Author's Note: For this chapter, we will be going over the backstory of Owen Mercer.

On a separate note, as you can see, I have taken a bit of the song Binks' Sake and included it in this chapter (Funimation version). I do not own the song. It belongs to the One Piece franchise. Also, I am thinking of making song parodies in future chapters. They would not be instantaneous musical number nor would they be in every chapter. They'll only be out when a certain performer I have planned is in need of it. What do you guys think? I know One Piece has original songs that they play on rare occasions, and I wanted to do that to.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter. Any and all comments are welcome.

After Owen had been slashed in the chest by Kuro, he landed on the ground. He struggled to stay alive while seeing his life flash before his eyes, and it all started with a sad boy crying over his deathly ill mother.

SIX YEARS AGO…

Young Owen couldn't stop crying seeing his mom take her last breaths. She turned over to him and caressed her hand on the side of his head.

"Dear sweet Owen. Everything's going to be okay." Owen's mother said.

"But… I'm going to lose you." Owen choked up with tears flowing from his eyes. "Without you, I don't know what to do."

"There's only one thing you can do." Owen's mother said. "You can go see your father. He'll take care of you."

Owen's tearful eyes widened. "My dad? But… He's dead."

Owen's mother shook her pale head. "No, my dear boy. He's alive. He's a brave adventurer of the sea; a pirate that goes by Captain Boomerang. Go to Pepper Town. That's where he goes in between adventures. Tell him what's become of me. He'll take you in."

Owen couldn't believe his ears. He had no idea that his dad was still alive and a pirate. But that shock was quickly erased when he noticed how quickly his mother was fading.

"Mom, no!" Owen pleaded hearing his mother cough while pulling her hand back. He went in closer to her with even more tears pouring out.

"I… love you… Owen. No matter what you do… I know you'll… make me… proud." Owen's mom said weakly before finally closing her eyes for the last time.

Owen let out a flood of tears spilling from his eyes as he felt nothing but sorrow for the next three hours. Though he was still mourning after all that, he knew what he had to do next. He had to find his father.

With the money his mother gave him before her death, Owen hired a sailor to take him to Pepper Town. As soon as he arrived, he looked around until he heard distant music playing. He rushed to a nearby tavern where the music came from. When he peeked inside, he stood in amazement at the sight of pirates partying inside alongside the townsfolk. Music played from the side of the room and the pirates were singing along to it.

Pirates:

Gather up all of the crew

It's time to ship out Binks' brew

Pirates, we eternally

Are challenging the sea

With the waves to rest our heads

Ship beneath us as our beds

Hoisted high upon the mast

Our jolly roger flies

Suddenly, a single man jumped and stood on top of the bar. He had on a grayish-blue goat over his blue outfit that matched the beanie he wore over his orange hair. There was a skull-and-crossbones symbol on the beanie with a silver boomerang across its forehead like it was a pair of eyebrows. His chest also had a black sash that was equipped with several boomerangs.

Seeing this man, Owen knew who he was. It was his father that his mother told him about: Captain Boomerang. He watched as he sang his own verse of the song.

Captain Boomerang:

Somewhere in the endless sky

Stormy winds are passing by

Waves are dancing. Evening comes

It's time to sound the drums

But steady men and never fear

Tomorrow's skies are always clear

So pound your feet and clap your hands

'Til sunny days return

As the pirates and townsfolk all went "Yo, ho, ho", Owen smiled seeing his father for the first time. But then, his smile dropped. He wanted to introduce himself to his father, but something stopped him.

"What am I doing?" Owen thought to himself. "How can I bring myself to say I'm the son of a great pirate like him? Can he even respect me? I need to earn his love first. I can't afford to mess this up."

The Boomerang Pirates returned to their ship, who's pirate flag waved in the wind with the same symbol that's on the captain's beanie. Once they sailed safely out of port, the pirates raised their mugs in celebration before their captain spoke up.

"Fine work, mates! We celebrated our latest run louder than ever before! But now, we're off to new adventure!"

That's when the first mate approached Captain Boomerang. "Captain, we have a problem. We just did a head count."

"What? Did we leave someone behind?" Captain Boomerang asked.

"No. We have an extra." The first mate said as he moved aside for his captain to see.

Owen was revealed held by his shoulders in the hands of two pirates. He chuckled nervously while Boomerang looked at him confused.

"Where did you come from, stowaway?"

"Me?" Owen asked. "I just… came here."

"Just came here, huh?" Boomerang asked. "And why is it that you 'just came here'?"

"Well… the thing is…" Owen fell to his hands and knees. "Please, let me join your crew!"

All the pirates around him were surprised. One of them said, "Wow. You normally don't have someone beg to be a pirate."

"I just want to travel the sea with you." Owen pleaded. "To have great adventures. I'll do anything too! You want your deck washed? I'm your guy. I can't cook, but I can wash dishes. I…"

"Easy there, kid. You already sold me." Boomerang said helping Owen up to his feet. "If you wanted to join my crew, all you had to do was ask?"

"Really?" Owen asked with a hopeful smile.

"Sure. Piracy is a free occupation. If you want to join my crew, I don't see a problem with it. What's your name, kid?"

Owen was about to give his real name, but once again, he stopped himself. He feared that if his father ever knew he had a son named Owen and if he said so, he would know who he is. "My name's… Tim."

"Well, Tim, I hereby welcome you to the Boomerang Pirates." Boomerang said followed by the cheers of his crewmates.

Days had passed and Owen was busy mopping the deck. As he passed by the captain's cabin, he noticed that it was slightly open and peeked in. Inside, he saw his father looking over a sea of charts. He was looking over them when he noticed his spy at the doorway.

"Oh, Tim. What are you doing?" Boomerang asked.

"Ah! Sorry, captain!" Owen freaked out. "I just… I saw the door open and…"

"Relax, kid. I'm not holding it over you." Boomerang said. "I'm just looking over these charts."

"So you're the ship's captain and its navigator?" Owen asked stepping into the cabin.

"I'm a man of many talents." Boomerang said. "If you think about it, navigation is a little bit like throwing a boomerang."

"It is?" Owen asked.

"Yeah. You're basically deciding which direction is which, you gotta take the wind currents into account, and if you miscalculate, you could have a bad throw. Would you like a navigation lesson?"

Owen's eyes lit up. "Uh… sure. I'd love that." He walked up to his father looking over the charts.

"Great. And maybe later, I can teach you how to throw a boomerang so you'll understand." Boomerang offered before beginning his lessons.

Over the next few months, when the Boomerang Pirates weren't looking for treasure, the captain would take Owen to a remote island to master his boomerang skills. Owen turned out to be a fast learner. After the boomerang lessons, his father would then take him to his cabin to teach him everything he knew about navigation. It was the perfect bonding time, all without Owen ever telling the captain how they're related.

But then, everything changed one foggy night.

When the ship sailed into the dark, thick fog, everyone rested up. But Owen was restless. He had so much indecision on his mind. He stepped out onto the deck and paced around in a circle thinking to himself.

"It's been months since I joined. And we have gotten pretty close. I wonder if now's the time for me to tell him who I really am. Am I really ready?"

Before he could think any more, a distant booming sound echoed from an unknown direction. Owen turned his head around trying to find the source. However, he was still caught off guard with the cannonball struck the board behind him and sent him flying forward. When he landed, he lost all consciousness.

When Owen woke up, his ears were ringing and his vision was very blurry. Still, he felt a heavy weight pinning him to the ground and the heat of burning wood surrounding him. When he regained his strength, he pushed himself up getting out from underneath the wood that buried him. His other senses returned too, and he was finally able to see what was left of the ship. Nearly every plank on the ship was either broken or cracked, even had massive holes around. The mast was missing replaced by a burning stump. Owen gasped as he realized what was happening.

The ship was destroyed.

Owen heard the weak groaning from the nearby stairs. His body ached, but he powered through it and moved on toward the sound. When he soon recognized it as his father, he pushed himself more. Owen made it to Boomerang, who laid back on the stairs bleeding all over his body. Aside from his mouth, there was also blood coming from the bullet holes in his shoulders and the stab wound in his chest.

"Ah. It's you." Boomerang coughed. "I was worried for a minute."

Owen knelt down to his captain/father with the most horrified reaction. "What happened?"

"Marines." Boomerang said. "Those bastards caught us from out of nowhere. Took out as many as I could, but they had the element of surprise on their side. In just a couple of hours, the ship's going to sink right down to Davy Jones' Locker."

"This can't be." Owen gasped. "We've got to get to land. Maybe there's a doctor who can help."

"How can we go anywhere?" Boomerang asked. "There's too much damage to the ship."

Owen looked around and saw a single dinghy that was still whole and hanging on the side of the ship. Without another word, he picked Boomerang up on his shoulders and carried him to the boat which he then boarded and sailed across the ocean.

After an hour of rowing the oars in the dense, thick fog, Owen was still not giving up, even when Boomerang looked worse by the minute. Boomerang then broke the silence.

"Sorry, kid. But I'm afraid I'm not gonna make it."

"No. Don't say that." Owen said desperately rowing harder and faster. "We're getting close. I can feel it."

"Just stop, Owen. It's going to be okay." Boomerang said.

"How can you say that, captain? You're filled with bullet holes and…" Just then, Owen stopped talking and rowing. He turned his wide eyes over to Boomerang. "What did you call me?"

"Owen. That's the name your mother and I picked out for you. Don't be surprised. You don't even look like a Tim."

Owen released the oars and moved himself closer to his father. "You knew?"

"Of course, I knew. You really think I wouldn't recognize you the day you snuck onto my ship? The real question is, why did you hide your identity?"

Realizing that his father always knew who he was, Owen began to tear up just like he did over his mother's dying moments. "I… I was worried. I thought I wasn't worthy of being your son."

"Owen, you were worthy the moment you were born." Boomerang said. "After I welcomed you to my ship, I spent the night in my cabin heartbroken after learning of what happened to your mother. But if she sent you to me, then I had to honor her wish."

"Then… Then why?" Owen choked up. "If you loved us so much, why did you leave?"

Boomerang sighed before smiling up at his son. "I left to protect my legacy."

"Your legacy?" Owen asked.

Boomerang nodded. "When you're a pirate for as long as I have, you make quite a few enemies. And those enemies will do whatever they can to ruin you, even destroy your legacy. Every pirate must have one; something that makes them proud to be a pirate. In my case, Owen, that something was you."

Owen's heart skipped a beat. He lost his breath hearing those words. "So…"

"Yes, my boy. My greatest legacy is you. And my enemies would do anything to ruin me. If they learned that I had a child, they'd go after you. Your mom wasn't meant for the high seas and you were just a baby, so she and I had an agreement. Once you've grown big enough, she'd send you to me so I can see you grow up. Though, it appears I'll have to do that from the afterlife."

"No!" Owen cried out holding onto his dad. "Don't die, Dad! I only just got to know you! There's so many things I want to tell you!"

"And there's something I need to tell you, Owen." Digger Harkness said with his light slowly leaving his eyes. "Call it my final lesson. There are many ways to live as a pirate. Sure, they seek mountains of treasure, but they also seek adventure and freedom. And they're proud of it. And sometimes, it's a pride so great, they get passed down to the next generation." He slowly reached his jacket and pulled out his silver boomerang, the one he uses most often. He gently placed it in Owen's hands. "Here, my son. Carry onto this for me."

"Dad…" Owen cried quietly while clutching onto his new boomerang. His dad held onto what little life he had left until he finally let go.

"Be proud of your pirate blood, Owen, and build a legacy of your own."

Those were Captain Boomerang's last words. He passed away right in Owen's eyes on that small dinghy in the middle of the foggy night. Owen finally let out his sorrowful eyes into the night sky.

Owen hadn't bothered sleeping for the rest of the night. He continued rowing his boat while mourning over his dad's body. When the sun came up, the fog had drifted, and he was able to see an island. As soon as he docked on the beach, he wasted no time burying his late father and marking his grave with a stick.

Owen had been left to kneel over Boomerang's grave clutching tightly as his signature weapon that he inherited.

"I promise, Dad. I'll be a great pirate and build a legacy of my own. I'll make sure the Boomerang name is etched into pirate history for years. As soon as I grow up, I'm going to be a great pirate just like you. I'll have my own adventures and carry on your legacy. And just like you, I will be proud to be a pirate."

When the flashback ended, Owen found himself back on the ground of the Syrup Village hill slope with slash marks on his chest. He was very much wounded, but he held on as tight on life as he could. Still, he began to worry when Kuro stood over him adjusting his glasses.

"That was for getting in my way." Kuro said raising his claws for one final blow. "And this is for hitting me the other day."

Kuro was about to thrust his claws down when something stopped him. Harley's bat swung right at his face sending him flying backwards and away from Owen. Harley stepped up readying to swing again.

"So you don't like getting hit, huh?" she asked. "Too bad. Because I'm about ready to hit you a thousand times with my little friend here."