*Thanks to everyone who's read and enjoyed the story so far! Chapter 2 end up being shorter than the first, but I hope you'll still enjoy it. It establishes a lot of important information that will come into play later on.

Chapter 2: The Winds of Change

Approximately a week later – May 16th, 1509

Garp, using his ship's Sea Prism Stone lining, managed to successfully enter and traverse the Calm Belt from Paozu Island. This strange, diamond-like material was similar to the sea itself, so any Sea Kings, or Neptunians, would be less likely to attack while swimming underneath. It took a number of days to reach Mary Geoise, but Goku, oddly enough, still hadn't woken up yet. The Vice Admiral wondered if it was a result of the excess force put into his Galaxy Impact's Haki. That or, perhaps, the subconscious trauma he felt over Gohan's death.

Either way, Goku was going to be in for a rude awakening sometime soon. He was thankful it didn't happen while they were in the World Government's capital, or else some arrogant Celestial Dragons would have tried making the monkey-tailed boy their pet. He simply gained permission to enter the other half of the Grand Line and went on his merry way. That was one of the many perks of being a powerful, law-abiding marine. Anyone else, namely pirates, would need to sail underneath the Red Line and visit Fish-Man Island to cross over. It was a pain, but the expected cost of going against the side of justice.

Hours continued to pass on until, finally, Garp steered his Marine Ship toward the East Blue. He then sailed northward in the direction of Dawn Island, where Foosha Village, his original home, would be found.

The winds weren't too violent or erratic at this time of day, so Garp sat in a chair and sighed aloud to himself. It was still hard to believe that Gohan finally died. As a kid, he once thought the former Vice Admiral was invincible; someone who could never be defeated in battle. It was, in hindsight, a rather naïve way of thinking to have.

"BWAHAHAHA! I sure was a little dumbass back then." He lightly chuckled in a self-deprecating way. "Wonder if Goku thought that about his grandpa too… before all of this happened."

Grimacing in vivid recollection of the past, Garp heard some noise coming from the ship's quarters. He turned around to see Gohan's six-year-old grandson walk outside. Yawning, the boy rubbed his eyes and looked around from side to side in confusion. He appeared to have no memory of what took place on Paozu Island.

"Hmph. Look who's finally awake."

"Garp-Pa? What's going on?" Goku groggily asked. His monkey tail slightly twitched about to match his current mood. "Why aren't we on Mt. Paozu? Where's Grandpa?"

Garp clenched down on his teeth, trying to remain strong for both the boy's sake and his own. He got up from his seat, got down on one knee, and clasped Goku's shoulders. He took a deep, almost shallow breath before speaking.

"Your grandpa… Gohan is gone. He left you in my care due to unfortunate circumstances, so I'm afraid you won't be seeing Paozu again for quite some time. Sorry."

Goku tilted his head to the side. He didn't seem to understand what the old man was getting at.

"Oh, so he's sick, right? Grandpa said his chest was hurting yesterday. Granny Tsuru and Old Man Sengoku must be doing something to make him all better! That's it!" He assumed with a hopeful smile on his face. "Not sure why you have his hat and Nyoibo, though. Is he coming back for those when—"

The Hero of the Marines could no longer contain his emotions. He powerfully slammed a fist into the ground, causing Goku to flinch in surprise.

"G-Garp-Pa?"

"Your grandpa is gone, brat! Don't you get it?!" Garp glowered as his body began to shake. "HE'S DEAD! And he's never coming back!"

Goku's eyes widened. His worst nightmare was taking place and he didn't even know how it happened or why.

"D-Dead? No… you're lying, Garp-Pa! Grandpa said he'd always be there for me! He wouldn't leave me like… like…"

Garp roughly pressed his forehead against Goku's. With fully narrowed eyes and clamped teeth, he showed the boy that he was being one-hundred percent honest about this news.

"I'm sorry, Goku. We couldn't… couldn't save him. There's nothing you, me, Tsuru, or even Sengoku could have done. Gohan's gone…"

It was then that fresh tears built up in the child's eyes. They streaked down his cheeks and hit the Marine Ship's floorboards like falling rain. A dark shadow was cast over Garp's face as he could nothing to comfort him.

Even as the Hero of Marines, he felt almost completely powerless in this situation.

"No. Why, Grandpa? W-Why'd you have to go?"

Goku then stood in place and bawled his eyes out. The once-joyful smile on his face was nowhere to be seen at this point. It was anyone's guess when he'd be able to smile like that again.

"WAAAAAAHAAAA! GRANDPAAAAAA!"

For the next several minutes, Goku continued to mourn his beloved grandfather's death. It felt like a piece of his heart had been ripped out and shattered to tiny pieces. It was a traumatic experience no six-year-old should have had to deal with.

To stop these tears from shedding any further, Garp placed Gohan's blue fedora atop his grandson's head. It didn't quite fit yet, but nonetheless, Goku hung it over his face and gripped its brim with both hands.

"Dry your eyes, brat. Would someone who wishes to become the strongest pirate in the world… break down and cry like this?!"

Goku sniffled. "N-No, but—"

"But nothing! Any strong warrior worth a damn – whether they be a pirate or marine – laughs in the face of despair! BWAHAHAHA! Like that!" Garp proclaimed with newfound vigor. "That's what the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was like, anyway… before and after he found the One Piece! He even faced death with a smile!"

The monkey-tailed boy's slightly wiped away his tears.

"The Pirate King? Really?"

"So if you want to make your grandfather proud, keep fighting, brat! Use what happened to drive you even further towards your dreams! After all, the One Piece isn't going to find itself, is it?"

At this point, Goku had long stopped crying. He lifted up Gohan's hat and wore it with renewed confidence. It even fit around his head a little better too.

"You're right, Garp-Pa! I'll become the strongest pirate in the world no matter what! And I'll do it all for Grandpa!" The boy proclaimed with utmost determination. "I'll just laugh when things get extra tough too. No more crying like a baby. BWAHAHAHA!"

"That's the spirit, Goku! BWAHAHAHA!"

As the two took some time to laugh and reminisce over their time spent with Gohan, Garp suddenly realized an important detail. He looked down to see that Goku, unfortunately, still wasn't wearing any clothes.

"You might want to change before we leave the ship…"

Goku stroked his cheek in slight embarrassment.

"Oops. I didn't even notice…"

The Vice Admiral then gave him gave an exact copy of the outfit he wore before transforming into an Oozaru. It was torn in a few places, but admittedly, that was all that could be salvaged from Gohan's destroyed hut.

Once he finally got changed, Goku hung along the side of the ship in curiosity.

"Wow. This is really the East Blue, huh? Never thought I'd get to see a whole other part of the world so soon."

"Well, get used to it. It'll be your new home as soon as we reach Foosha Village."

'Foosha' sounded like a funny name to him, but he didn't say anything in case Garp decided to lash out and perform another Fist of Love. Those 'love taps' ended up hurting far more than the technique's name implied.

"What's it like there, anyway, Garp-Pa?"

"Rather peaceful. It's a small port town known for its many windmills, hence the name, Foosha, which roughly translates to that." Garp described from memory. "Mt. Corvo is a lot like Mt. Paozu too, so who knows? You may enjoy that part of the village.

"Sounds nice, but… I don't know if it'll be as good as home was, though…"

"Don't think like that, idiot! A true home… comes from the people you form a close connection with. Give it some time and maybe Foosha Village will be that way for you, eventually. That's how it worked out for my brat of a grandson, at least."

Goku's face perked up a little in response to this statement.

"Eh? You have a grandson, Garp-Pa?"

Garp smirked. Thinking about Luffy and Ace was enough to make him smile even wider. He had a feeling they'd both get along with Goku just fine.

"Well, technically… I have two."

Approximately a few hours later…

The two slowly, but surely managed to reach Foosha Village's port with relative ease. Located due east of the Goa Kingdom's capital, the village, as Garp described, comprised of multiple windmills and many wooden, rural-style houses. It was also quite spacious and filled with many green pastures that matched Mt. Corvo's appearance rather nicely.

Not much happened in Foosha overall, apart from some attacks by mountain bandits living in Colubo itself or visiting pirates. Such events, though, were not common by any means. The villagers didn't seem to mind living there, regardless.

As soon as Garp's ship was parked near the harbor, everyone in the village immediately recognized it. He had visited multiple times to check in on Luffy and Ace every so often, but this particular appearance came to them by surprise. He originally wasn't going to stop at Dawn Island for another few weeks or maybe a month.

Garp sighed and motioned for Goku to follow him off the boat. The boy curiously looked at Foosha Village's residents in awe. He had never seen so many people living in one place before. All Paozu Island really had was his grandpa, some dinosaurs, and other animals who lived nearby. There were also the occasional visits from Sengoku, Tsuru, Garp, and, every so often, Dr. Vegapunk too, of course.

"Wow. You were right about there being a bunch of windmills here, Garp-Pa! The name really does fit."

"Hmph. That's all this lukewarm village has going for it, I'm afraid." Garp snorted. He then inspected the large group of Foosha Village's townspeople. "Alright. Where's Woop Slap? Tell him to get his wrinkly old butt out here!"

"Keep your shirt on, Garp! I'm coming."

The mayor of Foosha Village, Woop Slap, was a short, skinny old man with yellow spectacles, a cleft chin, and gray hair. His hat and pants had beige-burgundy stripes while his tropical T-shirt was a golden yellow color. In addition to wearing green shoes, he used a wooden cane to help him walk around with.

He slowly hobbled himself over to Garp and glared up at him in annoyance.

"What is it this time? Planning to send Luffy into the jungle by himself again?"

In response, The Vice Admiral smirked and simply jerked a thumb down at Goku. Woop Slap quirked a brow in puzzlement. Garp didn't mention anything about another kid being put under his care.

"Who's the boy? And what's with that fuzzy brown thing sticking out of his back?"

"Oh, that's just my tail, sir. I was born with it." Goku, much to everyone's shock, then slightly pulled on the monkey tail to show that it wouldn't come off. "See?"

The mayor's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets upon seeing such a spectacle take place. He had seen a lot of weird stuff happen on Dawn Island, but this really took the cake.

"IS HE SOME KIND OF FREAK?!"

"My name's not 'Freak'. It's Son D. Goku." The boy obliviously said. "You can just call me Goku for short, though, old-timer."

Everyone, including Woop Slap, gasped after hearing his full name. Even a secluded area like Foosha Village was aware of the great Vice Admiral Gohan's various exploits and achievements. Garp not being able to shut up about his old mentor helped with that too.

"T-Then is this kid—"

"Yep. He's Gohan's grandson, alright." The Hero of the Marines affirmed with a single nod of his head. "Don't ask me where the monkey tail comes from, but the brat wasn't lying about him being born with it."

He then leaned close to Woop Slap's ear with a more somber, serious expression on his face.

"Gohan just died not even a week ago, so I need you to do me a favor and take care of Goku while I'm gone. I'll visit occasionally to help train him and Luffy when I have the time."

Woop Slap sympathetically glanced over at the young boy as he smiled and waved at the other villagers without a care in the world. It was hard to believe that Goku could overcome such a traumatic event so quickly.

"I don't know, Garp. I feel bad for the kid, don't get me wrong, but Luffy's already a handful as is. Not to mention how Ace has gotten under Dadan's care…"

"Goku's well-behaved for his age. Although he's kind of a punch-drunk, moron, Gohan raised him well and taught him proper manners… whatever that may be." Garp replied offhandedly. "Speaking of which, where is my grandson, anyway?"

As if speaking of the devil himself, four-year-old Monkey D. Luffy ran out of a local tavern, Partys Bar, with some excess food in his mouth. He had short black hair reminiscent of Garp's, wore a white T-shirt with the word 'ANCHOR' written in its center, and had a red pair of shorts. His feet were covered by peach-colored sandals as well.

The boy rudely chewed with his mouth wide open and swallowed the food in one single gulp. He then looked up at his grandpa with a blank, neutral expression.

"Eh? When did you get here, Gramps?"

Garp then proceeded to bonk him on the head, causing Luffy to cry out in pain.

"Is that any way to greet your dear old grandpa, you little idiot?!"

"Owww! You didn't have to hit me so hard! You're so mean."

Goku blinked a few times in surprise. Apparently, he wasn't the only one Garp punished with his Fist of Love-type punch. He couldn't tell if he should relieved by that fact or the exact opposite.

"Sorry about that, Garp! Luffy caught a glimpse of your ship and thought some pirates were paying a visit."

Following close behind Luffy was Partys Bar's owner and waitress, Makino. She was a beautiful, kind-hearted sixteen-year-old girl with brown eyes and long dark green hair tied down into a ponytail. She had a light orange kerchief with orange stripes, a blouse of the same color with black sleeves, and a long white dress that covered her legs. She also wore orange sneakers with white laces and soles.

Makino blew out a sigh and shook her head at Luffy's behavior.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do with him."

"I ask myself the same question, Makino." Garp grumbled to himself. He then grabbed ahold of Goku's arm and shoved him forward. "This is Goku, in case you're wondering. He's my mentor's grandson."

Gulping a little at Makino's youthful appearance, the young martial artist bowed to her in a respectful manner. This action, unintentionally, caused Gohan's blue fedora to cover the upper half of his face due to its larger size. It'd take a while for him to grow into it.

"Nice to meet you, miss."

The bartender giggled at Goku's goofy, yet polite attitude. She then crouched down, so she could be eyelevel with the short, pudgy child.

"You can just call me Makino, Goku. No need to be so formal." She said kindly. "But I'm glad you have such good manners. Your grandpa must have raised you well."

"Hehe. Yep. He always taught me to treat girls with kindness and respect." Goku chuckled while holding both elbows up behind his head. His expression then soured somewhat, remembering a certain childhood friend of his. "Although, before now, the only girls I met were Granny Tsuru and… ugh… Kujaku."

Makino tilted her head to the side. "Kujaku?"

"Tsuru's granddaughter. She's a bit of a wild child… especially around this dense knucklehead. BWAHAHAHA!" Garp laughed in amusement. Kujaku wouldn't leave the boy out of her sight the last time she came to Paozu Island, despite her grandma's many protests. She had a fascination with whipping him for some reason.

"Not too surprised by that. You seem like quite the charmer so far, Goku."

"You think so?"

Luffy carelessly picked his nose while looking at Goku from top-to-bottom. He didn't look that impressed to say the least.

"He looks kinda dumb to me."

Garp proceeded to slam a fist on top of his head. This time, he used even more force.

"You're the last one who should be calling anyone else dumb, Luffy!"

Luffy winced and held the now-pulsating bruise where Garp's fist landed. Goku merely laughed at this rude comment and brushed it off without getting upset.

"Hehe. You're right. I am pretty dumb," He bluntly exclaimed with a grin. "But that won't matter once I get stronger and become the best pirate ever! Smarts won't matter when I'm free to do whatever I want! Hehehe!"

Luffy's mouth hung agape. "The best pirate? And free to do whatever you want?"

Garp facepalmed. "What kind of backwards philosophy is that?! Even the strong need to be intelligent, Goku! You're besmirching Gohan's whole damn legacy with that kind of talk!"

"Am not! Grandpa wanted me to have as much freedom as possible. That's what being a pirate leads to!"

Luffy, now changing his opinion of Goku, smiled from ear to ear and laughed aloud.

"Shishishi! That sounds like a lot of fun! I wanna be a pirate too, Goku."

"Really? Great! Then we can do it together, Luffy!"

Afterwards, the two boys shook their hands and goofily smiled at each other. Makino couldn't help, but grin at how fast they became friends. She had a feeling they'd be good influences on one another.

Woop Slap, meanwhile, pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He bared his teeth, pointing at Goku and Luffy accusatively.

"Ergh! Do something about this, Garp! If Goku really is staying here, we can't allow both of them to become pirates! That'd make the village look bad!"

"Don't you think I know that?! Ace and them could become the greatest naval officers in history if they set their mind to it! But now, they're corrupted with thoughts of committing piracy like damned suicidal fools!" The Hero of the Marines sighed in defeat. "But unfortunately, to honor Gohan's wishes, I encouraged Goku to keep that pipedream alive. It's the only way I could get him to stop crying back on my ship…"

Makino held a hand over her mouth. "You mean… he's all alone?"

"Yes. Gohan was the only family he ever knew or had. Thus, having Goku live here with Luffy… was all I could think to do with him. Any other option could lead to him being treated like an outcast… due to his monkey tail."

Partys Bar's owner grimaced. Since she had some prior experience taking care of Luffy, doing the same for Goku wouldn't be too much different. The six-year-old was likely in desperate need of some emotional support at this point.

"Don't worry about it. I'll look after him, Garp."

Woop Slap didn't expect her to say something like that. "B-But you're only sixteen, Makino! And you have a business to run!"

"I don't mind, Mayor. If there's any major issues around the bar, I can get Goku to help me out. I'm sure he's a fast learner." Makino beamed while ever-so-slightly winking at the small boy. "Plus, it'd be nice to have some extra company while Luffy's… off doing whatever he does in the jungle."

"It's called training, Makino! You don't get the type of hard work men like us do!" Luffy snapped with puffed up cheeks.

"Huh? We're both still kids, Luffy…"

Makino giggled. "Guess I don't understand. Teehee."

Garp slumped his shoulders. Despite Foosha Village's peaceful, mundane environment, he was banking on Goku helping Luffy train in the jungles near Mt. Corvo. He had already survived Paozu's prehistoric wildlife just fine, so the animals native to Dawn Island would be a cakewalk.

However, Garp's main concern was training Goku to take control of his monstrous Oozaru transformation. The Vice Admiral wasn't certain how he'd go about it, but it'd be necessary for his future adventures as a pirate (or marine if he was coerced into changing his mind somehow). Being able to transform into that beast at will would do wonders for his proficiency as a Haki-user later on.

He'd just have to keep the boy's involvement with Gohan's death a secret. Goku wouldn't be able to forgive himself for killing the closest thing he had to a father. It'd be better for him to find out years later, rather than now.

I wonder if I should lie and say his 'powers' are a result of some rare Devil Fruit. Maybe the Monkey-Monkey Fruit, Model: Sarugami. His Oozaru form was big enough to be mistaken for that type of creature, at least.

He then shook his head and stood up straight. He'd need to report back to the Navy's headquarters, Marineford, before doing anything else. Sengoku and Tsuru would likely want to know how Goku is doing.

"Welp, I'll have to get going now. The life of a Vice Admiral doesn't leave too much room for rest. BWAHAHA!"

After laughing, Garp cleared his throat and handed the boy two items. One was the Nyoibo, or Power Pole, while the other was Gohan's mysterious orange ball.

"Take these with you, Goku."

Gleefully smiling, he wrapped the Nyoibo's holster around his right shoulder. The strange ball, meanwhile, was securely resting in his left hand.

"Oh, the Nyoibo… and whatever this four-starred ball thing is."

Luffy stared at the glowing orb in bewilderment. He also played around with his reflection in its glossy surface, much to Garp's dismay. "Any idea what it is, Gramps?"

"Not a clue. I didn't even know Gohan had it in his possession until recently."

"Grandpa always used to pray to it every night for some reason. Never understood why, though."

Luffy scratched his head like a monkey. "Maybe he liked how shiny it looked?"

Goku then instinctively repeated this same gesture.

"I don't know. Guess it's a mystery then…"

"It's a mystery that you two buffoons weren't raised by apes…" Woop Slap grunted under his breath. "You've really got our work cut out for us this time, Garp. Luffy was one thing, but now you brought us another kid who acts just like him! It's like they're looking in a mirror!"

"I'd say that's a good thing. Luffy will be less inclined to cause trouble if he has a friend like Goku to hang out with." Makino pointed out.

"Hm. Quite true, but… they could also be double the usual trouble… and have even double the appetite."

"No use complaining, Woop Slap. He's your problem now! BWAHAHAHA!" Garp buoyantly laughed in an almost sadistic tone. "But in all seriousness, please look after Goku and keep Luffy out of trouble. I'll be back to resume their training as soon as I can."

He then boarded his Marine Ship again and, with little time left to spare, set sail away from Foosha Village's port. Goku, Luffy, and the villagers all waved him farewell.

"See ya, Gramps! Don't die out there."

"Bye, Garp-Pa! Thanks for the help!"

Taking one last look at the blue fedora resting on Goku's head, Garp could have sworn he saw Gohan's spirit bidding him goodbye one last time. It then vanished as soon as it appeared, causing Garp to bite down on his own teeth in greater sadness. He wouldn't let anyone, especially Foosha Village's inhabitants, see the great Hero of the Marines get emotional like this.

He crossed his arms and quickly replaced his grimace with a wide, toothy grin.

"LUFFY! GOKU! YOU BETTER NOT SLACK OFF WHILE I'M GONE, YOU DAMN BRATS! DON'T FALL BACK ON YOUR TRAINING AND KEEP GETTING STRONGER!"

Goku and Luffy both nodded their heads in determination. Gohan's adoptive grandson, in particular, was more eager to train and break past his limits than ever before. He knew his grandpa wouldn't tolerate anything less.

"I will! I'll even surpass Grandpa one day! You'll see!"

Luffy, despite not knowing much about Gohan himself, raised his arms up and cheered.

"YEAH! What he said! We're both gonna be super strong pirates! And way stronger than any boring old marine could ever be!"

That comment only served to pinch a nerve inside Garp's head. He ever-so-slightly exuded a bit of Conqueror's Haki and launched it from his ship in the form of highspeed winds.

"You idiot! Don't make me come back there and beat some sense into you, Luffy!" His anger was then, once again, replaced with laughter. "BWAHAHAHA! Take care, you two!"

Once Garp's Marine Ship was officially out of sight, everyone in the village went back to what they were doing beforehand. Woop Slap, Makino, Luffy, and Goku were all who remained at the ship's wooden dock.

Luffy glanced down at Goku's backside in childlike amazement.

"So your tail's actually real? It doesn't come off?"

"Yup! Grandpa said I was born with it, so ripping it off… would kinda be like ripping off one of my arms, I guess. Hehe."

"Man, I wish I had one…" Garp's grandson muttered disappointedly.

Hearing this odd response, Woop Slap sighed and made his way back to the village himself. He'd probably need to lay down for a while to cope with Foosha's new citizen.

"Well, looks like they're your responsibility now, Makino. Make sure those two little rascals behave themselves."

"Easier said than done, Woop Slap, but I'll try my best. Hehe." The young bartender exclaimed with yet another smile etched on her lips.

Continuing to groan over his unfortunate luck, the elderly mayor went back to his own home without another word. Makino rested a hand on her chin and glanced from Luffy to Goku.

The two kids shared the same neutral, doe-eyed expression, much to her amusement.

"You must be hungry, Goku. How about I cook you boys something to eat at Partys Bar? It'll be my treat!"

"MEAT!" Luffy simply cried out.

Goku smiled the same way. "That sounds great! Thanks, Miss Makino!"

"My pleasure! I'll show you the way there."

The three walked through another part of Foosha Village until they reached Partys Bar. The bar was a large building with its logo written in painted, sky blue text and its swaying doors styled like that of a western saloon's. A sculpted white beer mug was additionally placed outside the entrance and right next to some small planets.

"Looks neat." Goku beamed. He then noticed the funny look Makino was giving him. "Is there something on my face?"

"It's your hat. Until it fits around your head, you may need to wear it some other way."

Goku took the blue fedora off his head to inspect it. Even he could tell it wasn't meant to be worn by a six-year-old.

"Hm. Guess you're right…"

"Yeah, she is. It might fly off if you decide to fight anyone tough." Luffy nodded. "And it's your grandpa's, so I don't think you wanna lose it, eh?"

The boy pouted a little and clutched the brim of his grandpa's hat forlornly. Makino's heart was about to break seeing how sad he had gotten, so she came up with an idea.

"Wait right here, boys."

The sixteen-year-old then brushed her dark green hair and walked inside Partys Bar. Luffy and Goku were surprised to hear a few loud noises coming from inside.

"What do you think she's doing?"

Luffy shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me."

After a few short minutes, Makino came back outside with a sewing needle and a spool of black string. It matched well with Goku's fedora.

"Can I borrow your hat for a second?"

Goku held it away from her at first. "I don't know…"

She gazed at him with loving, empathetic brown eyes and smiled at him.

"You can trust me with it, Goku. I just want to help."

Giving her statement some thought, the boy blushed a little in embarrassment and slowly gave the fedora to her. She then carefully sewed a long piece of string into the hat and tied each end together. The hat, thankfully, wasn't damaged at all by this process.

Exuding pride over her handiwork, Makino placed the string around Goku's head and neck. He could now wear the old fedora without needing to place it on his head. It was a temporary solution to this issue, but a helpful one, nonetheless.

"There. Now, you can keep it by your side anytime you want. Pretty nice, hm?"

The boy was stunned speechless. Overcome with happiness, Goku leapt toward Makino and hugged her body as tight as possible.

"Thank you so much! You're the best, Makino!"

Luffy chuckled. "Shishishi! Yeah, she is."

The bartender, admittedly, was taken aback by this hug, but she didn't mind returning in it. She simply closed her eyes, patted Goku's back, and smiled from ear-to-ear.

"Hehe. You're welcome." She then parted from their embrace and gestured to the entrance. "Enough talk, though. Let's get some food in your bellies, okay?"

"Don't have to tell me twice. You can put the bill on my Treasure Tab!" Luffy said.

Goku quirked a brow. "Treasure Tab? What's that?"

"Don't worry about it. Your meals are on the house, boys. I'm the owner, so it's no problem for me."

Luffy and Goku both proceeded to smile excitedly. They couldn't wait to satisfy their near-bottomless stomachs with any food Makino was willing to cook.

"ALRIGHT!"

At the end of the day…

By nightfall, Makino was exhausted. She had underestimated how much food it would take to fulfill Goku's ravenous appetite. He ate so much that even Luffy couldn't keep up with him. That was a feat she never expected anyone to pull off, let alone a boy only two years older than Garp's grandson.

Despite Partys Bar being deprived of all its cooking supplies and ingredients by the end, she wasn't upset by it. Makino, in fact, enjoyed cooking for Goku and Luffy. Their goofy banter and eating habits were too adorable not to like.

She also felt happy that Goku was starting to cheer up. The poor boy had gone through so much in one day's time; from his grandpa's death to being moved over to some place far different from his original home, Paozu Island. If anything, it was a miracle that he even had the strength to keep smiling. She certainly couldn't do that, at least.

Now getting somewhat emotional, she stood at the bar and poured a glass of water for herself. She drank it and then caught sight of the two boys. Both of them had fallen fast asleep at the table earlier that night.

To her delight, some drool leaked out of Luffy's mouth while snoozing away without a care in the world. Goku, unfortunately, did not look as peaceful. Stray tears fell from his eyes as he appeared to have a bad, yet quite somber dream about a certain someone.

"Grandpa… don't go…" He tiredly whimpered. "Don't leave me alone…"

Makino's eyes drooped. She then took some time to grab two spare blankets and pillows from the back of the bar, and set them down. After picking up Luffy and gently tucking him into one of them, she stared at Goku again. His condition, sadly, was starting to get worse.

"Grandpa… please…"

Taking a tentative step towards him, Makino scooped the monkey-tailed child in her arms and hugged him close to her chest. She also thought it best to rub his back, much like her own mother used to do many years ago.

"Shh. It's okay now, Goku. I'm here."

Although fast asleep, Makino's soft, soothing voice brought up a suppressed memory inside Goku's subconscious. He couldn't make out her face or identity, but she had long, spiky black hair, black eyes, and a monkey tail like his own. It was likely a vivid recollection of the past that would dissipate by morning.

Nevertheless, a single word was uttered from Goku's lips that he had no control over. Makino's caring nature simply had that effect on him.

"Mama…"

The dark green-haired girl lightly gasped. She didn't know what to make of such an unexpected response, but it, in some way, made her smile. Even before turning sixteen, she always thought of being a mother one day.

Maybe with Goku – a boy who recently lost his father figure – around, she'd have that chance. It could give her more a reason to spend time with him and Luffy, at least.

Her smile deepened as she carefully tucked a blanket around Goku's small body. He was now sleeping right beside Luffy, albeit with some distance between their respective pillows. And to her relief, the tears in the young fedoraed boy's eye were fading away.

They look so peaceful…

Makino then planted a soft kiss on Goku's forehead and Luffy's cheek. They both simultaneously rubbed it away in their sleep. She would expect no different from young boys their age.

"Hard to believe both of them want to be pirates someday," She whispered to herself. Before heading to bed herself, she smiled back at them one last time. "Sweet dreams. I hope you two succeed…"

That rather eventful day was then brought to a close. For the next two years, Goku would continue to grow accustomed to his new home and his close friendship with Luffy. His bond with Makino, Woop Slap, and the other inhabitants of Foosha Village would also grow all the more strong with time.

Apart from his semi-annual training with Garp in the jungles of Mt. Corvo, everything else remained quite peaceful. Things would change, however, with the appearance of legendary pirate captain, Red-Haired Shanks, and his equally infamous crew. Other members included Benn Beckman, Lucky Roux, Yasopp, and Shanks's adopted nine-year-old daughter, Uta.

By the year, 1511, they would all decide to establish Foosha Village as their new base of operations for the foreseeable future. This event, in turn, would change the course of Goku and Luffy's own futures forever.

*And that's a wrap for Chapter 2! Like I said, it's a lot shorter than the 1st chapter, but I mainly wanted it to focus on Goku's first meeting with Luffy and the people of Foosha Village. Makino, in particular, will serve as a maternal figure for Goku during his early childhood. Dadan will also interact with Goku in the future, but she won't directly take care of him like she did with Luffy, Ace, and (in a way) Sabo. I hope Goku's first interactions with her, Woop Slap, and Luffy were written well enough so far.

I also had Garp lie about Goku's Oozaru transformation by calling it a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, the Monkey, Monkey Fruit, Model: Sarugami. Sarugami are giant monkey yokai from Japanese Mythology who kidnapped women and fought heroes (a.k.a. the Marines in this story's case), so I thought it was a fitting coverup until Goku discovers his true origins.

Here's a rough timeline of events as well (I'm going by The One Piece Timeline made by The Library of Ohara. It's been incredibly helpful imo)

1509: Goku arrives at Foosha Village and meets Luffy.

2 years pass...

1511: Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates arrive on Dawn Island for the first time. Goku and Luffy both befriend him, and Uta.

1512: Uta disappears due to the Elegia Incident.

1512: Luffy eats the Gum Gum Fruit and gets his Straw Hat from Shanks.

1512: Luffy is taken in by Dadan and meets Ace. He also meets Sabo a months after that.

Due to this timeline, Goku (at 9) and Luffy (at 7) will basically interact with Shanks a lot in Chapter 3. So expect that to be a long chapter where some important stuff happens. I may also include Goku's first meeting with Ace and Sabo, but I'll have to see.

Anyways, please leave a favorite, follow, and/or review to let me know what you think. Chapter 3 won't take as long to write and post, hopefully.