He sat isolated in a shadowy corner of the deck, looking at a photograph. It was of him with his brother and sister. He wondered how they had been getting on in the months since he'd left them. He turned it over. On the back was written:

Don't be so hard on yourself, no
Learn to forgive, learn to let go
Everyone trips, everyone falls
So don't be so hard on yourself, no

The lyrics to one of the many songs his sister loved to sing. Beneath them was written:

A life with no regrets, don't forget! See you on the Grand Line!

-Locks n Luffy

He heard footsteps. Quickly, he tucked the photo away, raising his head slightly to watch Whitebeard's First Division Commander approach . . .

oOo

Three years and a few months later . . .

Rain lashed the deck of the Going Merry as the storm whipped the sea around them into a blinding spray. Locks wrapped her tail tight around the mast and grinned, revelling in the tempest from her place in the crow's nest. A lighthouse shone in the distance.

"Hey, Locks!"

She looked down at the shout, meeting the dancing eyes of her lunatic little brother, who gestured for her to return to deck. She jumped.

The crew was gathered around a barrel. Locks took her place in the circle, wondering what was going on.

The cook put his foot on top of the barrel.

"To find All Blue!" he said with a grin.

Her little brother was next.

"To become the Pirate King!" Luffy shouted cheerfully.

"To be the greatest swordsman." Zoro followed suit.

"To draw a map of the world" the navigator yelled.

"To become a brave warrior of the sea" Usopp, the sniper, said after a moment of hesitation.

Locks thought she understood. She lifted her leg up and said "To be free of you lot and be own captain!"

Luffy giggled.

"LET'S GO TO THE GRAND LINE!" he bellowed.

"AYE!" the crew followed suit.

And together, they crushed the barrel.

Then the ship was snatched up by the current, and drove ever faster to the entrance of the Grand Line.

oOo

The dark bulk of Reverse Mountain loomed far into the sky and beyond the thunderclouds. Locks heard Nami shriek panicked course corrections at Sanji, trying to line up the little caravel with the approaching entrance to the canal that apparently flowed up the mountain. There was a snapping sound, and horrified gasps.

The ship veered towards one of the columns-

Luffy ballooned between ship and stone, before snapping back to normal and onto the deck. Locks sensed the water beneath them start to race.

"Hold tight!" she screamed laughing as the wind began to snatch and grab at her hair. The rest of the crew, sans Luffy, shrieked in terror as the ship picked up pace. Luffy joined his sister in laughter.

Then they were bursting above the clouds, surrounded by rainbows and mist as mighty currents clashed together.

And then they were falling. Locks opened her wings and allowed herself to be flung into the air, before racing after the caravel and its scared stiff crew.

"We're all gonna die!" she heard Luffy shriek gleefully. She snorted.

Taking her full form, the dragon swooped gaily from the sky.