One word – one moment – could change the course of everything, could change fates original design into something better but also more heartbreak. Because you cannot have good without the bad, that was Life's choice and Fate was not one to go against the weaver of threads to her tapestries.

"DAD!" Luffy's scream echoed across the conquer touched blue, his eyes wide and pleading as he struggled to free himself from the bandit that took him and towards Shanks. "Dad, please! HELP!"

In between one blink and the next, Luffy felt a rippling tidal wave of power before he was thrown into the ocean. Voices screamed at him, loud and all-consuming like a storm but there was one voice that reached him above all the others.

"I'm coming son."

It was Shanks, his voice loud and clear.

The sea swirled around him, dragging him down but up, closer but further. It was as if he was being pulled in two directions. His lungs burned as he fought to hold his breath, arms aching with the struggles of trying to break the surface.

Hungryhungrybloodbloodblood…

A gasp echoed as his head broke the surface, arms pulling him close before an angry roar, a splash of warmth and then quiet. Luffy sobbed loudly as the world righted itself, eyes taking in Shanks with guilt and terror.

"It's all my fault!" He screamed as he clutched at Shanks. "You're arm! It's all my fault!"

Shanks' heart broke as Luffy sobbed in his arm, tremors of Haki trembled off them both, causing the surface of the blood-tinged ocean to ripple. "Luffy no, it's just an arm… it's not your fault Anchor, I'm just so glad you're okay."

"Dad, dad… I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Luffy cried harder, the weight of his heart heavy in his chest.

Shanks inhaled sharply, eyes snapping down to the boy in wonder. Luffy, his little Anchor kept surprising him, even now. His heart rabbited in his chest as he clutched Luffy tighter to him, eyes flickering around as the ocean began to tremble. "It's okay Son, shh, it's okay. All that matters is that you're okay."

A burst of power wrapped around them, over them, twisted and twinned like ivy and Shanks felt his breath get knocked from him as he watched Luffy's hair turn from black to a deep red, so deep that if he wasn't in the sun or someone wasn't looking it would still look the same. The power waned and with it, Shanks suddenly knew.

The Ocean had blessed him, had tied his little Anchor to him forever. Luffy was now his son, born of another but more Shanks than his original biological father. Their DNA was rewritten.

Shanks held his son tighter against him, soft words escaping his lips as he ignored the pain, ignored everything else but this moment. Everything had changed, all his plans had now changed. Shanks was a selfish man, greedy like a pirate and Anchor was his, his treasure. His son. And Shanks knew from the start he would bathe the world in blood if this kid was harmed but now? Now, Shanks would watch the world burn.

X

Garp stared blankly at the destruction of his home island. Dawn Island was gone, nothing was left but scorched earth and death. All those he knew were gone, dead and scattered across the now barren earth. He stood in the middle of what once was Foosha Village hand clenched tight around the last thing he had of his grandson, the blasted straw hat that he always wore.

Garp had found it near the ocean, on the once was cliff edge that held Sabo's grave. It was singed, coated in blood, and pinned under a boulder. His youngest brat was nowhere to be seen, no body to be found only blood and the hat he so prized.

The entirety of his self ached that he wasn't in time, that he couldn't save those he considered friends… couldn't save his family. How was he going to tell Dragon?

How was he going to tell that Red-Haired Brat?

"I am sorry Garp." Sengoku's voice was heavy with remorse but all it did was incite rage.

He tore his eyes away from the death around him to face his oldest friend, his friend who didn't deign to tell him until it was too late.

"Your sorrys mean nothing to me Senny." Garp snapped back as he turned away and made his way back towards the ship that brought him here. It wasn't his beloved Dog House, that was under repair after a battle against a crew of low-level Pirates with an annoying Devil Fruit. "Do you have any idea what has been done?"

"This was out of my control Garp, the Five Elders commanded it personally," Sengoku stated tiredly, regret heavy in his tone.

A bark of laughter escaped Garp as he turned to face his friend once more, tears pooling down his face. He laughed because it was better than screaming, he laughed because if he didn't then he would break and that was something that he couldn't do, not here and not yet. He had to deliver something and until that was done then he would hold himself together.

"I'll take that as a no." Garp barked out with a bitter laugh. "The Five think that sending a Buster Call to Dawn and ridding the world of Dargon's son and the bearer of Hito Hito no Mi would stop Nika from returning and causing chaos they're mistaken. They've just hurtled themselves further into danger."

Sengoku watched as Garp laughed harder, bending at the waist for a moment before wiping away his tears. There was something that niggled at the back of his mind, a sensation that he should listen carefully to what was being said. He waited patiently for Garp to continue, there was no need to prompt the man to continue, years at the man's side had Sengoku knowing exactly how to read the elder D.

"They just started a war that will not end, the ocean will run red with the blood of all that aided in their quest and I for one will not stand in its way," Garp replied grimly, all sense of humour gone, eyes gazing distantly out into the open. "Luffy was Ocean Blessed."

Sengoku inhaled sharply, eyes snapping to Garp instantly. An Ocean Blessed child was rare, it wasn't often that the soul of this very world even granted favours but when it did, it was to a being that would change history.

"They just killed the Ocean Blessed son of Red-Hair Shanks," Garp continued, watching as Sengoku's face paled.

Shanks was a pirate yes, but also an emperor of the seas. He was the youngest one ever to earn that title and though the man was easy to deal with, only caring about the next party he wasn't a nuisance like the rest. But he wasn't to be underestimated, the man was powerful in his own right, a Sea Blessed Child to boot and was raised on the Oro Jackson and trained by both Silvers Rayleigh and Gol D. Rogers.

Sengoku has personally seen Shanks rip apart whole islands with his Haki alone.

"Not only that he is the sworn brother of Fire Fist Ace, the second division commander of the White Beard Pirates," Garp explained further, a sick sense of satisfaction pulling a wide D smile on his face. "Both of them will stop at nothing to avenge Luffy."

With that he began his trek back to the ship once again, leaving a horrified and pale Sengoku in his wake.

I am sorry Luffy…

X

Shanks stepped onto the deck of the Red Force with a heavy feeling as his eyes took in the blood-red sky. He could hear his Captain's – his father's – voice echoing in the back of his mind from a time long ago. Red sky at night, sailors' delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning. Usually, a red morning sky meant poor weather but today felt different.

There was a bad omen lingering in the air, it felt suffocating, and Shanks knew that today brought nothing but sorrows.

"Something wrong Captain?" Benn's voice asked from his left, drawing Shank's attention away from the dooming sky.

"Something feels wrong, can't pinpoint it but…" He trailed off with a frown.

Benn chuckled softly; fingers deft as he cleaned his guns. "Perhaps it's because our Anchor was supposed to call us two days ago and hasn't?"

A smile pulled at Shank's lips at the mention of his son. His life had been richer because of it, their promise kept them apart, but Shanks made sure to leave a Den Den with him and swore his son into keeping in contact with his old man.

He had never been gladder for doing so when he got to hear Luffy grow, and got to know that his Captain's son survived. Ace was an amazing child, of course, he was a feral little gremlin who hated everything Gol D. Rogers stood for but over the years he mellowed, had began to believe that he wasn't the monster everyone said he was.

Shanks had been there for every milestone with them both. Had suffered heart attacks over their accounts of their hunting trips with Sabo, Garp's visits, the Grey Terminal… every win and every loss.

"Anchor must be hunting; I'll give him another day and then I'll ring Makino to go find him." Shanks chuckled but the dread only grew. "Alright let's go see if the men are awake yet, get them to finish loading the supplies before they drink themselves into another stupor."

"More like before you drink yourself into another stupor," Benn replied with a chuckle, packing away his guns before following his captain down the plank and onto the shore of the current Spring Island.

As the day grew longer everyone noticed that their captain's eyes drew to the ocean more and more, a sense of unease flowing from him as he fiddled with the small charm that their little Anchor had sent years ago as a present when he acquired enough Berri to send something.

"MARINES!" a voice called panicked from the crow's nest, drawing everyone's attention.

Shanks frowned as he took in the vessel, eyes lingering for any sign of which Marine vessel it was. Usually, it was a Vice Admiral that sailed as a lone vessel towards him these days, and he knew their ship by sight.

"Brat." Garp's voice called as he landed on the shore of the island where they were all occupying, not even flinching as every pirate around him drew their weapon.

Shanks took him in, the Vice Admiral looked worn, and unkept, even more so than he usually was. His eyes which usually had the same glimmer as his Anchor were flat, red rimmed and hollow. The dread that he had been keeping at bay all day tripled, lodging his heart in his chest as he watched Garp swallow.

"Garp, what a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting…" Shanks started but trailed off when the Marine held his hand up for silence. Now, Shanks wasn't one to follow orders, especially from a marine but something told him to wait and listen.

"I know it's rare that you'll get the news coo for the other papers this far deep into the Grand Line but I needed to get here before it was announced." Taking a deep breath Garp looked up into the red-haired brats' eyes. "The Five learnt that Dragon had a son, and that son was the bearer of the Hito Hito no mi: Model Nika. A Buster Call was made."

Ice slithered into Shank's veins as the words sunk in, he could feel Benn's hands on him, grounding him. "Garp, what are you saying?"

The world slowed as Shank's eyes followed Garp's hand, watched with a choked breath as he pulled free a bloody and singed straw hat, one that was oh so familiar, one that when he last saw it adorned the head of his son. A loud ringing could be heard in his ears, clashing with the thump of his heart.

A blink later he was in front of Garp, hand shakily holding the hat in his hands, confused slightly by the inability to remember when exactly he moved.

"Dawn Island is gone. Luffy is dead."

Luffy is dead. Luffy is dead. Luffy is dead.

The words repeated in his head, over and over.

Vaguely he could hear Benn order his men to move, to flee as fast as they could. He could feel hands on his person, screaming… he could hear screaming. It was loud and heartbreaking, the vibrations tremendous and it took him a long, long time to realise that it was him. That he was the one screaming with enough force that the ground cracked around him with the force. The world around him was bent out with the force of his Haki as it tore through everything in his grief.

He clutched the hat tight to his chest.

His son was gone.

Taken from him.

Rage unlike anything began to settle deep within, overshadowing the grief.

"Benn." His voice was raspy, blood coated.

"Captain."

"We set out for the New World. Set course for the Moby Dick." Shanks ordered as he struggled to his feet, shaking off the hands that went to aid him.

He cast a look around blankly, noting that only those who knew Luffy were left on the beach, fury and grief in their eyes. Everything was destroyed, half the island collapsed with the force of his cry. The Red Force was further away in the ocean, he could see the rest of his men staring at him from the deck with wide eyes and when his own finally found Garp's…

Well, it was hard to miss the dark knowing that shone in their depths.

"What do you plan to do on your way to Ace?" Garp asked with a smirk.

The laugh that escaped from Shank's lips was sharp and promised pain. "I'll bathe the ocean red; I'll watch them all burn."

"Good, make them suffer."

Shanks closed his eyes and tilted his head to the sky for a moment, bringing the straw hat to his chest. Flashes of Luffy laughing and smiling back at him flickered across his memory, Dad! DAD LOOK! He will never hear his son again.

Luffy… my little Anchor… I'm sorry that I wasn't there to protect you…

"Move out!"

Goodbye Anchor… my son.

X

Somewhere in the depths of the ocean a teen slumbered, nestled deep and safe in the belly of a Sea King.