AN:

Lots of seeds for the future are planted in the next couple of chapters, so I'm sure you'll have questions. Some of them might be answered soon, others... it might be a while. As always I hope you guys enjoy it.

Chapter 4: Fateful Meetings

Luffy swam like his life depended on it. He wanted to see the forest up close. Plus, he could probably hunt for food once he made it, especially if the forest was as big as it looked from there. He was pretty hungry.

The shore quickly came into view and the teen slowed down as he approached. The nice thing about the boat sinking was Luffy and Zoro now had nothing to dock. Plus, they had just finished the last of the food. The only thing either of them had brought, worth keeping, was Zoro's katana. Thinking back on it, Luffy swore he could sometimes hear it 'talking' to Zoro, but he never figured out if he was just hearing things. If he wasn't, he had a feeling that what was being said, was only for the swordsman's ear.

Luffy's feet finally found sand and the water became more shallow as he approached the beach. He walked out of the ocean, the waves crashing behind his feet, and the teenager acted like he was doing nothing wrong as he headed toward the throngs of people occupying the street. Because he wasn't. There was nothing wrong with swimming onto an island as far as he was aware.

There were many people going about their various activities for the day, from shopping to working, and some just enjoying the coast. Continuing to make his way down the street, he noticed several different stalls selling different colored stones shaped like the moon. Well, the moon sometimes. He thought he remembered Makino calling it a waning crescent back when he was her student. Luffy looked on those memories fondly. He wasn't the best at learning, but Makino had always been patient with him.

As he passed yet another stall selling the stones, he curiously eyed one of them and couldn't help but wonder what they were all about. Finding himself too curious after passing stall number he couldn't even count, the boy approached one of the women selling the, apparently popular, moon-shaped rocks. "Excuse me, miss?", said Luffy, getting the stall owner's attention.

"Yes yes, young man. Is there something you see that interests you?", she asked in a grandmotherly tone, gesturing to the wares that were being sold.

"I was actually curious about these.", he replied, picking up one of the moon-shaped rocks and examining it. There was nothing really special about it. Just some porous stone carved into a curious shape.

"Well, you see, that shape you're holding in your hand is actually the shape of this city.", the old stall owner answered.

Her words surprised Luffy. Why would someone want to make a city in the shape of the moon? Well… the moon sometimes. When he thought about it though, it was actually kind of cool.

The woman turned and looked toward the large trees behind her, "It was by no one's choice that our city takes this shape. All of the land that could be used for building has been taken up. The trees you see in the distance have proved to be infallible for any who have tried... They are what make the city take the shape it does". The old shopkeeper paused in thought as she gazed at the trees, "There's an old legend about how this island came to be, actually.". It wasn't a very well known story and it was quite fantastical, so she enjoyed telling it. "It's said, that long ago there lived a woman more beautiful than any in the worl-".

When the woman turned around to continue her storytelling, she noticed that the young boy she'd been talking to was no longer there. "Young man?", she spoke quizzically into the empty air in front of her. She sighed to herself, realizing he was gone for good, "Young people these days… Can't wait for anything.". A shame really, it was a wonderful story.

Luffy couldn't help but think it was pretty cool that the city was shaped like the moon. He'd left before the woman began her story, making his way toward the trees he could see looming over the city. The boy was completely oblivious to the fact that the woman was even going to tell a story at all. If he'd known, he might have actually stayed. He loved good stories!

However, he had other things on his mind, namely adventure, and, by his estimate, it would take him most of the day to make it to the forest. Well, there was no use in lollygagging. He picked up his feet and started running. He wanted to get there as fast as he could. He could smell an adventure.

Zoro arrived in much the same fashion as Luffy, the swimming taking far longer. The swordsman just could not swim at the speed Luffy could. He knew he would never beat Luffy in a swimming contest and he was ok with it. He never enjoyed swimming that much anyway.

Making his way to the street, his katana tucked safely into his haramaki, Zoro decided not to pick any direction and just let his feet take him where he needed to go. It's not as if picking a direction would have helped anyway. After walking the coast for what seemed a good amount of time, the teen cut inland. As he walked, he noticed that he was passing more actual buildings rather than just stalls the further he made it. Eventually, everything began to look the same, so, he stopped focusing on his surroudings and began to think.

The first thing to cross his mind was that he would need a place to stay and a way to eat. He'd be on the island for a while, according to Luffy, and in that time he was going to try and unlock the power his future captain had told him about. He had faith in himself that he could do it. The only problem was, he had no idea where to begin. It was like reading something out of a storybook. You read about amazing things and wish for something like that to become reality, but you never actually expect it to happen.

Well, it did. It had happened and Zoro was lost. Not for the first time in his life, certainly. However, this time it was more metaphorical than literal. He'd not changed physically, however, his perception of the world had changed. If Luffy was this far ahead of him… Just how far ahead was he?... It was like a film had been lifted from the verdet's eyes and the thought of it had ignited a fire in his very soul. He needed to get stronger... His dream depended on it.

He was brought out of his musings by the sound of a large gathering of people. Without realizing it Zoro had walked into, what looked to him, like some sort of town square. A small fountain stood in the center of the area, crowds walking around it from store to store shopping to their heart's content. All around, stood shops selling various things. Food, clothing, weapons, trinkets, you name it and it was more than likely being sold somewhere.

Zoro pushed his way into the crowd and, just above the dull roar of the conversations around him, heard something that almost called to him. A hammer on metal.

Something in his stomach curled with excitement, although he couldn't say why. Or was that… his hip? When asked about it later, he wouldn't be able to give a good answer. He walked as if in a trance through the throngs of people toward the building he could hear the clangs of metal on metal coming from. When he'd finally reached his destination, without even reading the sign above the door he made his way inside. The swordsman just knew there was something there for him to learn.

If he would have stopped to look, the sign hanging above the door read: Brewer's Blades.

It took Luffy a surprisingly short amount of time to reach the western edge of the city. When he really put his mind to it, he could run pretty fast. He had managed to, somehow, find most of the paths and alleyways that weren't very crowded. He didn't really think much of it though, the black-haired boy just attributed it to luck and moved on. As he passed the last buildings of the city, he crossed into a clearing that sat just before the treeline.

Walking into the area, he noticed that the trees there at the edge of the forest started small and appeared to grow larger as you got deeper.

Luffy couldn't help but be mesmerized by the majesty of the sight before him and stopped to stare. He had never seen such a thing before. The sixteen-year-old had seen large objects and animals before, so when it came to things of magnitude he was no stranger. However, these magnificent creations of mother nature were unlike anything the young boy had ever seen.

He approached one of the trees and looked up, toward its top. Even the branches were huge. Scratch that, everything was huge, the leaves too. The tree was also extremely tall. It certainly wasn't the tallest thing the teen would see in his life, but, it was most definitely the single tallest thing he'd seen in his short life so far. And he'd seen a castle! Placing his hand against the bark, Luffy was surprised to find the light grey texture smooth rather than coarse, as he would have expected.

"Quite beautiful, don't you think?", a voice came from over his shoulder.

The teen turned curiously to the owner of the airy voice. He didn't remember anyone else being in the clearing and he was sure he would have noticed someone else walking out of the city. The distance between the last of the buildings and the forest wasn't very short after all. "Who're you?", Luffy asked, taking in the stranger before him. He was tall, and the boy's first thought was that the man may have looked younger if his hair wasn't white.

The stranger's head was framed by two long wavy strands of white hair that were bridged by short bangs hanging just above his eyebrows. At the back, the rest of his hair was pulled into a ponytail, held by a golden band. The man had a boyish face that had wrinkled slightly with age, kind dark black eyes, and a soft smile that played on his lips.

A forest green coat that bore a single gold button on its left sleeve rested on the old man's shoulders. Underneath, he wore a pale yellow shirt, along with a pair of maroon trousers and dark black boots. Lastly, at his waist was tied an orange sash. Tucked into it, was a long nodachi, its blade hidden in a sheath made of dark lacquered wood. "Just an old man who spends his days here as a promise, to an old friend.", the curious man stated, wistfully.

Luffy heard the word friend and all reservations about the strange person disappeared, his expression immediately brightening. "Friend? I've got a cool friend too!", he exclaimed before a pout took over his face, "He did tell me he wanted to be alone the WHOLE time we're here though.".

"Your friend has left you alone?", the older man asked, frowning curiously.

The straw-hatted teen thought about the question for a moment. "Yeah… But it was kind of my fault… I told him some stuff that changed some stuff and then he said he needed time to think about it, so... Yeah… definitely my fault", he answered with a laughing smile.

Zoro was just so interesting to him. He especially liked the way he used three swords. Luffy then remembered that he had been responsible for breaking two of said swords and instead of feeling apologetic, only hoped his green-haired friend would find two more so he could see more of the cool way he fought. He loved watching people fight. When he was young, it was a way Makino had helped him learn. He thought that was a good thing. Otherwise, he could have ended up really dumb.

"So, what I'm hearing is you let him be alone.", the stranger said, having puzzled it out.

Luffy remembered the look in his friend's eye before their boat had sunk. He had no doubt he was going to be even stronger when they met again. Coming out of his thoughts, the young boy tuned back into the conversation. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. I think he'll be stronger, once he has time to figure things out.", he spoke in return.

"A much more mature answer than, I, perhaps thought you may give.", the wizened man said, surprise evident in his eyes.

Luffy pointed offendedly in the old guy's direction. "Hey! That was kinda mean!", he replied.

The stranger only laughed as he walked past the boy and into the large forest, signaling to follow. "Come with me, young one. It's been far too long since I was last able to talk with such an interesting person.", he said, his small smile back in place. "What bring's you to this island if I might ask?", he questioned as they broke through the tree line and entered the large expanse of nature.

Luffy was mesmerized. The trees were huge. The further he looked into the forest, the larger and taller they became. If this was the start… just how big were the ones toward the middle of the forest? He stopped staring as they continued walking and answered, "Well... Do you want the long version or the short version?", he asked. The red-vested boy remembered explaining to Ririka and it had taken far too long. He'd even missed the execution because of it!

"The short version will do.", the man replied.

The straw-hatted teen smiled at the answer. "I came here to get strong and have fun.", he said simply. And it was the truth, he'd set out to gain experience and to find strength in that experience. In Luffy's mind, however, it was much more simple. Having adventures meant doing fun stuff and getting stronger.

"You sound like my old friend when you say things like that.", the older man spoke, wistfully, as the two continued on their path through the forest.

"Really?", Luffy asked excitedly, "Was he a cool guy?".

The stranger's smile largened imperceptibly, "He was, in fact, a very cool guy.".

"Can you tell me about him?", the teen asked, hope evident in his voice. He loved learning about cool people.

He eyed the boy behind him as they walked and his smile grew, "No. I don't think I will.".

"What the heck! You were totally supposed to say yes!", Luffy cried in outrage.

"Nope.".

"You're so mean!", the teen huffed dejectedly, crossing his arms, a pout on his face.

The old man only laughed and chose to stay silent rather than respond as they continued to make their way through the forest.

Quickly becoming bored with the silence, the large trees absorbed Luffy once again and he began to run his hands along the ones he would pass. With more time to inspect them, he realized they were more tube-like than any trees he'd seen before. It felt like the tree had been sanded down and left smooth. Like really smooth. He hadn't heard about many other islands, to begin with, but he knew that this kind of stuff wasn't normal in the blues. The Grandline sure. Shanks had told him the stories. Granted, he had grown up in a place where animals could be huge, but the trees were something else.

"Hey, old guy. What's the name of this place?", Luffy asked, seemingly out of the blue.

"The name of this island is East Lodestone. The forest has no name, most simply call it Lodestone Forest.", said old guy answered, not interrupting his stride.

"First off, that IS a name", the younger boy pointed out, "and second off, why East?", he asked. Luffy thought it was a good enough question. Why not west? After all, the forest was on the west side. At least he thought this was the west side... He didn't really care much for the answer, honestly, he just really liked talking to the old man.

"East Lodestone shares three sisters. One in each blue, all, bearing one counterpart.", the stranger answered, cryptically, keeping his eyes on the path before him.

Luffy could only stare at the back of the man's head, "I don't know what that means.", he stated, blankly. He'd never been good with people who talked in confusing ways.

"And nor is it, really, for you to understand… Until you reach Laughtale, that is.", the older man glanced back at the teen, pointing a thumb at his hat from over his shoulder. "If you're wearing that, can I assume that the end of the Grandline is, most likely, your destination?", he questioned, the wistful tone of voice back once again.

"Hey! How the heck did you know that, gramps?", Luffy asked, eyeing the old guy curiously. He was sure he hadn't mentioned anything about being a pirate!

"I happened to know the original owner of that hat.", the tall man said, a full-blown smile gracing his face.

The straw-hatted teen was off to the side enough to see the old guy's smile and it was the first time he'd seen the older man show any real emotion since they'd met. He decided that it was a good look on him. It made the wrinkles in his face almost disappear, somehow, and made him appear younger. So caught up in the moment, he totally missed what had been said that actually made the old man smile. He just smiled his smile in return.

The stranger's eyes widened and he continued smiling. "Young man! There is a cave in the heart of this place that is guarded by, what some call, the Forest Lord and others, the Lord of the Forest.", he began, "It matters not to me what name you choose to use. I only wish to tell you that if you find their cave and best them, they will grant you the treasure they guard.".

If Luffy wasn't already invested, the word treasure would have sealed the deal. He was definitely going to beat the forest guy and steal his treasure! Well… not steal. He wasn't a pirate yet. He was going to win it! Before anything though, he needed to find the place. He wasn't sure how big the forest was, but from the size and look of the trees, he felt that just doing that would take forever. Everything looked the same! It was all just grey bark and dark green leaves. The chances that he was about to get lost were… very high. That meant he needed to get started and soon. "I'll do it, old man! I'll beat forest guy and get his treasure.", declared Luffy, starting to pass the man who'd led him thus far.

Something in the way the boy said it made the white-haired man believe him. 'He could also quite possibly die.'. said man thought, slightly frowning to himself. The boy didn't look very strong. As Luffy sprinted towards parts of the forest the stranger hadn't visited in a very long time, he spared a look at the back of Luffy's red vest. The red color and the straw hat reminded him of a similar red colored coat he used to see around the shoulders of the man who wore that very same straw hat. "Before you leave!", the old man exclaimed after the familiar color.

The boy stopped and turned, impatience written all over his face. "What is it, gramps? I gotta go find forest guy or whatever!", he shouted, clearly wanting him to get to the point.

"Would it be so rude of me, if I asked for your name?", he asked.

Luffy recoiled, shocked, as if it was just hitting him for the first time that they hadn't yet introduced themselves… It most certainly was. "Sorry about that!", he said, laughing, his signature smile in place, "My name's Monkey D. Luffy! And I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!"

The stranger smiled one more big smile before replying, "Well, Monkey D. Luffy, future King of the Pirates, my name is Spencer. And I am very glad to have met you.". He waved Luffy toward deeper parts of the forest, "Go and seek your treasure, young friend. This is farewell.".

"But, we will see each other again someday, right?", the teen asked.

"I think not.", Spencer replied, the same small smile he had worn since the two met gracing his lips once again.

Luffy made to argue, but the older man shot him a 'scary' look, "Go.", he said once more, "Your treasure awaits."

"Whatever, gramps! It was nice meeting you anyways!", the teenager exclaimed with a smile, making his way ahead and into the forest. He might not see the old man again but he was glad he got to meet him. He'd given him an adventure to go on!

As Spencer lost track of Luffy's form to trunks of grey, he knew, regardless, he was staying out of it. The old man had promised himself to let the era Roger created take the mantle and he wasn't going to interfere. If the child died here in this forest, the child died.

Who was he kidding? It wasn't him he needed to worry about.

He would need to worry for the world. The young man was sure to turn it upside down.

'Your will is in good hands, Roger.'.

Entering the building, Zoro immediately heard the dull pings of a metal hammer coming from somewhere in the back. However, the chime of the bell above the door rang clearly throughout the shop and the rhythmic sound ceased. Shuffling replaced the loud noises, and a muscular greying man made his way out of the back, soot covering his arms and face.

"What can I do ya for, son?", the man asked, gesturing to the various arms around the store, "As ya can see, we sell blades and one or two other things.". The man walked to a counter where a register sat and gestured for Zoro to approach.

The green-haired teenager acquiesced and began to walk toward the counter the store owner now stood behind. His eyes scanned his surroundings as he made his way through the shop. There were different sections for different types of blades and Zoro could see every kind of sword he could think of. Many cases were holding different, seemingly rare, blades of all sorts of make. The most cared for cases, however, seemed to be the katanas. He'd have to ask the shopkeeper about them later.

Taking space, directly in the middle of the shop, were mannequins. As far as the swordsman could tell, they were only there to show off the few sets of armor being sold. Zoro walked around them as he approached and was, finally, able to get a good look at the man he was talking to. Well… his top half. However, it was more than enough to look at. The older man in front of the verdet was a mountain of muscle.

The blacksmith stood, at the least, a foot taller than the younger boy and bore arms as large as his head. He had long greying hair, peppered with spots of white and black, tied back into a high ponytail, and a beard of the same coloring. His face was long and wrinkled with age, but, his eyes hadn't lost their spark. Their amber color flashed gold in the sunlight peeking through the windows and contrasted beautifully with the dark ebony of his skin. He wore a striped green tank top that showed off his massive muscles and… That was all the swordsman could see.

Reaching the counter, Zoro received an expectant look from the man behind it. "I'm not here to buy anything… at least, not right now.", he answered to the man's earlier question, looking him right in the eye. He did still need two more swords, but that could wait. Something had led him to this shop, so he was sure it was where he was supposed to be.

"Window shopper then.", the older man huffed, turning to walk back to the room he came from, "I don't much like people like you. Always takin' me away from my for-".

"I'm not here as a shopper, at all.", Zoro interrupted, beginning to follow the man, "That sound earlier, what was it from?".

The subject change threw the older man off, but he recovered quickly, "Ya mean the forgin' I was doin'?", he asked, curiously. He chose to forget the rude interruption, it wasn't often someone came in to ask about blacksmithing.

"Forging?", Zoro asked, eyes narrowing in excitement. The feeling from before was back.

"I'm a blacksmith, so, yeah. I was in the back forgin' some custom pieces when ya came in.", the blacksmith said, nonchalantly. He stopped when he saw Zoro following him. He wasn't letting some brat anywhere near his forge. It was his baby. He didn't care if they wanted to know about blacksmithing or not.

"Teach me.", Zoro said, to the hulking man in front of him.

The man stared at Zoro in the eyes for a few seconds, as if looking for something, before turning and continuing his way back to his baby, "No.".

"I refus-", the teen was interrupted by the door shutting in his face. The swordsman closed his eyes and huffed in annoyance. That was… kind of expected. He knew he was supposed to be there, he just had to get the man to teach him. It had hit him when the blacksmith mentioned forging. If he knew how it was made, wouldn't that mean he could better use it?

Zoro turned away from the door and started walking back toward the exit. He was going to be back. Everyday. Every day, until the man agreed to teach him. He'd decided he would spend all his time on it if he had to. He didn't know how learning to forge a sword would help him in unlocking the power he was looking for, but he didn't think much on it. Luffy would definitely be mad that he wasn't actually spending his time alone but he knew this would make him stronger.

Therefore, he would pursue it.