May fifth had finally arrived. Just before dawn, Luffy woke up and climbed out of his home upon land and went down to the cliff where he and his brothers had become brothers; had become friends; had declared their dreams to the world. This is where his brothers had stood on the days they'd left and where they'd each been given consolation to ease their doubts. This is where he would spend his morning, thinking about everything that had happened to him. So, he sat on the edge of the cliff and let himself speak out about everything on his mind. He wanted to go out to sea with a clear conscience.

"I have no plans on hiding it from my crew, but I'll only outright tell Zoro. After all, they all deserve to know. But, what will they do when they find out? They'll know I failed them once before! I don't know what I'd do if they left me again!" Nearly in hysterics, he breathed himself out of a panic attack, "But, I can't focus on that right now. I'll tell Zoro, and gauge his reaction. How he acts will be the trigger on whether or not I actively hide it from the others."

He cut himself out of his not-thoughts when he heard a rustle in the bushes. It couldn't be an animal because they don't come close to where he and his brothers spent most of their time. He knew it wasn't anyone who lives on the island because they either don't know about this place or they can't get here without help. So, he activated his Observation Haki and sighed. "I thought you were gonna wait before coming to the East Blue?"

Mihawk sat beside the teen, "I figured you should have an alibi as to why we know each other. What better story than me coming to see you off?"

"That wouldn't explain how we know each other."

"Then use something from before we traveled back."

Luffy thought for a second, "You helped with a bit of my training at the beginning of those two years?"

"Use that, then."

"Okay." The two stared out at the now rising sun and relished in its beauty. "My brothers both set out like this, too." Luffy said, "They both woke up and came here just before dawn. Then, someone would come and talk them out of doubting themselves. Sabo did it for Ace and I did it for Sabo. After that, we'd have breakfast with the bandits. After breakfast and goodbyes, whoever was leaving went home to pack while whoever was staying would set something up here on this cliff." He let silence take over for a minute before he trailed off, "This is where we became friends before declaring our dreams to each other and becoming brothers."

Mihawk didn't move as he turned his gaze to the soon-to-be captain beside him. He could see the effects of the war in his eyes and his expression. Without much realization of his actions, he took the child under his arm and pulled him close in a hug. He couldn't exactly say what had compelled his body to move like that, but he was glad the motion was returned.

Luffy, at first surprised, wrapped his arms around the man and hid his face in his shoulder. He was happy to have some comfort, so he cried. He didn't mean to, but the tears just wouldn't stop falling. He didn't voice his apology, though, and just let himself cry onto the shoulder of the man he would dare to call his uncle.

"Shh," the swordsman cooed softly, "You're under a lot of stress now, and you weren't given proper solace before we left; I understand, so just cry." He felt the boy nod and neither of them moved for a while after that.

Just after the sun finished rising, Luffy pulled away from the older man and wiped his eyes with his hand, "I should probably go get something to bring to Dadan's for breakfast." He stood from where he sat and offered his hand to the older, "You wanna come with me? The others won't mind!"

Mihawk nodded and followed the seventeen year old, "Who's this 'Dadan' you speak of?"

A smile lit up Luffy's face. He never gets to talk about his family! "She's the one who's in charge of watching and raising me, Ace and Sabo." Mihawk commended the woman for her patience, "If there's one person in the entire world I see as my mother, it's her. Don't tell her, though. Oh! And she's a mountain bandit!"

Mihawk raised an eyebrow. This explained a lot. The reason for the boy's dreadful manners is because he was raised by mountain bandits. Unlike pirates, if you lived as an outlaw on land, you had to fight for your food and constantly hide. If you were too slow, you either died quickly or you died slowly.

After about an hour of hiking and hunting, Mihawk and Luffy arrived at the home of Curly Dadan with a small - for the island, large for almost everywhere else - bear carcass in tow. It was amusing for Mihawk to see the bandit's reactions when he arrived with Luffy. Apparently, they weren't expecting Luffy to bring an entire bear.

"Don't worry," the boy brushed it off and started to skin it in preparation for cooking it, "What you should be worried about is who I brought with me."

That's when the bandits turned their attention to the swordsman. "Who're you?!" they yelled, almost completely in sync with each other.

"My name is Dracule Mihawk." he introduced himself, briefly taking his eyes off of Luffy and giving his full attention to the group of bandits, "Though, the world knows me as Hawkeye Mihawk."

The small one with the turban gaped at the introduction, "You're Hawkeye?!" He was the only one to actually keep himself aware of everything happening in the world, mostly to keep an eye on the three brats that'd been under their unofficial care for a few years, so he knew exactly who the man before him was, "What're you doing here of all places?!"

Mihawk smirked, "I figured I'd see my student off as he set out."

"Your student?!"

It was funny seeing his reactions, so the swordsman nodded, "Yes, my student. I came to this island a while ago on business for the Marines and came across a boy in a straw hat. He asked for my help in getting stronger, so I compiled. I'll be going back to the Grand Line after he leaves, though, so I won't be around here much longer." All of the best lies hold some truth to them, so he weaved his story around facts.

Dogra nearly fainted at the information. The Greatest Swordsman in the World was on their doorstep because he had trained Luffy! Oh, he suddenly didn't feel too good. Stumbling back inside, he left Dadn and Magra to deal with the situation. He needed to step away before he passed out from shock.

Dadan sighed. If that's how Dogra reacted to this man, then she couldn't very well turn him away. So, she welcomed the man, "You're welcome to stay for breakfast." She couldn't remember a time she'd been so civil with someone - not even Garp got this treatment - and neither could anyone else. But, they accepted their boss's words and got another place ready for the man.

When Mihawk gave his attention back to Luffy, he let his eyes widen in shock. How had this kid gotten the bear ready and on the fire in less than five minutes? He wasn't going to acknowledge the shock for longer than a few seconds before he went over to his student. He didn't say anything, and neither did Luffy. They watched the bear cook in the comfort of one another's presence. When the meat was cooked, they brought it into the hut for breakfast.

"So," Dadan said after the meal was finished, "You're following your brothers out to sea?" Luffy had told her and the bandits offhandedly one day that the three brats had become sworn brothers over a stolen bottle of her sake. She wasn't happy to find out that they'd taken a bottle of her favorite alcohol.

The soon to be captain smiled, "Yep! I'm setting out to be the Pirate King!"

"Do you know how many people you want on your crew?" Dogra asked, "Though, I assume it'll be a small number?"

Luffy smiled, "I want nine others on my ship! A swordsman, a navigator, a sniper, a chef, a doctor, an archaeologist, a shipwright, a musician, and a helmsman; in that order!" Mihawk hid his smirk.

"Why that specific order?" one of the others asked.

"And how are you so sure you'll find them in that order?" another called out.

Luffy laughed, "I just know!" He didn't elaborate, so no one continued to question him.

Magra was the next to speak up, "Are you going down to the village to set off?"

"Yeah," was the answer. Makino and Mayor Woop Slap had visited him several times a year after Garp had dropped him off to live in the mountains, and he had snuck down to the village several times after Sabo had left. Besides, Foosha Village is where he was raised for the first few years of his life, so he had to say farewell to the island from their docks.

Mihawk stood closer to the edge of the forest while Luffy said goodbye to the bandits. It was amusing to see the group trying to hide their tears from the boy. He finally let out a laugh when he heard Luffy's parting words for the bandits, though.

"Dadan!" the raven haired boy yelled from next to Mihawk, "I don't like mountain bandits-!"

"Then leave already!"

"-But I really like you guys!" To say the bandits cried was an understatement. It was obvious that they were sad to see their final brat leave, but they couldn't stop him, nor did they make any move to.

After his parting yell, Luffy led Mihawk to the tree house he and his brothers had built so long ago. It had long been covered in moss and vines and other greenery, but it only added to the camouflage. The rope ladder had been pulled up and left in the tree house by the trapdoor, so he didn't have to worry about someone or thing getting in.

"Stay here for a few minutes, I gotta get a few things." He launched his arm up and grasped the window before pulling himself up. It was the same as he'd left it: the blankets had been piled up in the corner; the bag he'd bring with him sat beside the trapdoor, opposite from where the rope ladder was rolled up; clothes thrown over the floor; the shelf with the den-den and sake bottle on the wall adjacent to the window; and the sakazuki cups in a net beside the sake bottle.

Luffy was going to do exactly what he'd done when his brothers left. He was going to go to their cliff and renew his vow and redeclare his dream again. He was planning to do this alone, so he didn't know what to do now that Mihawk had shown up. Shrugging, he grabbed the bottle and cups. He'd probably have Mihawk stay here while he went to the cliff. With that in mind, he jumped out of the window.

"Uncle Hawky!" he smiled, ignoring the twitch in the man's eyebrow at the name, "I've gotta go do something, mind staying here while I take care of it? I'll only be an hour." He knew that it had been longer for his brothers, but he didn't want Mihawk to wait too long.

As if reading his mind, the older man said, "Tell me where you're going and I'll meet you there in an hour, okay?"

He'd left no room for argument, so Luffy complied. Then, he started his hike to the cliff for the last time. He took no more than fifteen minutes to get to the cliff. Once there, he laid the sakazuki cups in a triangle on the old tree stump and poured the rest of the sake into his.

"I'm the last one to leave," he said as he lifted the red sakazuki cup into the air, "But that doesn't make this any less important." With a smile, he recited what both of his brothers had when they left, "It doesn't matter where we are in the world, nor does it matter who's crew we're a part of or who we follow! From the day we became brothers when I was seven and you two were ten, until now, and far into the future, we're brothers!" He tipped the sakazuki cup and swallowed every last bit of sake in the cup, officially finishing the bottle, "Not even death will break this bond!" He declared. Luffy set the cup down with a hint of reverence. Although neither of his brothers were here with him, he had the feeling they'd just had a drink wherever they are.

Having renewed his vow with his absent brothers, Luffy then walked to the edge of the cliff where he had sat hours earlier. He stared out at the ocean and spoke to his brothers from where he stood, "You're going to become a greater pirate than your father and make a name for yourself, Ace." Then, he spoke to Sabo, "And you're going to write an amazing book about your adventures while working for my father." With a grin, he declared his dream to the world, "And I'm gonna become the King of the Pirates!"

He listened to his voice echo for a few moments, relishing in the fact that he knew the entire world was gonna hear it at some point, before sitting down again. Mihawk was probably on his way to the cliff, but Luffy paid that little tidbit no mind as he started to sing again. It'd been about three years since he sang and he wanted to make sure he hadn't disappointed Brook by forgetting how to sing properly. So, he took in what his musician had called a 'singer's breath' and began singing, "Oh, better far to live and die under the brave black flag I fly, than play a sanctimonious part, with a pirate head and a pirate heart. Away to the cheating world you go, where pirates all are well-to-do; But I'll be true to the song I sing, and live and die a pirate king!" He was completely making this song up as he goes, and he knew he'd have to write it down and show it to Brook one day, "For I am a pirate king! And it is, it is a glorious thing to be a pirate king!" He whispered the next part, imagining someone else singing it, "You are! Hurrah our pirate king! And it is, it is a glorious thing to be a pirate king. It is! Hurrah our pirate king! Hurrah for our pirate king!" He raised his voice again for the next part, "When I sally forth to seek my prey I help myself in a royal way. I sink a few more ships, it's true, than a well-bred monarch ought to do; But many a king on a first class throne, if he wants to call his crown his own, must manage somehow to get through more dirty work than I ever do, for I am a pirate king!" He lowered his voice again- "And it is, it is a glorious thing to be a pirate king!" -before raising it- "For I am a pirate king!" -lowering it- "You are! Hurrah for the pirate king!" -raising it- "And it is, it is a glorious thing to be a pirate king!" -lowering it- "It is! Hurrah for our pirate king!" -and raising it for a final time, "Hurrah for the pirate king!"

Mihawk hadn't expected the boy to be singing when he came to the cliff. Luffy seemed to be having fun, as well as tuned out from the world. It was entertaining to see him jumping around as he sang. The swordsman chuckled to himself when he heard what the young captain was singing. Apparently, it was a song about being the Pirate King. "How fitting." When the younger had seemingly finished, Mihawk announced his presence by clapping.

Luffy whipped around and blushed. He knew Mihawk was coming, but he didn't really expect to be caught singing a song he'd made up on the spot. Though, the smile on the face of a man who rarely shows emotion was well worth the small embarrassment. "How long have you been standing there?" he asked.

"Long enough to hear you declare what a glorious thing being the pirate king is." was the response. He smirked as Luffy sighed. "I assume that you're ready to go?" Mihawk asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Almost," Luffy walked back to him to pick up the sakazuki cups and the empty sake bottle, "I just need to go pack my stuff." Luffy took his time in leading the way back to the tree house. In this time, he decided to give Mihawk a tour of the small bit of the island he lived on for the better part of his childhood. He'd gather his stuff, clean up the tree house, give his uncle a small tour of his home on land before going to Foosha Village and setting out from there. He'd probably leave Mihawk before going to the village, though.

He explained his plan to Mihawk who nodded. It was probably for the best that the villagers didn't know he was there. Besides, he'd be the first - and probably only - person to get a tour of the island from the youngest of their small out-of-time family. That's even more to hold over the others heads! Not that it's a competition.

Reaching the tree house, Luffy brought Mihawk up with him to show him where he'd been living since he was a kid. First, he put the red sakazuki cups in their net and the empty sake bottle on the shelf. Then, he gathered his clothes, folded them, and put them in the corner beside his brother's clothes. Next, he put two shirts and two pairs of pants in his bag. After, he strapped the knife he'd stolen so long ago onto his lower back. He wouldn't need it any time soon, but he had a plan for what he'd need it for. The final thing in the bag was the den-den mushi with the note that went with it. After doing a thorough sweep and tour of the tree house, Luffy and Mihawk jumped down. Luffy looked back up and said a final goodbye to his home upon land. It was gonna be a while before he came back.

The walk through the jungle was long, but calm. When Mihawk brought up the lack of animals, Luffy giggled and said it was because they were scared of him and his brothers, so they didn't go near where the three usually were. That included this path. When they got to the Middle Forest, however, the animals got a lot smaller and braver, though they still didn't attack Luffy.

Mihawk's first reaction to the Gray Terminal made Luffy laugh. It was understandable to be shocked, seeing as this was his first time seeing it and all, but it didn't stay that way for long. After letting his uncle stare for a few seconds, the young raven then pulled the older man down the hill and into the trash heap many thieves and thugs called home.

Luffy led him through the Gray Terminal with little to no problems. About halfway to his destination, he picked up a well-in-shape pipe and tested it out. It wasn't his sword, but it was a comforting weight. He hoisted the pipe over his shoulder and briefly thought about getting himself a bo staff. It wouldn't be as fancy as Nami's, but it would be good to have just in case.

When the two got to the shore, there wasn't a boat waiting for Luffy like there was for his brothers. He was going to be getting one in Foosha, so he didn't see the need to build one for himself. Instead, there was a small rowboat filled with flowers, a matchbox sitting beside it. Luffy wasted no time in dropping his stuff and picking up the matchbox. He stayed silent as he pushed the rowboat into the reach of the ocean. He then struck a match and lit the flowers on fire, throwing the matchbox in as well. Finally, he finished pushing the rowboat as far as he could out into the open ocean.

"Who is that for?" Mihawk asked when Luffy came to stand beside him.

"His name is Naguri. He set off to sea again when I was seven and asked me to give him a BAS. I decided today was as good a day as any to comply to his wishes."

Mihawk hummed. "Did I ever meet him?"

"I doubt it. He either never left the East Blue, or he died getting into the Grand Line. Either way, he was a good man. He did fight Captain Roger once, though." Neither said anything else on the matter as they watched the boat burn and sink about a mile off the shore. Then, Luffy gave Mihawk another hug, "I'm gonna go say goodbye to Foosha Village, so this is where I've gotta leave ya. See ya in a few weeks?"

Mihawk smiled down at his nephew, "Of course." He watched as Luffy ran back the way they'd come from. He didn't know what it was about that boy, but he could make anyone flip personalities and be open. It was amazing. Even after knowing him, he still couldn't wrap his mind around the kid's power. Smiling one last time, he walked across the shore and to where he'd left his boat.

Luffy grinned out at the sea from where he stood on the small sailboat. He'd accepted the bigger boat if only for the sail it had. "This is it," he said, "I'm setting off again. And I won't make the same mistakes as last time."

"What're you saying over there, Luffy?" someone called from the shore.

"Nothing!" He called back and stepped onto the small boat. The village had provided him with a barrel of apples and a barrel of water. He was grateful for the food and water, but he was fully planning on ending up in that whirlpool again. After all, it was through that whirlpool that he met Coby - who was killed before he could complete his dream - and eventually Zoro - who becomes his first mate, vice captain and most trusted friend.

"Good luck!" Makino waved after Luffy pushed off.

"What a disgrace," Mayor Woop Slap sneered, though no real malice entered his tone or expression, "becoming a pirate."

Luffy waved back and pushed off after untying the boat. He was glad to be setting off again. No matter how much he loved this place, his home would always be on the open sea with his crew. He wasn't going to let anything stop him from regathering his haphazard family and crewmates. Speaking of, he watched the water and waited for his first obstacle, the King of the Coast.

When the sea king popped his head above the water, the villagers on the docks started to scream and yell for him. He didn't even turn around as he readied his right arm for a punch. With a smirk, he stretched his arm back before throwing it forward, the impact hitting the sea king in the head and knocking it out, "Don't get in my way!" It wasn't the most conventional thing to yell, but he didn't want to reveal anything quite yet. After all, you never know who's listening.

As the King of the Coast sank back under the water, Luffy sent one last wave to his home island and spread the sail. The wind picked up and swiftly took him out to sea. He didn't do anything but stand in place until the island was out of his sights. When he was out of risk of people seeing him, he sat down and opened the barrel of apples. If he'd retained anything from his time with Sanji on his crew, it was that you never - under any circumstances - waste food or water, especially on the ocean. Not that he ever would. So, he sat down and started to eat.

An hour later, the food and water was all gone. He heard the whirlpool before he saw it, so he decided it was about time to get on with finding Zoro. He put his bag in the barrel that held the apples and rolled up the sail. Then, he climbed in the barrel and put the lid on it. It was only a matter of time before he was picked up, so he decided to go to sleep. It would be a good idea to get his energy to one hundred percent just in case of a conflict.

The barrel was jostled and Luffy woke up. He couldn't distinguish how many people were outside the barrel, but he could hear a voice he hadn't in a while. A grin spread across his face and he got ready to greet his not-yet - but also formerly - long term friend and rival. He adjusted his position so he was almost in a standing position and put his fists above his head. Then, he slammed the top off the barrel, "Ah! What a good nap!" The shocked looks from the three people around him had funny reactions.

"Who're you?!" The two men that hadn't been, apparently, knocked out by him popping up yelled. Coby was in complete shock at the whole situation and couldn't do anything other than stare in shock.

Ignoring the men, Luffy looked at the one he knocked out, "Hey, you're friend'll catch a cold if he sleeps there."

"You're the one that knocked him out!"

Again, the young captain ignored the other pirates and turned his attention to the pink haired boy, "Is there anything to eat on this ship?"

That seemed to snap Coby out of his stupor. Instead of answering Luffy, the unfortunately placed cabin boy - future Marine - pointed at the other, "Why were you asleep in a barrel?!"

Luffy continued to ignore his future friend and started to look for the food storage on this ship. He briefly picked up a familiar presence with his Observation Haki, but he brushed it off for now. It wasn't time to meet her yet. Though, he kept the skill active.

Coby, in complete shock of what exactly was happening, followed Luffy as the other two took their unconscious friend and ran above deck. The pink haired boy trailed after the raven haired boy and into the food storage where the older started to eat some of the fruit.

As Luffy ate, he reminded himself to not eat as much as he could. He's on the open sea now, and food can be hard to come by if one isn't careful. So, he decided to eat stuff that would give him the energy he needs for his style of fighting and is healthy. Losing energy mid fight would not be an ideal situation, especially with the fights coming up. They were nothing compared to the people in the New World - staying so long in the East Blue made them cocky and weak - but he hadn't been able to start training to get the muscle memory or strength to pull off his stronger(est) moves.

"Um," Coby asked, "Luffy, right?" Luffy didn't turn as he hummed in response. Coby continued, "What were you doing in a barrel in the middle of the ocean?"

"I got caught up in a whirlpool."

"You mean that giant whirlpool outside?! How are you still alive?"

"Dunno. But, I can't die until I become the Pirate King. It'll take a lot more than that to take me out."

"The Pirate King?! But-but that means you plan on going to the Grand Line!"

"Yep."

"But-but they call that place the Pirate's Graveyard."

"So? A stupid title isn't gonna stop me."

"A stupid-? It's not stupid! It's true!"

"How would you know?"

"Huh?"

"How would you know if it's true or not?"

"I, um…That's what everyone calls it, so it has to be true!"

"If that was how that worked," Luffy almost snapped at the young boy, "then everyone would be saying everything and no one would know what's really true or not." At this point, the only thing keeping Luffy from punching Coby in the face was the fact that he knew the kid was young and naive so it was half way excusable. That didn't stop his irritation, though.

"But-! Um…" Coby struggled for a moment to put together a retort. After a few false starts he finally shouted, "But you can't go there alone! That's suicide!"

"Who said anything about going alone?" The straw hatted boy finished the rest of the food in his hands, "I'm going to get four people before we head to the Grand Line." He hadn't realized it earlier, but it was really weird to call it by its generalized name..

"Only four?!" Coby turned awfully pale and Luffy idly wondered if he'd pass out, "You can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because you'd die before even leaving this sea!" He took a deep breath and crossed his arms, "It's not a good idea, I tell ya, not a good idea. Especially with that few people! You can't possibly even hope to run a ship with four people!"

Luffy knew that he shouldn't be offended by those comments, but he couldn't help it! Coby - a very dear friend of his that didn't know any better yet - was insulting not only his crew, but also his ability as a captain! So what if he's not the best navigator out there? He didn't need to be! He voiced this a bit, but it only confused the pink haired boy further. Though, Coby did get the hint and stopped telling Luffy to give up.

Before either of them could break the silence that had surrounded them, the wood above their heads broke and a large, ugly, dark haired woman was looking down on them. "Who is the most beautiful woman on the seas?" She glared at the youngest boy, daring him to answer with anything but her name.

Coby gulped and said, "You-you are, Alvida-sama-"

"Who's the walrus?" Luffy asked. He had a vague memory of her, but he had long deemed her as unimportant to his journey.

Alvida's face turned red with anger. How dare this brat insult her like that! She clutched her club harder and looked the dark haired boy in the eye. "Who are you, boy?"

Again, this isn't how Luffy remembered this going. It may be fuzzy, but he was sure that something happened before she asked him that. He pushed those thoughts to the back of his head, however, and focused on what was happening. He grabbed onto Coby and jumped through the hole and landed behind Alvida. The woman turned in slight shock. "My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates."

"King of the Pirates, you said?" Alvida smirked, "That means you're a pirate. And if you're not under my flag," she pulled her club back, "then that makes us enemies!" Striking down where Luffy stood, everyone waited as the dust and splinters from the blow settled. The pirates were all smirking, but Coby - who had been pushed back by Luffy - was fearful. Again, Alvida turned her attention to the unwilling cabin boy. "Coby. Who is the most beautiful woman on the sea?"

Coby spotted something behind Alvida before he answered. Gathering what little courage he had in him, he shouted, "Not you!" Filled with a sudden surge of adrenaline he continued, "You're fat and ugly and your entire crew is stupid! You're a terrible person! And when I become a marine, you're gonna be the first pirate I catch!"

Alvida, again, turned red with anger. Her crew watched her with scared expressions as she drew back her club and got ready to kill the pink haired boy. Coby lost all the color in his face when he opened his eyes.

Before the club hit the pink haired cabin boy, it clattered to the ground in the middle of a pile of unconscious pirates. "I thought you'd be a lot stronger than this." Luffy pouted as Alvida fell to the ground, "Oh well!"

"That was so scary!" Coby cried.

Luffy laughed, "Shishishi! Let's go before they wake up!" he ran over to a rowboat and let it fall into the water. He gathered the remaining food off of the ship and took it with him, not forgetting his bag. Grabbing a hesitant Coby, he jumped into the wooden boat. As they cast off, he couldn't help but think he was forgetting something. Turning around to look at the ship, he locked eyes with an orange haired girl and smiled brightly.