Author's Note: Sorry to make this short. This was all I could spare at the moment while starting the Syrup Village arc. Anyway, enjoy the chapter. Any and all comments are welcome.

Harley had woken up from her nap. She remembered then that she was riding with three others on a stolen pirate boat. She turned herself only to be started by Luffy closing in on her face.

"So how do you know Shanks?"

"GYAAAAAAHH!" Harley yelled jumping to the back of the boat. Nami and Zoro woke up instantly expecting a fight.

"What's going on? Are we under attack?" Zoro asked gripping his sword handles.

"No, it's your idiot captain!" Harley replied. "He had his face really close to mine when I woke up!"

"I was just asking about Shanks." Luffy said.

"Luffy, do you have any idea how creepy that is?" Nami asked.

"Huh? How is it creepy to ask about Shanks?" Luffy asked.

"That's not the point, rubber brain!" Nami yelled.

"So seriously, Harley," Luffy said, "You mentioned before that Shanks was a big shot at the Grand Line."

Harley calmed down and sat herself down. "He's not just a big shot, Luffy. He's one of the biggest shots that were ever shot. Half of the Grand Line is called the New World full of the most bizarre and unknown things ever. The only people who were able to explore it all were Gold Roger and his pirate crew."

"What's this got to do with Shanks?" Luffy asked.

"I'm getting to that." Harley said. "Anyway, across the Grand Line, there are four pirates whose power and strength far exceed anyone else. They rule their own territories of the New World, which is why they are called the Emperors of the Sea. There's Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and last, but not least, Red Hair Shanks."

"Whoa." Zoro said. "This Shanks guy is on the same level as Whitebeard? Even I've heard of him."

"Well, I've never seen Shanks' power myself," Harley said, "But I've heard some crazy stories."

Luffy smiled happily placing his hand on his straw hat. He removed it just to admire it. "Wow. Shanks is more awesome than I thought."

"All right. Now, it's my turn." Harley said. "Luffy, how do you know Shanks?"

"Well," Luffy said, "It all started about ten years ago. Shanks and his crew stopped by my hometown once or twice just passing through. I always admired Shanks and wanted to be a pirate just like him, but he said I was too young. I was so upset, I ate what I thought was a random fruit, but it turned out to be a Devil Fruit that Shanks was carrying with him."

"The Gum-Gum Fruit." Harley surmised. "So that's how you got your stretchy powers."

Luffy nodded and continued. "After that, I wanted to prove how tough I was by taking on some mountain bandits that were harassing my village. It didn't go the way I wanted and I ended up being thrown into the sea. I couldn't move and I was going to be eating by a Sea King. Shanks saved me, but he lost an arm."

Harley's eyes were as wide as dinner plates and her jaw dropped lower than her very neck. "You… You… You made Shanks lose an arm?"

"It's not like I meant for it to happen. It just showed me how great he is." Luffy said. "After that, I vowed that I would be King of the Pirates." He held up his straw hat. "Before he left, Shanks gave me his hat and made me promise to give it back to him when I become a great pirate. This hat has been my greatest treasure ever since."

"Whoa." Harley said. "That's… honestly very inspiring. I mean, I've never heard of an Emperor sacrificing a limb to save some random rugrat and giving him his possession as a momento. He must really like you."

"Yeah. He really does." Luffy said. "Anyway, that's enough about me. What about you, Harley? What's your story?"

Harley lowered her head and pouted. "Not much to tell. I dated a jerk. Realized he was a jerk. Then, I dumped that jerk to be better than him."

"That's it?" Luffy asked. "Come on. I shared my whole story."

"That doesn't mean I get to share mine." Harley said. "What about you, Zoro? Nami? Care to tell us your pasts? What got you into the lives of swording and thieving?"

"I don't feel like it." Zoro said.

"Like I'm telling you anything." Nami replied.

"You see. Now, until I know everyone's backstory, I ain't sharing mine." Harley said.

"Fine." Luffy replied sadly. "So when are we going to the Grand Line?"

"Definitely not now, you idiot." Nami said. "Look at this little boat. And we're too few of a crew."

"Hmm…" Luffy said looking around. "I suppose we are lacking a musician."

"Over twenty roles on a ship, and a musician is the first that pops in your head?" Harley asked.

"Hey. Pirates sing, don't they?" Luffy asked.

"We need some more essential crew members before we get to a musician." Zoro said.

"At the very least, we need a new ship." Nami said. "We barely fit on this little boat as it is."

"That, and this ship won't last an hour on the Grand Line, let alone a whole voyage." Harley said. "We'll need at least a galleon. Maybe two."

"Two?" Luffy asked.

"Well, a ship can't have two captains. Since we're going to be working together, we'll have to sail side by side on different ships. You get a ship for your crew and I'll get one for mine."

Nami opened up a map. "According to this, there's a village south of here. We should find a proper vessel or two there."

"And some meat!" Luffy cheered.

The three of them docked their ship as it sailed right onto the sandy shores of the first island they found. They walked off the ship to look around the forest terrain before them.

"So there's a village here?" Luffy asked.

"That's what the map says." Nami said. "It's pretty small though."

Harley's eyes suddenly gazed up a far-off hill. "Hey. What's up with those kids?"

"Huh? What kids?" Nami asked.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Everyone stopped and saw that a teenage boy appeared before them. His most distinguishing figure is his abnormally long nose.

"Move it, Pinocchio. We've got business to do." Harley said.

"You should know better than to threaten me, madame!" the long-nosed boy said displaying a confident smile on his face. "I am the notorious Captain Usopp, the fearsome pirate who commands 80 million men all armed to fight against you!"

As if on cue, several pirate flags shot themselves up from the forest bushes up the hill behind him.

"WHOA! 80 MILLION?! THAT'S SO COOL!" Luffy exclaimed in excitement.

"He's obviously lying!" Nami said. "There's no way 80 million people can fit on this island!"

"And that's not really a pirate army up there." Harley said pointing at the flags. "Those are just three little brats who are holding up flags."

Hearing what Harley said, the three kids who were holding the flags dropped them and ran off.

"HEY! YOU GUYS CAN'T LEAVE ME HERE!" Usopp cried out.

"Some army." Harley snickered.

Luffy let out a bellowing laughter. "YOU'RE SO FUNNY!"

"Hey! Don't laugh at me!" Usopp said. "I still have my pride!"

When Luffy stopped laughing, he drew himself closer to Usopp's face curiously. Usopp was very uncomfortable.

"Uh, why is this guy staring at me like a creep?" Usopp asked.

"I dunno. It's a weird habit of his." Zoro said.

"Hey, I wanna ask you a question." Luffy said. "Are you, by any chance, Yasopp's son."

Usopp's face dropped into a state of surprise. "Well, yeah. I am. But how did you know? You know my dad?"

"Who's Yasopp?" Harley asked.

"He's one of Shanks' crewmen." Luffy explained. "I met him when I was just a kid."

Usopp gasped before smiling. "Really? No lie?"

"Nope. I gotta say, you look just like him."

Harley stared in a dumbfounded look. "Wow. Small sea."

"Hey, Owen!"

A young, teenage boy with strawberry blonde hair and a blue jacket was laying back on the roof of his home when he heard his name being called. He looked down at three other kids around his age.

"Yeah?" Owen replied.

"We're going for some lunch. Wanna come?" one of the boys asked.

"Sure thing. Be right down."

Owen laid back and slid down the roof. He landed safely on the ground. But before he joined his friends, he pulled out something from the inside of his jacket to look at it. He smiled seeing it shine in the sunlight.

It was a silver boomerang.