Adventure on the Frosty Seas:
Hello everyone, welcome to the first chapter of my new story. If you're new to my work, welcome. If you're familiar, welcome back. This is my first One Piece story, and the first story I've done where the main character isn't Naruto. Hope you enjoy.
East Blue Saga: Arc I – Romance Dawn:
Chapter 1: Pre-Dawn
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A windmill creaked, its sails spinning in a gentle breeze. The windmill stood in a field of grass on a farm, on one of the many that dotted Dawn Island. Down the packed dirt road, past meandering fences of lashed together logs, lay the small port town of Windmill Village. Rustic wooden houses were lined along the port front, looking out over the vast blue expanse of the East Blue Sea.
Docked at the port of Windmill Village was a ship, belonging to the Red Hair Pirates. The ship had three masts. At the aft was a lateen sail, while the prow was a roughly carved dragon's head stretching over the waves.
Monkey D. Luffy, a small boy with unruly black hair, stood on the prow of the pirate ship with an excited grin as he watched his pirate friend's party. He was only eight years old, but he already had dreams of sailing the seas one day. The red-haired pirates had been in Windmill for a year, and their stories of adventure had enthralled him.
"Shanks, take me with you on your next voyage!" He shouted at the captain of the crew.
A man of average height and unremarkable build, Shanks looked more like a crewman than a pirate captain. The most remarkable thing about him was his deep red hair, and the three scars over his left eye that were reflected on the jolly roger flying high above the ship's aft. Perched on the man's head was a well-cared for old straw hat with a red band.
"Now, why would I do that? There's a reason we call you anchor besides that shirt. Ya can't swim. What use is that on the sea?" Shanks teased.
Luffy grimaced. He looked down at the white shirt he wore. A blue anchor was printed on the front. It was always like this. Shanks would brush off his wish to be a pirate. But no more. In his left hand, he clutched a knife tightly.
"That's it, I've had it. I'll show you I'm serious!"
Lucky Roo, a jolly fat man with in a green and white striped shirt, with a bandanna covering his bald head, chuckled around a leg of meat. "Oh, watch out everyone. Luffy's gonna do something funny!"
"Well, go on then Anchor!" Shanks goaded him.
Luffy growled, letting out a howl of determination. He jabbed the knife into his face just below his left eye. He let out a scream of pain as blood gushed down his face. The pirates were stunned. Shanks recovered, shouting at him with teeth bared.
"YOU DUMBASS!"
After a bit of panicking from the pirates, Luffy got his wound stitched shut. He'd been lucky. His eye was fine, but it would leave a scar. Once it was clear he'd be fine, the Red Hair Pirates threw a party in the fittingly named Party's Bar for Luffy's 'courage'. Though that was likely just an excuse to drink and get rowdy.
"To Luffy's courage, and adventure!" One of the pirates shouted. The Red Hair pirates let out a cheer, slamming tankards of beer together. Froth rained down on the wooden floor, worn smooth by generations of villagers. Party's Bar was a staple in town, built into the first floor of a house on the main street.
As the pirates bickered over meat and partied hard, Luffy and Shanks sat at the low-slung bar. Luffy put on a brave face.
"It didn't hurt a bit!" He declared, though it was ruined by the tears pricking his eyes.
"You liar! Don't do something that dumb again, you could've taken your eye out!" Shanks chastised him.
"Getting hurt doesn't scare me, so take me with you on your next voyage! I wanna be a pirate too!"
Shanks laughed heartily, understanding flashed in the pirates' eyes. "So that's what this is about!" He chortled. "You, a pirate? No way! There's a reason we call you Anchor, Luffy, cause you can't swim. You'll just sink to the bottom, a pirate that can't swim is useless."
Luffy slammed his hands into the counter and got in Shanks' face. "Then I just won't fall in! Come on, take me with you. I'm strong." He stood on his stool and punched the air. "I've been trainin', my punch is as powerful as a pistol!"
"Strong as a pistol, eh?" Shanks gave him a smirk.
"What kinda tone is that, you doubting me?" Luffy shouted.
At the center of the tavern floor, a space had been cleared of tables. Ten of the Red Hair Pirates danced arm in arm, laughing at the interaction between the two.
"Settle down Luffy!"
"Yeah, pirates always have fun, there's lots of stuff to explore on the seas!" shouted Lucky Roo.
"Best of all, a pirate's got freedom, to do whatever they want!"
Luffy's dark eyes sparkled in wonder. He could just imagine it, sailing the seas, nobody to tell him what to do, or that he couldn't have meat whenever he wanted. No grandpa to snatch him while he slept and toss him into a ravine with starving tigers for training. It would be amazing!
"Stop filling his heads with fairy tale's guys." Shanks was quick to puncture his dream, leaning back lazily in his chair.
"But it's true!" Lucky Roo protested.
"Yeah cap'n, let's take him with us."
"Aye!"
The red-haired captain smirked around the rim of his mug of ale. "Alright, but one of you bums has to stay so he can take your place."
"Sorry, we tried." The pirates were quick to give up the fight.
A vein pulsed in Luffy's forehead. "Hey, you're supposed to be on my side!"
"Give it up Luffy, you're just too young. Maybe in ten years I'll take ya." Shanks told him.
"But Shanks, I'm not a little kid!"
Shanks chuckled and patted him on the head. "There now, no need to get worked up. Here, have a glass of milk." The pirate captain slid a cold glass of milk towards Luffy across the worn wooden bar. Luffy accepted the peace offering quickly, chugging down the milk, sighing in satisfaction as the ice cold beverage went down smoothly.
"HA! I don't know any pirate that would drink milk!" Shanks laughed.
"Gah, that was a cheap trick you jerk!" With a huff, Luffy scooted away from Shanks, annoyed at his antics. "Stupid Shanks." He muttered to himself as he crossed his arms.
Sitting at a table a little further away, Benn Beckman slouched backwards as he smoked a cigarette. Long black hair pulled back in a ponytail, the man looked the part of a pirate, unlike his captain. His trusty rifle was propped against a chair within an arm's reach. You'd never find the Red Hair Pirates second mate without his rifle and his smokes. As usual, the man was tasked with putting out fires his captain started.
"Now, now, Luffy. Try and understand it from the captain's perspective. There's lots of dangers on the seas, and the captain knows that better than anyone. It can kill you in a thousand ways. He's just trying to think of what's best for everyone, not crush your dreams."
Luffy scoffed. "Nah, I don't buy it. He just likes making fun of me."
"Hey Anchor!"
As if to punctuate his point, Shanks shouted at him from the bar. "See!" He waved at the captain with his arms, who by now was laughing and cracking jokes about not being able to swim.
Benn sighed. "Huh, guess you got a point."
Behind the bar, a swinging door was pushed open. Makino, the owner, came through, carrying a cask of beer with her slender arms as she smiled at her carousing patrons. She wore a modest blouse and skirt. Her face gleamed with sweat and her green hair was bound by a checkered yellow handkerchief.
"I'm glad to see you're having fun, Captain Shanks."
The red-haired man laughed, slapping the bar with his hand. "Of course, Makino, making fun of Luffy is a riot!"
"Luffy, would you like something to eat?" Makino asked Luffy with an indulgent smile.
For the moment, he set aside his annoyance. Luffy zipped to the bar eagerly. "Yeah, lots of meat! Put it on my treasure tab."
"Treasure Tab? Don't take the lady for a ride now, Luffy." Shanks teased.
Luffy shook his head vehemently. He'd never do that to Makino. "I'm not! When I become a famous pirate, I'll pay her back with all the treasure I find!"
"Well, I believe you," Makino reassured him. "We'll celebrate when you return."
"Shishishi!" The young boy giggled, as the bar owner went to fetch his food.
Minutes later, Makino returned, her arms laden with two plates filled with food. She set a plate with a big tender steak and buttered potatoes in front of Luffy, and a plate of fried rice for shanks. Their disagreements forgotten; the two friends dug in with gusto.
"So, Shanks, how much longer you gonna stay here?" Luffy asked between ravenous bites.
Shanks took a moment to swallow, looking up in thought. "Huh, we've been here for about a year now. I guess after two or three more trips, we'll leave for good and head North. Can't keep a base for too long."
"I see," Luffy muttered quietly. The past year had been the best of his life. He'd miss his new friends when they left. "Then I'm gonna learn how to swim before you leave!"
"I look forward to it."
"Make way for the Scourge of the Mountains!"
Suddenly, the door to the bar got kicked in and crashed against the wall. A towering, lanky man strutted in. He was ugly, with a wispy beard and greasy black hair. The man had an untrustworthy look about him. A group of unwashed men with shifty eyes, wearing tattered clothes, trailed behind him. The man stuffed his hands into the pockets of a trench coat stained with blood and dirt, as he surveyed the pirates with an unimpressed look.
"Huh. So, these are pirates. They look dumb to me." He exclaimed before turning to Makino. "We're mountain bandits, but we're not here to cause you any trouble. Give us ten barrels of grog, and we'll leave without busting the place up."
Luffy wrinkled his nose. It was a good thing he had a strong stomach, or his delicious lunch would be wasted. The men wreaked of urine and weeks old sweat; it was so intense he could smell it from across the tavern.
"Sorry, but we ran out of liquor." Makino answered with a troubled expression.
"Oh?" The man looked around the bar with affected curiosity, a sneer on his lips. "Then what are these sorry pirates drinking? Water perhaps?"
Makino bowed her head apologetically. "It's true, I just served our last cask of beer."
"Man, I feel bad. Seems like we drank all the booze. Here, you can have this bottle of sake, it's a good vintage." Shanks called out holding up the bottle for the bandit to take.
Bored with the adult's conversation, Luffy began to look about. His eyes alit upon a small chest with a strange fruit that the Red Hair Pirates had brought in. The fruit looked like a white strawberry the size of a grapefruit with light-blue bumps and dark blue whirls across the surface. That must be Shanks' desert, he concluded. He glanced at the red-haired man slyly. Luffy would eat the man's desert for making fun of him. It'd be a great joke!
Seizing the fruit, Luffy took a huge bite. The juices ran down his chin, and a truly awful taste filled his mouth. Like freezer burnt meat and ashes, mixed with a bit of crap.
'Yuck!' Luffy exclaimed, though he shoved down the rest of the fruit. Grandpa made sure to teach him never to waste food. It'd only taken three Fists of Love before the lesson sank in.
While Luffy was trying to wash down the awful taste of the fruit, the bandit took the bottle Shanks offered him.
For a moment, he stared at the pirate with a sneer, before all of a sudden smashing the bottle over Shanks' head, sending alcohol and glass all over the pirate captain. Makino gasped in shock, covering her mouth.
A tension arose in the bar, both pirates and bandits waiting for something to happen.
"One bottle of booze can't satisfy me. Don't try and make a fool of me, do you know who I am?" The bandit reached into his coat and pulled out a grubby wanted poster with his face on it. "I'm Higuma the Bear, worth eight million berries. I've killed fifty-six people. If you don't wanna be one of them, you should hop on your ship and sail away from here."
Not intimidated, Shanks focused on the broken glass and spilled alcohol. "Man, what a mess. Do you have a mop, Makino?" He picked up a shard. Higuma didn't like that one bit. The bandit growled. He unsheathed a sword with a sharp ring and swiped it across the bar, smashing even more glasses of booze. Tiny rivers of alcohol spilled across the floor.
"Like to clean, eh? Well, this should keep you busy." Higuma muttered as he turned to leave. "Farewell, cowards." As he left the bar with his men in tow, he could be heard saying, "No booze? That's an outrage, let's go to a different town."
The bar lay quiet while Makino attempted to help Shanks clean up.
"Phew!"
Shanks lit up with a grin of embarrassment.
Raucous laughter filled the bar, as every pirate started to roll around with mirth.
"He got you good Captain!"
"I guess he did."
While the pirates laughed, Luffy felt a simmering anger. "Why are you laughing!?" He shouted. "That was shameful. Why didn't you fight back? You're not a man, or a pirate!"
"It was just a bottle of booze, Luffy. It's nothing to get worked up abou–yeowch!"
Shanks attempted to calm the boy down and took hold of his arm as Luffy turned to walk away, but he quickly snatched it back as ice spread across his fingers.
Luffy froze in shock, as Shanks quickly stuffed his hand into his arm pit. As Luffy breathed, his breath came out as frozen fog. He felt his unruly black hair begin to crust with ice, while his skin became pale as milk.
"Wha-what's going on?" He stuttered.
Shanks stared at him in shock. "He's frosting over does this mean he …"
"He couldn't have!" Lucky Roo muttered, hurrying over to the end of the bar and grabbing the empty treasure chest. The fat man shook it, as though that would make it no longer empty. "It's not here, that fruit we took from that marine ship!"
With wide eyes, Shanks seized Luffy by the shoulders, pointing at the chest frantically. This time, his hands didn't freeze, Luffy noticed. "Luffy, did you eat the white fruit in that chest?"
"Uh, yeah." Luffy replied, what was the commotion about?
He breathed out experimentally, giggling at the fog that came out. Now that the initial shock died down, this was actually kind of cool!
"That was a Devil Fruit. Anyone that eats one gets a power, but they're cursed by the sea, you'll never learn to swim now!" The pirate captain explained, slapping Luffy across the back of the head. "You idiot!"
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Luffy dug into a plate of meat, ripping off a chunk of flesh. He wore a sullen pout. Having just come back from training, he was upset that once again he'd failed to make his new devil fruit work. He wanted to breathe fog and make ice again, that was so cool!
It had been this way ever since the Red Hair pirates had failed to figure out which devil fruit he'd eaten.
After the initial excitement had died down, and the ice had melted, the pirates resumed their party, this time in celebration of Luffy's new power. With some direction, Luffy managed to deactivate the power of his fruit. He'd sat to the side of the bar, still annoyed at them for just laughing off the mountain bandit pouring booze on Shanks. The man himself sat with Ben Beckman, discussing what fruit he might have.
"Well, it ain't no logia, the ice ones already been eaten," said Shanks.
Ben had nodded, turning the pages in an enormous book while occasionally glancing at a drawing of the fruit Luffy had eaten. "That leaves paramecia or zoan, but I can't find any in here. Perhaps it's never been eaten."
"It's a mystery fruit." Luffy had muttered.
That'd drawn the attention of the pirates, who glanced at him curiously. "Oi, Luffy, try making the fruit work again."
Muttering in annoyance, Luffy had tried just that, screwing his eyes up and trying to focus on freezing his cup of juice. Nothing happened, much to his disappointment.
That's how it had been the entire three weeks the Red Hair pirates had been gone.
"The Red Hair Pirates have been gone for a while. You must be missing them, right Luffy?" Makino asked as she cleaned a glass with a rag.
Luffy shook his head vehemently. "After how they let those Bandits walk all over them? No way." He denied, taking another bite of meat. The rich juices made him salivate. Makino's cooking was the best. "I thought they were tough, but they're just a bunch of wimps!"
"Oh? Are you sure? Sometimes it takes more courage not to fight. Anyone can throw a punch; it takes a real man to know when to throw one. Sometimes someone isn't worth it."
Her words struck a chord with Luffy, though he wanted to just deny them. To him, a real man should stand up for himself, even if he'd get his ass kicked. Did Makino have a point? He grimaced. Dammit, he didn't want to think so hard over it! Taking another ravenous bite of steak, Luffy shook his head.
"Eh, whatever. I still think he should've stood up for himself." He replied, before digging in even harder. Meat would distract him from thinking. That was too much work.
As Luffy chewed on his steak, the doors to the bar slammed open.
"Make way for the Terror of the Highlands!" Luffy's lips curled in annoyance. He shoved his plate away, his appetite was ruined for several reasons.
As Higuma and his bandits strutted into the empty Party's Bar, the bandit looked around. "No pirates? The place already smells better." Luffy thought that was pretty rich coming from Higuma of all people. He smelled of stale pee and bad cheese. The bandit strode into the bar and pulled out a chair. He threw his feet up onto a table as his men sat down. "Well, we're customers. Serve us, wench!"
A scowl stole across Luffy's face as he heard how rudely the bandit spoke to Makino. He wanted to lash out at the bandit but bit his tongue. For now, at least.
Though they laughed and caroused, the bandits were different to the Red Hair Pirates. The latter was full of fun and a sense of adventure. With the bandits, they seemed obnoxious and cruel. It was hard enough to ignore as they talked about robbing some fool or stabbing an unsuspecting merchant. But eventually, the bandits turned to talking about the Red Hair pirates, and that's when Luffy snapped.
"What d'ya think happened to those pirates' boss?"
The bandit leader scoffed. "Those cowards? They probably ran to the next sea over. That dumbass captain was nothing but a coward who'd flee at the first sign of danger."
"Take that back!" Luffy shouted, standing up as he slammed his palms into the counter. "Shanks is no coward, you stupid mountain monkey!"
The bar stilled. Higuma glared at him. He fingered the hilt of his sword. "What the hell was that brat?" he asked in disbelief.
Luffy jumped down from his stool and got into the bandit's face. "I said you're a big dumb mountain monkey! If Shanks won't fight you, I will!"
Higuma leered down at him. "Is that so, brat?" Luffy heard a piercing scream, as he felt something hard plant itself into his gut. He heaved; afraid he'd throw up as he went flying. After slamming through the hard wooden doors, Luffy rolled across the ground like a rag doll.
Letting out a groan, Luffy sat up slowly as the bandits poured out of Party's Bar. They gathered round him in a circle, removing any possibility of escape. Higuma strutted forward, slowly drawing the sword at his waist.
"I'll give you a chance to apologize, brat. Maybe I'll let you off with just a beating. But I better like what comes out." Members of Windmill Village gathered round, muttering to themselves. Luffy heard a few mentioning rescue. But he didn't care, he only had eyes for the bandit. The bandit boss sauntered towards him, a cruel smirk on his lips. "Well, what's it gonna be?" Higuma asked. Luffy cringed at the reek of the man's breath. It smelled of molding cheese and cheap booze.
"You're the one that needs to say sorry, you stupid mountain monkey!" Luffy stuck to his guns, glaring defiantly at the adult.
Higuma sneered. "Well, guess you made your choice."
The bandit raised his sword, preparing to bring it down. But a panicked shout from the crowd stayed his hand.
"Wait, let the boy go!" Woop Slap, the mayor of Windmill Village, pushed his way to the front of the crowd. The mayor tried to deescalate the situation. "I'll even give you money! Just please, let him go!"
Luffy looked at the mayor in shock. He'd never taken the man seriously. With his palm-tree pattern shirt and striped hat, he looked out of place standing in front of the bandits. Yet, the mayor didn't budge. Behind him, Makino hovered with a worried look. She must have been the one to summon him.
"Mayor …" Luffy whispered.
"As usual, the elders always know the way of the world." Higuma replied to the mayor. "Unfortunately, this brat has insulted me. I gotta kill him."
The bandit's arm wound back again, once more about to bring his blade down. At that moment, whether by luck or fate, a miracle happened. For a second time, someone's voice stopped Higuma's attempt to kill Luffy.
"I was wondering why nobody greeted us at the docks. So it's you again, mountain bandits." Shanks quipped as he strutted in at the head of the Red Hair pirates. The man's trusty straw hat was on his head, and he wore a black captain's coat about his shoulders. The pirate smirked at Luffy teasingly. "What's the matter Luffy, I thought you said your punch was as strong as a pistol."
"Not now, Shanks!" Luffy hissed through gritted teeth.
"So, the cowardly pirates are still here. Taking a break from cleaning duty?" Higuma sneered. "You should scram, or we'll kill you."
Shanks continued to saunter forward as if he didn't hear the warning, causing one of Higuma's men to step up and place a pistol at his temple. "Are ya deaf!? You were told to leave, you bastard!" The bandit growled, cocking the flintlock. "Any closer and I'll blow your head off."
The pirate captain glanced at the bandit out of the corner of his eye. "You're risking your life pointing that at me," Shanks muttered.
"What the hell do you mean?"
"I'm saying guns aren't toys for making threats." The pirate replied.
BANG
Without notice, Lucky Roo had snuck up to the man and shot him in the head. The bandit's head snapped back as he collapsed. All the while, Lucky tore into a leg of meat.
"That was dirty, you bastard!" one bandit shouted.
Ben Beckman sneered. "Quite whining. You're not dealing with saints here."
"Indeed, we're pirates. Rules are more like guidelines with us," Shanks agreed.
"This isn't your business!" A bandit squealed in panic.
The pirate captain brushed his coat aside, shaking his head. "Isn't it though? I don't care if you throw drinks in my face or dump food on me. You can even spit on me and I'll laugh it off. But good reason or not, nobody hurts a friend of mine!" The air became heavy as Shanks glared at the gathered bandits. Luffy found himself enraptured by the red-haired man.
"Ha! Nice speech, very intimidating." Higuma replied with a roar of laughter, though he grew deadly serious. "You pirates think you can handle us? Let's just see about that. Kill them!"
At the leader's orders, the bandits let loose a battle cry, charging the pirates with swords drawn.
"I'll deal with this," Ben muttered dryly, a rifle resting lazily on his shoulder.
The listless man stepped forward, taking the cigarette from his mouth, and putting it out in the eye of the first bandit to reach him.
"Ahhh!"
The bandit fell backwards with a terrible scream, writhing on the ground as his fellows rushed by. Ben took the rifle on his shoulder and wielded it like a club, battering every single bandit that came at him and laying them out. When the last had been down, Ben turned his gun around and pointed it at Higuma.
"Amazing…" Luffy whispered in awe.
"Wait! This brat messed with us first!" Higuma pleaded with a terrified expression.
"Doesn't matter. Say, didn't you have a price on your head?" Shanks inquired.
The bandit leader surveyed the street for his options. A bead of sweat trickled down his face. In an instant, he got a wild look in his eyes.
"If I'm going to die, I'll take the brat with me!" He snarled. Before anyone could react, he slashed his sword at Luffy.
Luffy flinched, bracing for the expected pain. He heard a tinkling thunk and felt tiny particles of something cold and wet hit his face. A shot rang out, followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the ground.
Cracking open his eyes, Luffy saw the villagers looking at him with fear and worry.
Looking around in confusion, he froze as he saw Higuma's sword jutting from his right shoulder. The blade was stuck three inches into his body, but instead of blood oozing and split flesh, freezing fog poured from a crack of ice.
"My shoulder, get it out!" Luffy cried in fear. What was happening? Tears pricked his eyes, and he thrashed about, unknowingly freezing anything he touched.
"Whoa, settle down there, Luffy." Shanks tried to calm him, reaching for the sword. As the pirate captain tried to take the sword out, Luffy flailed in panic. His hand brushed against Shank's hand as he yanked the sword from his shoulder.
Luffy stared in horror as Shanks knelt down and wrapped a comforting arm around him. "Makino told me what you did, standing up for me. Thanks for that." The pirate patted him on the back. Despite the reassuring words, Luffy cried as he looked at Shank's left arm. "There now, no need to cry. You're supposed to be a tough guy, remember?"
"But Shanks …" Luffy sniffled, feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt. "Your arm!"
Shank's left arm had frozen completely solid, looking like little more than an ice prosthetic. His friend had been trying to help, and Luffy had taken his arm!
The pirate captain chuckled. "It was just an accident. My fault, really. I should've been more careful. Besides, an arm is a small price to pay. I'm just glad you're alright now."
Luffy sniffled, still not convinced.
"I'm confused though, I thought the Ice logia had been eaten by some Vice-Admiral of the Navy." Ben commented, as he put another cigarette in his mouth and lit it up.
"Huh, wadd'ya mean?" Luffy asked, wiping his eyes.
"Your shoulder, Luffy, you turned to ice. Usually, only logia devil fruits can do that." Shanks answered. To Luffy's surprise, his shoulder had sealed back up and turned back to flesh. The pirate captain cupped his chin thoughtfully. "You're definitely right Ben. So, if logia is taken, the next most likely is paramecia, but only an awakened fruit would let you have that kind of ability to shift your body. Which only leaves one option."
Ben nodded with a grunt. "It would be that kind. Guess it explains why it isn't known."
"What are you two talking about, stop talkin in circles!" Having grown frustrated with the back and forth, Luffy snapped at his new friends.
"Don't mind us, just old men going on tangents." Shanks replied with a smile. "But we should throw another party. Cause now we know exactly what kind of devil fruit you ate Luffy."
"Really?" Luffy forgot his frustration, excited at the prospect. Maybe it would make it easier to use.
"Congratulations Luffy. You've eaten the rarest kind of devil fruit, a Mythical Zoan."
Luffy's eyes sparkled. A zoan? That was the ones that let you transform into something. Though what was the difference with mythical ones? He asked as much, and Shanks chuckled.
"Mythical Zoan's let you transform into some kind of creature with special abilities. Yours seems to have something to do with ice." Shanks explained, before grimacing as he moved his left shoulder. "We'll work on finding out the actual name of it later. But for now, I need to get this checked out by Hongo. Who knows, maybe we can save this arm."
The pirate captain stood up and began to walk towards a man with blond hair in a top knot, the ships doctor, Hongo. He paused, looking back at Luffy with a mischievous look.
"We'll also have to get a handle on those powers of yours before we ship off. Prepare for some tough training."
Luffy's eyes widened in horror. "It won't involve canyons, or packs of wild wolves, right?"
"Uh, no, why would it?" Shanks asked in disbelief.
"Oh, that's a relief. Grandpa's training always has that kind of thing." Luffy sighed in relief. He looked up at Shanks with a fire in his eyes. "Let's do this then!"
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Three months passed in the blink of an eye. Luffy spent those months in the forests of Mt. Corvo, training with Shanks to control his powers. That was more important than learning to control his transformation. So far, Luffy hadn't gone beyond his hybrid form, or at least, what Shanks said was the hybrid. Apparently, going into his full transformation risked losing control of himself. That couldn't happen. Hence why he'd put his all into training.
Now, he found himself standing at the docks of Windmill Village, bidding goodbye to the Red Hair Pirates for the last time.
"So, this is goodbye?" Luffy asked sadly.
Shanks nodded. He held his straw hat in place. "We've overstayed our welcome here. It was a nice vacation, but it's time to head back to the Grand Line."
Luffy frowned, seeing the way the man's left arm hung stiffly at his side. It had never been the same since they'd defrosted it. He still remembered the way Hongo had carefully examined the arm, trying to move its stiff joints.
"Sorry to tell ya cap'n, the nerves have been damaged. Don't know if you'll ever regain full use. Maybe in time you can do simple tasks, but it'll be a hindrance in a fight." The doctor had concluded.
When Luffy cried, Shanks comforted him. "I told ya earlier, it was an accident. Life's too short to worry about something like this."
To say the least, that had shown Luffy the danger of his fruit. One slight touch had ruined his friend's arm. Though Shanks was right about one thing, he wouldn't let it hold him back.
"I'm not going to ask you to take me with you." he said seriously, gazing up at Shanks.
"Oh? Good, I wouldn't want a snot-nosed anchor like you on my crew anyways. No way a crybaby like you can become a pirate."
Luffy's face reddened, he clenched his fist as the crew laughed aboard the ship. "I can too become a pirate! You'll see, I'm gonna get a ship and crew even better than yours. We'll get a big hoard of treasure, and I'll become the King of the Pirates!" He declared for the whole village to hear.
"You're gonna be better than us, huh?" Shanks asked in bemusement. The man reached to his hat, slowly taking it off. "Well then, do me a favor and keep this safe for me." Luffy's face lit up in awe as the straw hat was placed on his head. "This hat is special to me, so give it back to me someday once you become a great pirate."
Tears poured down Luffy's face. He wanted to speak, but a lump had formed in his throat. He gripped the hat tightly, as he watched Shanks walk up the gangplank.
"Weigh the anchor! Raise the sails, we ship out with the tides!" Benn roared.
Luffy watched silently as the ship of the Red Hair Pirates pulled away from the docks. The sails billowed in the wind, carrying the ship away with the tides. One day, that would be him!
x-x-x-x-x-x- AFS -x-x-x-x-x-x
Well there you go. Hope you enjoyed. Chapter 3 is up on my pa tre on.
As always, thank you to my patrons.
⸻ Patron Shoutout Wall ⸻
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Until Next Time,
RinneTaicho, Signing Off!