AN:

Hey there, everyone. I know it's been a while but I wanted to get this chapter out before the year was up, so here we are. It's been a busy month and I haven't had as much time to write, however, I'm hoping that changes come January. I'm still excited about the continuation of this story and feel like it has a lot left to give! Also, we hit 1,000 follows recently which is crazy so I wanted to say thank you guys for all the support!

Anyways, I'll shut up so you can read the chapter, lol. Hope you all enjoy it and don't be afraid to let me know what you think!

Chapter 45: Destiny's Declaration

The surrounding crowd was in awe as they watched the spectacle unfold before them, most looking on in fascination while some began to try and make their exit, fearing what the situation might become. However, while most of the people were focused on the marine captain and his fight with the woman taking place in front of the scaffold, there was one in the mass of densely packed bodies that was there for one reason and one reason alone.

It felt like fate… After the whole debacle with the cadet, something the mob boss could still barely believe happened, they'd gathered themselves together and prepared to head back to the hideout with the assumption that the Marines now thought he was a cannibal… He still was rather peeved about that… They even decided to bring Ren along with them. With his permission, of course. Not that it was very hard to get…

However, just when they went to get on their way, something stopped the man… It was just a feeling but it was strong enough to make him abandon his desire to get home and lead him and his boys to the area surrounding the execution platform. And, now that he'd made it… He had an inkling as to what the feeling was… It was his Straw Hat tingle.

Bartolomeo never imagined he'd get to see him in person and he couldn't help but stare at the bounty hunter's struggling form in wonder. It was really him… Straw Hat Luffy… Ever since he'd first read about Merry's Terrible Trio in the news, he'd been enraptured by the group of bounty hunters. Especially Luffy. He just thought they were the coolest group ever! Their exploits had been detailed in the paper many times and he was proud to say, he had every single one of their articles pinned to a large board in his hideout. Sometimes, when he was bored, he would re-read the articles on his wall and imagine what it would have been like to be there with them… Weirdly enough, it was one of his favorite ways to spend his free time…

"Boss! What should we do?! That's Mista Luffy!", Gambia cried, reaching for Barto's shoulder. He turned him in his direction, "It looks like he's in some serious trouble!".

The green-haired man smacked his subordinate's hand away and turned back to the platform, eyes once again drinking in the sight of the struggling bounty hunter. As much as he hated to admit it, Gambia was right… Mista Luffy looked like he was in quite a predicament… He could use his forcefields to save him but he really didn't want to do anything that would steal his hero's thunder. He just knew he would figure things out himself. He wouldn't be his hero if he couldn't.

Barto's determination hardened and he ripped his eyes away from the spectacle taking place in the center of the crowd, gaze shifting to a large group of marines just barely holding back a large mob from entering the area. He smirked to himself at the sight, an idea coming to mind, and turned back to Gambia. "How abouts we go stir up a little chaos to help out Mista Luffy?", he asked, pointing toward the struggling marines.

Gambia almost immediately understood the words and a matching smirk rose to his lips before he turned to the rest of their men, "Alright, boys! The Boss wants us to make some trouble and he gave me a pretty good idea how!". He turned away and pointed at the central entrance to the area, motioning the others to follow his lead as he began to push through the crowd, "So, let's go get it done! Ryo! Stay here and take care of Ren!".

The narrow, rain-slicked alleyways of Loguetown were like treacherous serpents entwining themselves around Zoro and Sanji as they rushed through, water cascading down the antique stone walls and pooling into the already flooded cobblestone street. Each footfall sent splashes of murky water into the air, adding to the symphony of howling wind that whistled through the encroaching structures.

The swordsman couldn't help but scowl at the state of his clothing while he kept pace with the blond at his front, the sounds of the mob growing louder with every step they took. He couldn't wait to get back to the Merry… He sighed at his uncomfortableness, letting the thought drift away, and caught the chef looking over his shoulder at him. An irritated growl left his lips, "Why the hell do you keep looking back at me, Cook?".

Sanji faced forward with a smirk, "Someone's got to make sure you don't go wanderi-". His sharp reflexes suddenly kicked in as a shadow loomed ahead, an unexpected dead end. With a scowl taking over his features, he bent his knees and shot over the brick wall without missing a beat, Zoro's feet slamming into the ground on the other side not a moment after his.

"… Seems like someone should be watching where they're going instead of watching me…", Zoro mumbled under his breath as they continued toward where they assumed their captain was.

"Maybe a warning about the damn wall next time, yeah?" Sanji barked over his shoulder, his voice almost lost to the violent gusts of wind and rain batting against it. He kept his eyes forward this time but he could practically feel the smirk being sent at his back… It was the damn swordsman's fault he had to keep turning around in the first place!… He'd already caught him trying to wander off and he was almost ashamed to say that it'd been more than once…

The chef's eyes stayed locked to the path ahead as he tried to let his irritation simmer and a silence fell between the two companions, the splashing of their footsteps the only sound coming from either of them. His mind began to drift and he couldn't help but be brought back to that building… The building where he'd forsaken a part of himself… Before the weight of his sin could fully drop upon him, he shook the feelings away. It still wasn't time to deal with that yet…

While Zoro's expression never changed, he didn't miss the slight tightening of his crew mate's frame and it wasn't hard to assume what he was thinking about… A part of him wanted to say something, but he honestly didn't know what he should say… He shrugged to himself and his eyes caught sight of the first signs of the mob they'd been chasing, their speed increasing as they neared their goal. He could worry about the cook later. His captain came first.

Without a skip in their steps, the two emerged from the alley to confront a volatile sea of bodies, the crowd's fervor as fierce as the gale that blew around them. Screams and shouts of anger and pain thundered through the stormy air and the two pirates halted their movement momentarily, watching the crowd push into the area surrounding the execution platform. Their eyes roamed over the massive mob for a moment before both pairs suddenly widened when they saw the battle occurring in front of the scaffold.

A quick, knowing look shared between the two was all it took and they were off, dashing through the chaos with a single purpose. Help their captain.

Heat.

It was like liquid fire was running through Luffy's veins as he fought with all his might against his captivity, extremities cutting through smoke like his life depended on it. The growl in his throat seemed to grow louder with every ineffective movement but at this point nothing could stop his struggling. Every time his eyes found his destination just out of reach the heat seemed to flare and send a wave of chills rolling over his body.

With the sudden influx of the mob, the entire area had erupted into a cacophony of chaos, individual voices trying desperately to make themselves heard above the next.

However, the teen paid the rising pandemonium no mind and continued his fruitless efforts, gaseous white vapor continuing to expand and contract around his muscular form. He was sure nothing except making it to the platform would calm the raging tsunami of excitement wreaking havoc on his insides and it just made it all that much worse that he was unable to escape. Gritting his teeth, his eyes found the top of the wooden structure once again and they stayed locked to it, resolve hardening even further… He was gonna get out somehow… And he was making it up there if it was the last damn thing he did.

"Give it up! You can't win!", Smoker growled angrily, turning away from where he could see the mob now pushing in their direction. His jitte met Alvida's mace in the air and the rain scattered following each of the clangs erupting from their colliding weapons, "We both know how this ends!". He didn't have time for this shit… Out of the corner of his eye, he could see several conflicts beginning to unfold throughout the crowd and it made him all the more adamant on finishing the fight as quickly as possible.

Alvida slid backward on the soles of her feet when she was shoved away and sent her opponent a saucy smile. "Sorry, handsome, no can do!", she purred, eyes drifting up to the form still hanging above them, "I can't stop until that boy's pretty face gets a taste of my mace!". For all her outward confidence, inwardly, she still had no clue as to how she was going to reach the kid. For that matter, she didn't know how she was supposed to get him to the top of the platform either… With the situation unfolding the way it was, she couldn't help but think things looked rather bleak… She'd have to apologize to Buggy later if she made it out of this… Preferably not in handcuffs…

Smoker sighed in irritation and readied his jitte, its point centering in between the woman's eyes. "Then let's get this damn thing over with.", he said, nodding over his shoulder to the devolving situation at his back, "I got other shit to take care of and you're makin' things complicated.". He caught the woman's gaze and sent her a scowl, "… I don't do complicated.".

Before Alvida could respond, a voice cutting straight through all the deafening chaos stopped the conversation in its tracks.

"BOTH OF YOU…", Luffy roared in irritation, his obvious anger grabbing the attention of the two combatants down below, "SHUT THE HELL UP!". He went to continue his rage-fueled tirade but stopped himself when a shiver rolled down his spine, all the way from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. When the ice reached his feet, it felt like a bolt of lightning violently shot back up through the entirety of his body and he gasped, grabbing his chest in alarm… What the hell was that?…

The pirate captain couldn't help the throaty growl that began to leave his lips when the swirling heat in his body started to exponentially increase in temperature. It was weird but… For some reason, it was almost… Familiar… The thought was expelled from his mind when it felt like he would no longer be able to contain the rising feeling any longer and his attention was grabbed by something else… Was he… Vibrating?

Regardless of the new revelation, the boy's voice continued to rise in volume alongside the chaos wrecking his insides as it reached unbearable levels when, suddenly, something miraculous and wholly unexpected happened… In perhaps the blink of an eye, all the happenings in his body stilled with a small pop and were replaced by something else… Something… Harder.

For the first time since he'd been captured Luffy's form halted in the air and the two onlookers stared at his wide eyes curiously, neither expecting the stillness to last. Usually, it would have been a fair bet to make however, this time, they were both proven wrong. Several moments passed while he hung there simply staring at the execution platform and they continued to watch for the eventual break of his silence, yet, nothing came.

Smoker eyed the kid's unmoving form while a smirk rose to his lips, "Finally decided to give it up, huh, Straw Hat?". He waited for a reply but it never came, the words' recipient remaining unmoving while he gazed wide-eyed up at the platform. It was strange though… He didn't even seem to be looking at it… He looked to be somewhere else… Somewhere far away… It was honestly strange to see, considering he'd never really seen him be anything other than energetic.

The marine shook his head, eyes pulling away from the suspended teen, and faced the woman at his front. With the brat now docile, for some reason, he just needed to finish up the fight and then he'd be able to work on getting the townspeople under control. Obviously his men weren't faring very well… The thought made him growl under his breath. He still hadn't seen Tashigi anywhere… With another shake of his head, everything drifted away to be dealt with later. He had more pressing concerns at the moment.

Alvida felt the stare of the man across from her and faced him again, shooting one last glance at the unmoving boy hanging in the stormy sky… It was weird to see him like that… She barely knew him but something about it just didn't seem right. It felt… Foreboding… She brushed away the ridiculous thought and raised her mace, mirroring the battle-ready stance of the handsome marine across from her. A grin rose to her lips even though she knew she was fighting a losing battle, "Well then, handsome… Let's finish this.".

Smoker's legs had already vanished even before the words had finished leaving the woman's mouth, smoke exploding around his form as he shot in her direction and prepared to end the fight as quickly as possible. All it would take was one solid hit. He'd make sure of it. In the blink of an eye, he was in range and gritting his teeth, gripping his weapon with all of his smokey strength. A roar of exertion left his mouth and he brought his jitte down as hard as he could, cigar smoke violently leaving his lips and surrounding him in an opaque screen of white.

Before the man's weapon had cut even halfway through the wispy vapor obscuring his sight, a shockwave pierced through the smoke and scattered it into nonexistence, his jitte slamming into what he assumed was the woman's iron mace. However, when his vision came back into focus and he realized who was in front of him, he couldn't help but be shocked to stillness… How?… Standing there and holding the edge Smoker's weapon in the palm of his hand was an impossibility. If he could have helped it he would have moved but his wide eyes stayed glued to the smaller form between him and his opponent, the boy's grin showing just under the brim of his dripping straw hat.

Bright laughter rang through the marine's ears and he stared at the kid's blinding white smile in bewilderment, "… Straw Hat?…". Not moments earlier, he'd been helpless against his smoke. What'd changed in such a short amount of time?… And how hadn't he noticed? Surely he would have felt him escape… Even as the thought crossed him, he realized he might have missed something while being so focused on ending the fight with the woman. His eyes looked to his adversary and he gaped at seeing her trying to rip her mace from the boy's grip.

"…But… How?…", Smoker managed to mutter, his mind moving a mile a minute while he tried to figure out just what the hell was going on, "… That… That shouldn't be possible…".

Luffy stared at his hand in awe, his eyes shifting to the opposite appendage. He took almost no notice of the two people trying to wrench their weapons out of his grip. His sole focus was on one thing and one thing only.

Haki.

The pirate captain's laughter rose to even greater heights and he ripped the two weapons in his grasp away from their owners before launching them both as high as he could, "FINALLY!". A boom ripped through the air, a small shockwave blowing through the surrounding area following the two weapons disappearing into the sky, and he brought his hands into his vision once again. It was back… It was actually back… He hadn't used it in so long that he'd almost forgotten what it felt like.

"Damn it, Straw Hat.", Smoker hissed, "I only have one of those…". His fury at losing his weapon was only compounded by the confusion that came with the brat's escape. He just couldn't figure out how the hell it was possible… He shook his head, eyes peeling into a glare while he stared at the laughing teen… He'd get it out of the kid when he captured him again… And he'd be keeping a close eye on him this time.

A tingle on the back of his neck brought Luffy out of his daze and he wrenched his head backward, a white fist flying past his face. On instinct, his enhanced hand darted out to wrap around the smokey appendage and he almost immediately realized his folly. However, when his fingers closed around the wispy wrist, he was surprised to find himself gripping something solid. Without even thinking about it, he ripped the arm in his direction and pulled the person it belonged to toward him, his other hand wrenching backward.

Smoker barely had time to realize he was being pulled forward before a fist consumed his vision. Usually, he wouldn't have been worried about someone trying to punch him but for some reason… Why did something feel different this time?…

A loud crack consumed the air and echoed through the area as the boy's enhanced knuckles connected with Smoker's solidified face and his consciousness almost immediately vanished, feet leaving the ground. Spittle flew from the man's mouth and his body smashed through one of the legs of the execution platform before crashing into the wall, a spiderweb of cracks exploding around his form.

Luffy stared at the unconscious man buried in the concrete for a long moment before looking back to his hand in wonder… Shanks had never told him haki could do that… He shook his head and laughter began to leave his lips once again. He still couldn't believe that it was actually back!

The pirate captain stared at the enhanced appendage for a while longer before looking up to find the woman who'd started this whole thing staring at him with a pair of wide eyes as she backed toward the raging crowd that was now beginning to converge on the area. His smile widened and he rushed in her direction, laughter bubbling from his chest while thunder cracked loudly through the stormy air.

Alvida stared at the approaching teen with her legs shaking in horror and backed away as quickly as she could. Lightning flashed in the sky and for a moment, instead of a kid, she swore she saw a smiling demon coming to eat her soul… In almost an instant the boy was standing directly in front of her and her eyes snapped shut, instincts telling her that what was coming was going to hurt… After seeing what'd happened to the marine she'd been fighting, she had a feeling her devil fruit wouldn't be saving her this time…

The woman's body tensed when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and, before she could be shocked by the fact that she was actually being touched, was lifted into the air. She braced herself for the pain she knew should be coming but the arms surrounding her never tightened and as she hung there continuing to wait for the pressure to increase… For some reason… It felt… Kind of… Nice?

"Thank you so much, lady!", Luffy exclaimed with all the genuineness in the world. He held the woman for a moment and couldn't help but think it felt kinda weird… Everything but his arms felt kinda slimy… She was kinda hard to keep a grip on… He shrugged to himself and hugged the woman tighter into his chest before gently setting her back on the ground, the corners of his lips rising at the bewilderment on her face.

Alvida scrambled to find a response, her cheeks glowing a bright cherry red. She didn't understand what was going on… Why was he thanking her?… And why was she reacting this way to being hugged? She was a grown woman, not some blushing schoolgirl! "W- Why… Why are you thanking me?", she eventually managed to ask through the heat consuming her face, "I- I stopped you earlier.".

The pirate captain laughed at the question before turning away and facing the execution platform, his large grin reaching his cheeks. He looked over his shoulder and sent the woman a wink, "Secret.". Without waiting for a reply, his legs bent and he launched himself from the ground, his sights set on finally making it to the place he'd been thinking about since they'd landed on the island. As happy as he was about being able to use haki again, he wanted to get to the Grandline. And, to do that, he had to do what he came there to do.

Luffy's form passed the top of the platform in the blink of an eye and this time, nothing stopped him when he began to drop to the ground, feet slamming into the wood. His form unbent, starry eyes scanning his surroundings in wonder, and his gaze landed on the stocks for the second time that day. In but a moment, he was excitedly rushing in their direction wanting to see exactly what the Pirate King had seen before he died.

Laughter once again bubbled through the teen's lips and he skidded to a stop, sandals sliding against the slick wood. Without even the slightest hesitation he climbed the few steps to the center of the platform and stood behind the stocks, eyeing them for a moment in curiosity… He'd never been in put in stocks before… He looked out to the chaos spread throughout the area below before looking back, shrugging to himself… Not like he could close them by himself anyway…

Luffy lifted the top half open and looked around for a moment before shrugging once again and placing his neck and arms in the designated slots. As soon as he was in place, a sigh of contentment left his mouth.

Finally.

He was finally getting to see what it looked like… the teen continued to stare out at the raging crowds, taking in the sight for a long moment, before eventually deciding he'd had enough. As quick as it was, now that he'd gotten to see what he wanted to see, it was time.

Just when Luffy went to pull himself out of the stocks, a tingle spread across the back of his neck and his eyes widened. His body was out of the slots in an instant and he rolled through a pair of reaching hands, standing to look for the person they belonged to. However, when he caught sight of them he realized they belonged to no one… They were just… By themselves… Creepy… "What the hell are you?", he asked in bewilderment… Could they even talk?…

Instead of a response, the appendages burst in Luffy's direction and he looked on in slight disgust. When they were close enough he pulled his hand back, enhancement spreading across his skin, and his palm burst downward. Bones cracked underneath the force of the blow and the two creepy hands screamed into the ground, a loud cry of pain accompanying the cracking of wood. He eyed the hand-shaped holes for a second before looking at his palm half expecting some sort of bug goop to be there, and was happily surprised to find none.

The boy sighed, ignoring the loud cries and curses he didn't really know were aimed at him, and dropped the appendage to his side, once again looking out to the crowd surrounding the platform. With the weird flying hands dealt with, he just had one last thing to do before he could go. It was time to really start his adventure.

The pirate captain stepped back up to the center of the platform and looked out once again. If he wanted to do this right, he'd need to get their attention. It looked like he already had quite a lot of it but he wanted all of it. A smile rose to his lips and he brought his hand back up, vibrations beginning to roll through his skin. He felt his enhancement pop into existence and continued to push, marveling at how easy it was. The skin surrounding his hand down to the wrist glowed bright red before seemingly cooling into a light grey, the shing of vibrating metal sounding into the air.

Luffy curled his fingers and gazed at his fist in wonder. The first time he'd used this much hardening he'd been so drained he could barely walk. Now, it felt… Easy. His smile widened into a grin and he looked out to the crowd once more, muscles tensing. Unbeknownst to him was the slight static feeling prickling across his skin as he pulled his hardened fist back as far as he could and, inconsequential of his actions, the wind and rain began to swirl while lightning flashed wildly in the dark sky above.

With a crack so loud it could have been mistaken for thunder, the straw-hatted teen's fist smashed forward, a massive shockwave leaving his knuckles when his arm fully extended. The wave blew through the area and a collective scream rolled through the crowd as they were all brought to their knees. A projectile of air condensed so far it became an opaque white screamed through the dark sky and the screeching noise that followed it was enough to silence the voices of the multitude of people while they listened to it disappear far off into the distance.

The weather continued to swirl and it was made all the more noticeable with the silence of the crowd but Luffy paid it no mind, drinking in the sight of all the eyes locked to his. Giggles began to rise from his chest and he dipped his dripping straw hat to cover his gaze, hardened hand still held outward in a fist. The boy's head came back up and the blinding white smile beneath his closed eyelids seemed to bring light to the surrounding darkness.

"MY NAME'S MONKEY D. LUFFY!", the teen's eyes snapped open, boisterous laughter bursting from his lips, "AND I'M GONNA BE THE KING OF THE PIRATES!".

The declaration was met with absolute silence, the crowd staring up at the pirate captain as they all stood locked in place. Not a soul moved or spoke. Everyone was too enraptured. That's why, when his eyes widened and he suddenly looked up to the sky, no one understood why. The only one in the crowd who had any inkling was an orange-haired girl who stood stock still as she watched her captain look back to the crowd and smile.

"SORRY GUY-", white light consumed Luffy's vision and stopped him from finishing his apology as he braced himself for what he thought could be his death. He hadn't even had the time to use any haki… The crack of thunder almost made him go completely deaf and for a moment, he really thought he was dead. It wasn't until the pounding of rain began to hit his ears that he attempted to open his eyes, dancing white lights meeting his vision when his sight was restored. It took a moment for them to dissipate, however, when they did, he was shocked to find that he wasn't hurt… At all…

Unaware of the white electricity sparking through one of the charms on his necklace, the teen looked out to the crowd to find them staring at him as if he were something that wasn't real. Some had looks of horror while others had looks of absolute awe and, with everyone frozen in place, it wasn't hard to spot his friends spread throughout the gathered people. They were making it easy with the way they were waving him down… Also… Who the heck was that guy with the green hair?… He couldn't tell if the man was going to pass out or blast off into the sky… Weird…

"Devil fruit…".

"He's… He's got a devil fruit… That has to be it…".

"So… Devil fruits are real?…".

"Forget the devil fruit... Just who the hell is that kid?...".

The rising whispers began to grow in fervor and Luffy couldn't help but look on in confusion. Why the heck were they saying he had a devil fruit?… It only took a moment but he eventually looked to his hand and got his answer, finding it still covered in a light grey sheen of hardening. He almost immediately let the power fade away and his skin returned to its usual peach color... There was also the fact that he'd just taken a direct hit from a bolt of lighting and sustained no damage...

The pirate captain shook his head, a smile rising back to his lips, and cupped his hands around his mouth. It didn't really matter to him if people thought he had a devil fruit or not. He only cared about one thing at the moment.

"GET BACK TO THE SHIP, GUYS! IT'S TIME TO GO TO THE GRANDLINE!", Luffy screamed to his crew mates spread throughout the crowd. He could think about all the crazy stuff that had happened later... Or not… Yeah, probably not.

Bartolomeo watched his idol launch himself off the top of the platform with stars in his eyes. It almost felt like he couldn't control his body with how awestruck he was. He'd never witnessed anything so cool in his life… While he watched the straw-hatted teen land in the center of the large crowd, a clear area appearing where there wasn't one before, one thing more than any other cemented itself into his mind… Forget being a mobster. He was gonna be a pirate. He was going to chase his idol to the Grandline... He'd follow him wherever he went and sing his praises to the masses for being the great man he was. After his masterpiece was finished of course...

The green-haired man brushed the thought away for the moment and turned to the rest of his men pointing to the boy now trying to make his way through the crowd, "Alright boys! We're gonna make sure he gets outta here if it's the last thing we do!".

A smile shone on the face of the cloaked figure watching the events unfold from the wet rooftops and he couldn't help the amused shake of his head. Things had certainly not gone the way he thought they would but, nonetheless, he was proud. The boy was strong. He thought he'd need to interfere with the way things were going earlier, but he'd been proven wrong and it came as a very happy surprise.

The man took one last look at the laughing figure sprinting his way through the multitude of people before turning away and practically disappearing into the surrounding darkness, "Good luck out there kid… I have a feeling you're gonna need it.".