AN:

I saw a question about weapons and if Luffy will ever use one. If he ever does it will be post-time skip. I've got a pretty clear picture in my head of Luffy's progression through pre-time skip, after that it's murky waters. So if it happens it will be then, but don't get too hung up on it it might not happen.

Another question was about pairings and if people will ever pair off. Specifically, Luffy. I agree everyone deserves to find love, but like you said it's not the main focus of the story. So more than likely I will tease allll the way to the end and then there will be some payoff... if this ever gets there:) don't hate me. Also, don't expect Nami to be the only one a little interested, I did say Luffy would be the apple of many eyes;)

Also, when I came up with Saul, the first image I got in my head was Idris Elba as Heimdall in Thor. He isn't exactly the same in my head and I tried to show that through his description. But still, it is a very good representation if you're having trouble imagining the way he looks. Just something I thought I might mention.

Not much to say about this one other than I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 9: Onward We Go

Zoro walked cautiously up to the door that Saul's forge stood behind. Luffy and Nami had already headed toward the docks after the three finished gathering supplies around the town, and now he had one last thing to do before he joined them.

They had food, water, and one or two other things to help them on the way to Mad Treasures's hideout. Nami said they would be stopping along the way to restock so they wouldn't need enough to last them the whole trip, only enough to get them to the next island. She had also made Zoro buy everything. He'd complained, but the orangette was stingy when it came to money... Stingy was probably an understatement.

The verdet knocked on the door and the sound of hammering coming from the other side stopped and was replaced by approaching footsteps. The swordsman knew Saul would likely be a little upset. He didn't like being interrupted while he was at the forge. And then there was the fact that he was leaving… Zoro took a deep breath. He was almost sad to go. For as much as they insulted each other, the teenager had grown to respect Saul and his gruff personality. He had even more respect for the man's work.

The door opened abruptly.

"Whaddya want brat?", Saul asked, impatiently, the forge bellowing in the room behind him.

He might as well rip the band-aid off. "I'm quitting, old man.", Zoro said without batting an eye, waiting for the blacksmith to explode. It took a moment for the swordsman's words to register but when they did, something akin to sadness crossed Saul's face, if it could even be called that. The man quickly brushed the emotion aside and replied, "Bout damn time, I was tired of seeing your bratty little face every day.".

Zoro laughed. He was going to miss the old man. "Well, I didn't want to just up and leave after all the good you've done for me. So, this is goodbye.", he said. It didn't need to be some huge thing, they were never like that. Zoro turned to leave but was stopped before he could take his first step.

"Wait right there.".

The swordsman turned back in the direction of the door only to hear retreating footsteps as Saul made his way back inside the forge room. Zoro watched through the doorway in confusion as the man approached the wall and tapped a brick that looked slightly out of place. A click echoed through the space and a part of the back wall slid aside to reveal a very plain-looking black box.

Saul carefully placed his hand on the front of the box and began to pull. It showed itself to be much longer than Zoro had originally thought as the blacksmith continued to pull until the end finally showed. Now resting in Saul's hands was a long box about the length of a katana. The man looked at it with a mix of emotions Zoro couldn't decipher before hitting the same brick again, the one that had opened the panel, and walking back toward the door as it slowly shut itself. The man said nothing as he stopped and held the box up to Zoro, mixed emotions still clear on his face.

"What the hell is this?", Zoro asked in confusion, letting Saul place the box in his arms. He hadn't expected to receive a parting gift.

The blacksmith stared at the box for a long moment before answering, "Sandai Kitetsu.".

"What?", the swordsman asked even more confused. What was a Sandai Kitetsu?

"I promised myself I would never look at that blade again. And I won't.", Saul stated, "I was actually gettin' ready to ship it off to Lougetown but…", he paused and continued to stare intently at the box now in Zoro's hand, "Just take the damn thing.".

Zoro eyed the black box critically. So, it was a sword. There was nothing very special about the box itself, but he wasn't going to say no to a free sword, especially if it was Saul offering. The man knew his blades. He went to open the box to get a look at the sword but was stopped.

"Not here. I still don't want to look at it.", he paused, "Or anything else from that accursed country.", Saul said, eyes full of anger and sadness. "A… friend… of mine died with that blade in her hands. Said it would protect her because it was made by her fuckin' shogun.", he spat the word, voice full of virtol, "Well... That same shogun forgot to mention that the damn thing is cursed.".

Zoro looked down at the box he was holding with an even more critical eye. He thought he was feeling some bloodlust from somewhere. It had just taken Saul's explanation for him to realize that it was coming from the box. The swordsman had to resist the urge to grin devilishly, as it was certainly not the right time. On the other hand, the blade had belonged to one of Saul's friends and, by his reaction, a close one. A part of Zoro wasn't keen on taking something that was a memory for someone else, even if that memory wasn't necessarily happy. His thoughts drifted to Wado.

"Saul… I don't know if I can take this.", Zoro honestly said. In a way, Sandai Kitetsu was like Wado Ichimonji. Wado reminded Zoro of Kunia and Kitetsu reminded Saul of his friend, whoever she may have been.

"Shut up brat. If I coulda gotten rid of it sooner I would have, but it's hard to find someone that wants to buy a cursed sword. It's a miracle I found someone at all.", the man paused in thought before continuing, "I just couldn't bring myself to toss it and no one wanted to buy it… So I kept it all these years. A part of me thought I'd die with that thing still stuck in the wall.".

Zoro listened to the words and was satisfied by them but one thing was still bothering him. "Is there a reason you're giving me a cursed blade?", he asked. He wasn't going to argue that hard if the man really wanted to give him the sword that badly. He did need it after all.

"Use your damn ears brat. I just said I been waitin' to get rid of it.", the blacksmith replied with a scoff.

"You also said it was cursed and that the curse killed your friend. Why give me this blade over some other katana?", the swordsman questioned seriously.

The older man paused and gave Zoro a once-over from the bottom up, stopping at his eyes. It had always been in his head, it was the reason he let the kid start working in the first place, but with a more critical look it was actually kind of uncanny. 'Take away that left eye, and he'd look just like him.', he thought to himself, wistfully. He'd only met the man once, however, he wouldn't ever forget it, his presence had been... terrifying. The one-eyed man was not happy about one of his daughters bringing a foreigner home from her self-imposed exile. He was also not very keen on letting that foreigner take her away again.

"I just gotta feelin'.", the older man said as his memories quieted.

The verdet sighed. He knew he wasn't going to get much more if he tried. Saul always said things like that when he couldn't explain something. Or just plain wouldn't. It looked like he now had a new sword. Sandai Kitetsu. He placed the box under his arm and returned Saul's gaze, giving the man a rare smile, "Thanks, Saul. I'll take good care of it.".

"Get outta here brat. Hope I never see your bratty face again.", the blacksmith said, turning to walk back to his forge.

Zoro laughed at the humor he could hear in the man's voice. "Same to you old man.", he joked in return, turning in the opposite direction and walking towards the front door of the shop. It was time to go meet up with Luffy and Nami and set sail from the island and the man that had taught him so much. "Take care of yourself.", he said quietly.

Saul looked into his forge as he heard the young boy's words and couldn't help but smile. That curse didn't stand a chance. Roronoa Zoro. He'd have to keep his eye out for the name in the future. The kid would be making waves in the world for sure, right alongside that captain of his.

The man looked up toward the ceiling and almost through it, to the sky above, smiling as embers swirled all around him. "Let's watch him together.", he whispered into the air.

"Luffy, hurry up!", Nami yelled from her place on the small boat, "And where the hell is Zoro?".

The straw-hatted boy could barely walk under the items he was carrying. He, Zoro, and Nami had gone out early to gather supplies for their voyage. Zoro had gone back to Saul's shop instead of going to the docks with them, saying he still hadn't quit yet and left carrying all the supplies to Nami and Luffy. It wasn't a ton of things, however, the problem was, Luffy had been forced into carrying all of it. The same Luffy that was still not fully healed. "Naaammmiii, it's heavy. And I'm tired!", he moaned, dragging his feet with every step he took.

"Oh come on perv boy, stop it with the groaning. It's right here.", she said, gesturing to the boat she was standing in. Luffy needed to stop complaining, it wasn't THAT far. Plus, he deserved it.

Luffy hobbled over to the vessel and almost collapsed instead of stepping into it. Luckily, he caught himself before he lost his balance and made it safely, dropping his load as soon as he was able. He groaned, "So much better.". The boy looked at Nami with a pout, "That was really mean, Nami."

"Well you made me angry last night, so you deserved it.", the girl replied, sticking her tongue out at the boy childishly.

The straw-hatted teen didn't reply, instead, he laughed as he remembered the anger on Nami's face the night before. The conversation ended and he walked to the back side of the boat, finding himself a nice spot for a nap. He needed sleep. He wanted to heal up so he could swim again. Being on the boat all the time would be boring! Plus, it was good training! He laid down and placed his straw hat over his face. Nami was the navigator, the rest of the work was up to her.

Said navigator gathered all the supplies Luffy had brought on the boat and began sorting everything out. They had enough to last them three weeks but they shouldn't need all of it. If the orangette was right, and she always was, the first stop would only take them around two weeks to travel to if the winds were favorable. That left them with a week's worth of extra. She glanced at the, now sleeping, boy in the back of the boat. 'We might just barely make it', she thought to herself. She'd seen Luffy eat last night… "Where the hell is Zoro?", the girl asked asked no one in particular. She was ready to leave and it looked like Luffy was too.

"Don't ask me. He's probably lost somewhere.", Luffy said from under his hat.

Nami jumped, startled. She'd thought he was asleep already.

"I'm right here.", Zoro said, approaching the boat and glaring at Luffy. It had taken him some time, but like he told his idiot future captain before, his direction always took him where he needed to go. He stepped into the boat, the black box Saul had given him safely tucked underneath his arm.

Not missing a beat, Navigator Nami took over. "Alright Zoro.", she looked up, closing her eyes, and felt the air, "The wind is about to pick up. Unmoor us and unfurl the sail.". Her eyes snapped open, "Quickly.". As the words left her mouth the wind began to pick up just like she'd said, almost as if she spoke it into existence. She checked her compass and made sure she knew which direction they needed to head in as Zoro quickly obliged, setting down his box and doing as the girl ordered. As soon as the two tasks were completed, the boat began to drift out of the port and toward its next destination.

"Thanks for all the help, Luffy.", Zoro said, sarcastically, looking at the younger boy's prone form. Eyeing his future captain, the verdet began to wonder what his friend had been up to the whole time they had been on the island. He'd planned to ask him the night before but forgot with all the talk of stealing treasure. The verdet walked back to where Luffy was lying down and sat beside him, his back against the side railing, "So, you know I was with Saul the whole time we were here, what exactly were you doing?".

Luffy had gotten stronger and he was curious how because he had seen some pretty crazy stuff that night. The swordsman flashed back to the image of his future captain's straw-hatted figure surrounded by the moon. Some really crazy stuff...

The black-haired boy glanced out from under his hat, "What do you mean? I was in the forest.". Wait. If Zoro had been at the cave, how could he have been with Saul the whole time? It had taken him forever to find that place!

"The whole time?", Zoro asked incredulously.

"Yes, the whole time! I was looking for Forest Guy's cave!", Luffy replied. White had said she knew where it was so he just followed her around the forest. It ended up being really fun, but it had taken them a whole month.

"That cave is like a day's walk from the city...", Zoro said, sweat dropping.

"He's right, it took me longer to find it, but when we brought you back it only took us about a day.", Nami said from her place on the floorboards, where she was sorting supplies.

Luffy glanced between his companion's blank faces, "Really?", he asked.

"Really".

"Really".

The youngest occupant of the boat burst out laughing from underneath his hat. White must have been playing tricks on him! Either that or she just really liked hanging out. Maybe it was even something else. Luffy was fine with it though. He made a really cool friend and got to hang out with her for a whole month!

Zoro looked at Luffy curiously, "What're you laughing about?"

"My friend White told me she knew where the cave was but it took us a whole month to get there. I think she was playing tricks on me.", Luffy replied, giggling.

"Who's White?", Nami asked. It was a girl's name. She definitely wasn't interested or anything...

"She's a big white wolf that's my friend.", Luffy smiled into his hat, closing his eyes once again.

Nami and Zoro stared incredulously at the boy.

"Has some little cubs too. Well, I guess not so little now.", the black-haired boy said. He was going to miss the pack but he would always remember them. Who knows, maybe he would even see them again.

After the initial shock wore off, Zoro found that he wasn't actually that surprised by his future captain's words, it was definitely something Luffy would do, "So, you were with wolves for an entire month?".

...

...

"Luffy?".

...

...

The swordsman sighed and stood up to walk back to where he had placed Saul's gift, away from a now snoring Luffy, and sat next to it when he arrived.

"What's that?", Nami questioned, having finished sorting the supplies and making sure their heading was correct. She had seen the box when he'd stepped on the boat and now she was curious.

"A gift from Saul.", he said, beginning to lift the top from the box. The bloodlust he had been feeling was stronger now.

'Creepy', Nami thought as she watched the swordsman open the box with a somewhat devil-like smile. She looked closer as he pulled the top all the way off the box and scoffed when she saw that it was a sword. It just looked like any other sword to her and she didn't care about swords, only money. The navigator turned away, bored, and moved to the front of the boat to find a spot to draw some maps.

As Zoro gazed into the box Saul had given him, Sandai Kitetsu stared back.

The inside was lined with velvet, its color matching the outside of the box. Impressed into the velvet was a blade roughly the same size as Wado Ichimonji. It rested in a sheath that was covered in deep red wrappings up to its top where a golden cap rested. In the middle of the wrappings, in short succession, were two golden clasps that were the only things interrupting the wrapping pattern. The red wrappings on the sheath continued to cover the hilt as well, a golden clasp resting in the middle of it. The dull golden tsuba, shaped like a rounded cross, separated the hilt and the sheath. It was the only other thing interrupting the sword's continuous pattern. The last item of note was another golden cap that matched the one on the sheath, covering the pommel.

The swordsman reached into the box, grasping the katana by its hilt, and immediately felt just how bloodthirsty his new blade was. Zoro's grin largened. He hadn't even drawn it yet. The verdet grasped the sheath with his opposite hand and drew his new sword, its silver edge singing songs of thanks to the one who had released it from its prison. He gazed at his new weapon glinting in the sunlight, black spreading from its mune into a beautiful hamon of dancing blue fire.

Zoro's eyes ran along the edge of Kitetsu. Saul had said he hadn't touched it since he got it and yet, the swordsman could tell it was still razor sharp. Also, the bloodlust was stronger now that he had drawn the blade. Sandai Kitetsu was a feisty one... He could already tell that it would be a problem child. The teenager re-sheathed his new katana and slid it into place next to Wado Ichimonji. He sighed. It was the most normal he'd felt in over a month and he was still missing one. He couldn't wait to find another sword, he was excited to see what he could do with Santōryū and the new things he'd learned.

The verdet looked to the front of the boat and saw Nami drawing on some paper What it was she was drawing, he couldn't tell. He went to ask but just before the words left his mouth, a yawn escaped instead. It looked like he was napping. The swordsman laid his head back against the edge of the boat and it wasn't long before he was asleep, a smile on his face at the thought of his new sword and the man that had given it to him.

The group had been sailing for a week and Luffy had finally recovered fully from his injuries a couple of days earlier. Let's just say, he hadn't left the water very much since then.

"Nami! Come swim with me!", Luffy yelled from beside the boat. He was feeling so good about being able to swim again!

"No!", she yelled back from her place at the helm of the boat. If she got off, Zoro would somehow find a way to lead them way off course, she just knew it.

Luffy pouted as he swam beside the moving craft, "So mean! You never want to swim with me anymore!".

Nami pointed to Zoro, who was currently resting in his spot against the edge of the boat, "Blame your friend and his sense of direction. Or lack thereof.", she huffed. She'd gotten off the boat ONE time to swim with Luffy because the heat had been almost unbearable. It had been relaxing... for about five minutes. In the short time she had been in the water, Zoro had managed to turn the boat in the complete opposite direction! The navigator shook her head just thinking about it. The two people she was traveling with were seriously idiots.

Luffy laughed, his green-haired friend really was terrible with directions, not that he was much better. He swam over next to the boat and grabbed the side of it, pulling himself up to sit on the edge and turning to look at Zoro's sleeping form. The black-haired boy smiled. He wouldn't have his friend any other way.

"Luffy, don't get in the boat all wet. I don't want the rest of our supplies getting ruined.", Nami said, looking at her compass. They were still on a good course and were making good time. She glanced at their supplies. Luffy was still eating more than he should, but it was obvious he'd at least cut back a little. There was still food left after all. She never knew with Luffy, but she thought it should last them until they made it to the next island.

The straw-hatted teen sat comfortably on the edge of the boat, obliging by Nami's words and waiting to dry off. As he looked off to the sea, he couldn't help but feel free. He loved sailing and now that he had people to sail with, he loved it even more. Luffy watched the waves crash against the side of the boat and his thoughts drifted to its other, currently conscious, occupant. He wanted her to be free too. "Hey, Nami.", the boy spoke, getting the girl's attention.

Nami looked up from her compass and saw Luffy giving her an intent look, "What is it Luffy?".

He eyed the orangette knowing he needed to tread carefully with what he wanted to ask, "Why do you hate pirates so much?".

Nami froze in place. She hadn't been expecting the question. The girl scowled and looked away from the black-haired boy and out to the sea. "It's none of your business.", she said into the air in front of her.

Luffy looked at the back of her head and frowned. She looked angry but she was hurting, for some reason, he could just tell. "Oh, ok.", he replied before turning away from her and looking out toward the horizon. He was gonna fix whatever it was that was hurting her. Then she could come be a pirate with him.

"That's it?", Nami asked, now looking curiously at the back of Luffy's head.

The boy turned back and faced the girl, replacing his frown with a soft smile, "You'll tell me when you feel like it. Until then, I don't need to know."

A light dusting of red rose to Nami's cheeks but she quickly shook the feeling away. Like she would ever be telling Luffy why she hated pirates... After they stole everything from Mad Treasure, she would drop the two boys as fast as she possibly could. She didn't want to be dragged into any more of the craziness they were sure to be wrapped up in. "Whatever.", she replied eventually, grabbing some paper out of one of the sacks of supplies. She didn't want to think about idiot boys or pirates anymore, she just wanted to draw maps.

"Oh yeah.", Luffy exclaimed, watching Nami grab her drawing supplies. "I never asked where we're stopping first! Can you tell me?", he asked hopefully, "And how much longer till we get there?".

Nami looked at her map of the East Blue, "If my navigation is true, which it always is, we should arrive at Gekko Island in a little under a week.". She dropped the map and went back to drawing her own.

Gekko Island? Why did that name sound familiar? Luffy shrugged from his position on the edge of the boat, he would probably find out at some point. He looked at the water below his feet and smiled. He could get dry later. He stood up on the edge of the boat and screamed, "CANNONBALL!", diving headfirst into the ocean.

Nami looked up from her map in amusement. For as annoying as Luffy could be, he was also pretty fun to be around. She guessed there could have been worse people to sail with.

"Is that Gekko Island?", Zoro asked through the pouring rain as the three companions looked toward the small island they were approaching.

"Yep, that's it. Get ready to beach the ship. We need to restock.", Nami yelled, looking over the supplies that were left, thunder booming in the background, "Bad.". They'd barely made it. It looked like bringing that extra week's worth of food had been the right call. Anything substantial that was left would have been ruined in the storm anyway. She sighed looking up at the rain coming down from the sky. She'd seen it coming days ago, but there was no getting around it. It was headed straight for where they were going, Gekko Island. It looked like it would probably be a couple of days before it let up too.

Luffy jumped up and down from his place next to the other occupants of the boat. "Come on Zoro! Let's row the rest of the way! I wanna get there already!", The straw-hatted boy yelled grabbing an oar. He didn't mind the rain that much. He actually kinda liked it.

The swordsman acquiesced and quickly grabbed the other oar. He'd run out of sake a couple of days ago and definitely needed some more. The rain wasn't making him feel any better about it.

The two rowed until the boat began to slow from the sand grinding against its hull, signaling their arrival at their destination.

Luffy jumped off the boat and ran to the beach, rain pelting him as he sped toward adventure. He wanted to go see what was on the island! He still couldn't get it out of his head that Gekko Island sounded familiar and he wanted to find out why.

"Wait, Luffy!", Nami yelled, wiping water out of her eyes, "We need to go get supplies first, then you can go explore the island to your heart's content."

The straw-hatted teen pouted but followed the order, standing in place. His feet sunk into the wet sand and rain soaked his form as he waited for Zoro and Nami to exit the boat.

Suddenly, a voice from the cliff above sounded down to the beach, thunder rumbling dramatically in the background. "WHO DARES STEP ONTO THE ISLAND OF THE MIGHTY CAPTAIN USOPP, GREAT WARRIOR OF THE SEA?!", the voice yelled. "IF YOU COME HERE AS PIRATES OR BANDITS, MY ONE MILLION MEN AND I WILL FORCE YOU TO LEAVE! AND THAT'S A PROMISE!".

Zoro and Nami scoffed, walking up behind Luffy, and wondered how someone could tell such a bold-faced lie.

"One million seems like a little much? Doesn't it?", the orangette yelled from the beach to the cliff above. "Captain Usopp" could have at least made the lie believable.

Luffy looked up to the cliff and saw a funny-looking boy.

His bushy black hair was tied in an olive green, plaid, bandana, a pair of goggles resting on top of it. His eyes were wide with a small black pupil that just made his most defining feature, his nose, seem even longer as it stuck out like the branch of a tree and hung over his prominent lips. Over his shirtless tan skin, the boy wore a soaked pair of brown overalls along with a pair of olive boots. A white sash hung around his middle and a thin blue/white striped armband rested snuggly around his left forearm. Also on that left arm, was a hand holding a green slingshot that he'd loaded with ammo from the yellow satchel hanging at his side.

The boy on the cliff paled. He'd been found out! His confident smile returned quickly though, and he yelled down to the three below him again, "YOU'RE RIGHT! IT'S ACTUALLY TWO MILLION!". They would never expect him to double down!

Nami and Zoro shook their heads at the even more obvious lie "Captain Usopp" had told and didn't reply, however, Luffy had a different reaction.

The straw-hatted boy's eyes widened.

"I got a kid about your age. Name's Usopp.".

Luffy laughed from his place in the sand. It was all Yasopp had ever talked about. He apparently really loved his son. Luffy liked him too, he was funny! So, that was why this place sounded so familiar, it was Yasopp's home! Maybe he would join the crew. He was definitely going to ask him later. "Is Yasopp your dad?", Luffy yelled in question to the boy standing on the cliff above.

The long-nosed boy was so shocked by Luffy's words that he slipped on the wet rock and lost his balance, falling off the side of the cliff he was standing on. He screamed, his body sailing through the air, and hit the ground face-first. The bushy-haired boy groaned, his broken nose buried in the sand below.

Usopp slowly pulled his face out of the ground and moaned in pain. He touched his nose wincing, "That's gonna be a little tender.", he said to himself. He looked up, watching as the three people that had landed on his island approached, the rain pouring down all around them.

"You ok?", Luffy asked, laughing. He couldn't help it, it was too funny not to laugh!

"The great Captain Usopp doesn't feel pain!", he exclaimed in a nasally voice, through his broken nose.

The three could obviously tell he was lying with the way he winced.

Usopp looked at the black-haired boy in front of the other two, "You said my dad's name... Do you know him?", he asked hopefully. He had never met anyone that knew his dad, besides his mom.

"Yeah!", Luffy exclaimed, "He never shut up about you either! It was always Usopp this and Usopp that.", he laughed. Looking back on those times was always fun.

"You're not lying, are you?", Usopp hoped against all hope that he wasn't.

"Nope!", Luffy exclaimed with a big smile.

The long-nosed teen couldn't help but believe in that smile, besides, the person he was talking to looked like a terrible liar. He almost teared up hearing the words the boy spoke. His father actually thought about him. He smiled to himself, 'All the more reason to become a great warrior of the sea'.

"Anyway, It's nice to finally meet you! I'm Luffy!", the straw-hatted teen exclaimed with a big smile.

Nami raised her hand and waved awkwardly, Zoro doing the same. They were both drenched and they both wanted out of the rain, sooner rather than later. Hopefully, the liar could get them somewhere dry.

"Nami.".

"Zoro.".

"Well, it's nice to meet you guys! My name's Usopp!", he turned and spread his arms dramatically, a wide smile on his face. The long-nosed boy looked to the island that had forever been his home and shouted, "Welcome to Gekko Island!".

...

...

...

"It looks better in the sun, I promise!".

End Note:

We have arrived on Gekko Island! I wonder how things will progress?

Also, it's never actually mentioned how long Kitetsu was in the shop on Lougetown or how it got there, so I thought it was a realistic change for Saul to have it. Plus, it fits the story really well.

See you guys in the next one.