It has been fifty-seven years since the execution of the Second Pirate King, Monkey D. Luffy, and he has left a legacy in his wake so great that some say he was more legendary than the First King, Gol D. Rogers. But like the last Pirate King, at his execution, he told the world that he had again hidden the One Piece for the world to find. Many saying it was the start of the next Age of Piracy, but then, war broke out among two families: the Monkey family and the Cobra family. After four decades of bloodshed, the war finally subsided. And nineteen years later, a member of the Cobra family set out on a quest to obtain the One Piece, his name is Cobra D. Red. P.S. I wonder how many people actually read this every time.

Chapter 15: The Past Unfolding, The Teenage Bounty Hunter

About Three Years Ago

As the shadows lengthened on a hot summer day, a local pub was beginning to open its doors. The usual riff-raff of the night hours came in, some obvious alcoholics, a handful of men who came to escape their marriages, and a group of rowdy folk who just came for a good time. The night was going normal so far, with the usual bar fight happening at around 10:30, but all excitement stopped when a large group of people kicked down the door.

With the music stopped, the people turned to see what was happening and a mixture of annoyance and fear persisted. The man at the front of the small crowd was rather short, but made up for it in girth, with a paunchy belly. Swaggering up to the bar, sat in one of the stools and propped his feet up on the bar, knocking glasses to the floor and smashing them. Sneering, the man laughed as his men took up places around the bar, where they stole food and drinks from the table they sat at. Smiling, the leader slammed his fist on the bar, shouting, "A round of drinks on the house for my men!" Sighing, the bartender started working on filling mugs, knowing what would happen if she didn't comply.

As the men finished their first drinks and began their second, the night once again was interrupted. Stepping into the building, a young man scanned the room for a place to sit, his face cast in shadow by a wide brimmed hat. Strolling up to the bar, he sat in a stool next to the boss, who, after glancing at him, payed him no mind. That was until he spoke.

"Can I get your cheapest meal?"

The boss and everyone nearby heard him speak, and soon the whole building was filled with resounding laughter. Getting up from his stool, the boss walked over to where the young man was sitting and put his arm around him, which obviously ticked him off. Wiping the tears from his eyes, the boss managed to speak, "Kid, you're a bit too young dining with the big boys. Why don't you run home to mommy!" then he broke into another fit of laughter. Glaring up at him, the kid counted to ten, just in case the guy got off his shoulders. After that, he relished the moment as he wound his fist back. Finishing his last bout of laughter, the boss opened his eyes just in time to see the fist flying at his face.

His lights knocked out in one punch, the boss flew back several feet, knocking over several bar stools in the process. Standing up, the kid gazed around the bar, and smiled seeing all the shocked faces. Grabbing his bag from the floor, he hung it over his shoulder, but was stopped by the barkeeper. "Wait!" she cried out, stopping him in his tracks, "Aren't you going to take him with you?" Turning, the kid had a quizzical look on his face. "And why would a do that?" Hearing his voice again caused one of the boss' cronies to start laughing, but was quickly silenced by a kick to the shin. Ignoring this, the barkeeper replied to his question, "Well, he had a bounty on his head. Since you beat him, you can go to the Marines and claim it."

Scratching his chin, the kid furrowed his brow as he thought about it. Coming to a conclusion he walked back to wear the boss was lying unconscious. Dragging him to his feet, he put an arm around his shoulder and started to half drag and half carry the boss out of the pub. Passing a table, one of the cronies started to get up and challenge him, but a quick glare sat him back down. Walking out the kicked in doorway, the kid took a deep breath of the outside air, and began his march to the Marine base to turn the man on his shoulders in for beli.

Within only several months, Cobra D. Red had gone from a poor wanderer to a successful bounty hunter. He had captured and turned in several bounties of over 1,000,000 beli and had stopped many bandits that terrorized villages. He was sometimes chased by Marines, having a bounty himself, but he still managed to slip under the radar most of the time. Several months ago, he had been wearing slightly tattered clothing, now he had new clothing, that consisted of a black coat that went down to his knees, a grey short sleeved shirt, and blue shorts. He kept the wide brimmed hat with a feather, for no reason in particular.

One such case of his expertise was shown when he had turned in a pirate who had made landfall. As soon as they had docked their ship, Red had come to defend the town they had planned to attack with full force, leaving all the men tied up for the Marines. Another time was when he had sent a bandit flying into a fruit stand. He allowed the fruit seller to have the bounty so he could repair the stand. He went on like this for several months, until one day, his thought process changed.

It was a cool summer day, on an island South of Toroa. People crowded the streets looking at wares sold by merchants from all over the West Blue. Red was sitting in the shade of an awning, unnoticed by the throng of people, polishing a knife he bought for himself for his birthday. Glancing up, he looked up just in time to see a man dart away with a gold chain in hand. Turning his head to see where the man had run from and saw a fat merchant chasing after him with a knife. Knowing Fatso had no chance of catching the thief, Red ran out from the shade and whipped out his gun, but he was unable to get a clear shot as the crowd closed behind his path. Holstering the flintlock, Red took off running to catch the chain thief.

Running into the crowd, Red shoved past many people, getting many angry looks. Once he was grabbed on the shoulder by someone who looked eager to fight, but a quick stomp on his foot sent him reeling. Breaking past the throng, Red quickly scanned the area looking for where he could have gone. He thought he had lost him, but a reflection of sunlight turned him in the right direction and he was back on the chase. Turning the corner, Red saw the thief in front of him and broke into a mad dash to catch him. Hearing footsteps behind him, the thief turned to look who it was and was tackled to the ground.

After a brief struggle, Red managed to pin the man to the ground and got a good look at him. To this day, he still remembered the face: Black rugged hair, a tanned and weathered face, a silver nose ring, and breath that reeked of cigars. Glaring up at him, the thief still grasped the chain tightly in his hand. He spit in Red's face, who quickly wiped it away with a shoulder, yelling, "You damn Marine Dog!" Taken aback, Red almost loosened his grip, but managed to keep it. The thief continued, "Whether you be a bounty hunter or a Warlord, all you are is a worthless Marine cur." Hearing this made Red think. Sure, he got paid to turn them in, but he had a bounty also, and as far as he knew, he got lucky most of the time, but they could still arrest him any time they want. Standing up, he looked down at the thief, his mind made up.

Standing there, he watched the thief run down the street until he was out of view. Huffing and puffing, Fatso had finally caught up to them. Looking at Red, he asked, "Well? Did you catch him?" Glancing at him, all Red saw was a greedy man, and he replied, "No. No I didn't." Glaring at him, Fatso yelled, "Then you're useless to me!" And with that, Fatso turned and started waddling away, off to report the thievery to the Patrolling Marines. Looking back to where he watched the thief leave, he had a very different mindset from that moment on.

A year later

"So, it's taken us nearly five years to find you, has it?" said a Marine officer as he paced in front of Red's cell, "Do you know where you are, Pirate scum?" Kneeling down, with a pair of handcuffs binding him, Red looked around the cell. "Well, since you drugged me, and put me in this cell, no. I have no idea where the hell I am." Smiling a not so friendly smile, the Marine officer responded, "Well, we're on a Warship right now. On our way to Impel Down," he chuckled at the shocked look on Red's face, "You are part of this world's worst history. A war that spanned nearly four decades. One that nearly tore this world apart. You think we want you in this world?" smiling, he was able to see the scared look in Red's eyes, "Don't worry, though. Once we capture Garp, you won't be all alone down on floor six." And with that, the Marine officer took his leave.

That night, Red made his pseudo-escape. As the boat was rocked by storms, Red nearly jumped as the roar of a gigantic creature shook the boat. Getting up, he stared out the small window he was given. Looking out at the dark sea, only flashes of lightning showed little bits of the Sea King. As he stared out at the sea, a large wave rocked the boat, sending gallons of water into his face. Sputtering as he stood up, Red looked out again but even as the lightning flashed, he could not see the creature. But he could definitely hear it as it tore the ship in half. As the ship tipped, he was thrown to the side, and was hit across the head, blacking out immediately.

The next day, Red woke up to the sounds of seagulls above him. Groaning, Red got to his feet and looked around. He was on an island. No civilization, no built structures, just sand and trees. Feeling his head, he felt the stickiness that signified blood. Sighing, he started concentrating on his forehead, feeling the blood well up. Finally, after nearly passing out again, he felt his forehead again, feeling the rough texture of a scab. Looking back out at the sea, all Red had to say was, "Crap."

A year later:

Scratching the beard on his chin, Red finished off the last of the lizard stew he had. Burping, he looked out at the sea, and looked back at the forest. But then he sat up straight again, a look of shock in his eyes. Looking back out at the sea, he could see a ship passing by. Running out into the crashing waves, he started yelling and waving his arms, trying to get their attention. Tripping, he started floundering around in the shallow waters, nearly passing out. When he thought all hope was lost, he heard the sound of sand grating on wood. Looking up, he turned to see a man looking down on him. "You look like shit. Come aboard, I think we need to get you back to civilization." And just like that, Red was rescued by the crew of the Fishhook.

Present day

"So there you have it, that's how I've gotten to this point. After the Fishhook crew got me to Toroa, I met Miles, and well, the rest is history." After the story was finished, he was about to reach for another apple when Bede tapped him on the shoulder. "Uh, Red?" Turning in the small craft, Red was about to ask Bede, 'What', but could clearly see, 'What'.

A strong wind had started blowing mid-way through his story, but he had ignored them. Now, he knew that that was a stupid decision. Swirling around, with thunder booming, large storm clouds were nearly on top of them. Sighing, Red mumbled, "Looks like another sleepless night for me." And with that, his story complete, he breathed a sigh of annoyance and began to prepare the boat for the storm.