
"Yeah, you just gotta work really hard." The sniper assured him.
So elated and excited over this, Sanji jumped up and put his arm around Usopp's shoulders, the long nosed teen doing the same to the blonde, as the two proceeded ti do a little jig, singing all the while. "Grand Line, Grand Line, Grand Line!" They couldn't wait to get bounties of their own, therefor they couldn't wait to get to the Grand Line.
And Luffy felt exactly as they did. "Let's go to the Grand Line men!" He exclaimed excitedly.
"You guys don't understand just how bad this is do you?" Nami questioned, obviously annoyed by the fact that they were so happy about this. "This means all of our lives are going to be in constant danger from now on." She warned them, only to be ignored as they continued to revel. Even as they did, she didn't bother to yell at them, simply sighing in annoyance and aggravation. "This means people are going to be trying to kill Luffy on a daily basis." She thought to herself, making her sick to her stomach, though no one seemed to notice.
Before Shanks and his crew got too sloshed, Mihawk decided to address the other matter he had come here for. "There is something else I wish to discuss, before you become too drunk to properly speak." He stated.
"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Shanks asked.
"This boy, you said he had two companions that promised to become his crewmates. Do you believe they kept that promise?" The hawkeyed man inquired.
"There's no doubt in my mind that they did. In fact, I have a hunch that they're with him right now as we speak." Shanks answered, truly no doubt in his mind.
"I see." Was Mihawk's response. "And you said one of these companions was training to be swordsman, correct?"
"That's right. Roronoa Zoro was his name. He wasn't half bad, for en eight year old anyway. He only got better it seems, as he's got quite the reputation in the East Blue now. He's still got a long way to go before he can beat you though, that's for sure."
The golden eyed man seemed a tad confused at that statement, before he recalled Zoro's part in the story he had been told about Luffy. "Right, you said he dreamed of being the greatest swordsman in the world." That little detail raised his interest a fair bit, and if Shanks had been paying attention, he would have caught the barely there flash of curiosity in the swordsman's eyes.
"It only makes sense when you think about it, who better to be the first mate of the Pirate King then the world's greatest swordsman?" Shanks pointed out, his smile only widening as he reminisced about his time in Fusha. "Those two are quite the pair, they really are."
"Indeed." Mihawk said in agreement.
Then, suddenly, the world's greatest swordsman stood, leaving Shanks sitting on the ground as he turned to leave. "Heh? Leaving already Mihawk? But the party's only just begun! You got something you gotta do or...?" He questioned.
Mihawk came to a stop at that, before turning his head to look at his former rival. "I do. I have couple of pirates to visit." With that said, he turned back and continued on his way.
To Be Continued...