I've got big plans for this one, but first I have questions.
1.) Romance? If so, who/who?
2.) Extended crew? If so, who?
Let me know in the reviews!
Now then, I hope you enjoy!

Dawn Island.
Foosha village.

Monkey D. Luffy was not having a good day.

It had started out well, though. In fact it had been a great day. Shanks had come visiting again! Luffy couldn't be better! Shanks was Luffy's hero, a real live pirate! He'd told him lots of stories of his travels: Braving vast seas, the epics of his battles with Marines and the other pirates that thought they could best them in a fight, and the most important part of being a pirate, to Luffy anyway, the freedom! Luffy practically had stars in his eyes as Shanks and his crew regaled the small boy with their stories as they drank and made merry in Makino's bar, Luffy grinning all the while.

That was, until that stupid bandit had shown up.

He had humiliated Shanks, dousing him in booze and mocking him after he had tried to clean up the mess made by wrecking the bar Shanks had been seated at with a slash of his sword. And all the while, neither Shanks or even his crew made to defend him, simply waiting it out in silence. That Luffy could take. He could understand not fighting bad out of fear of those stronger than him. Some people were like that. Of course, it would have meant Shanks was a coward, something Luffy would despise, but he could live with that.

But it was after the bandit had left that Luffy's last nerve had given way. Shanks and his crew had laughed it off. Laughed. How could they call themselves pirates, or even men, after that? They didn't stand up for themselves, they didn't fight back, and now they laughed about how they were embarrassed, humiliated, like that? Luffy couldn't stand it!

The small boy ground his teeth together and he gnashed into his food again, still fuming.

He had spoke his mind too, declared that they weren't pirates or men because they didn't fight back, but Shanks just smiled a knowing smile and told him it was just a drink, not worth getting bent out of shape about.

Luffy swallowed and took another savage bite of his fruit, trying to relieve his anger, but found it hadn't lessened at all. If anything, the taste of the fruit was making him even angrier. It was horrible! It was like someone had taken every fruit in the world, let them rot, and slammed it together to make the very fruit he was eating before giving it an aftertaste of sawdust. He probably would have spit it out in disgust if not for the fact that working his jaw like this tended to simmer his temper.

"Ha, you shouldn't eat out of frustration, Luffy." Shanks chuckled as he caught the sight of Luffy's stress eating from the corner of his eye.

"Shut up!" Luffy snapped back.

Shanks's amusement, however, vanished as he saw the open box next to the boy. The empty open box.

"Wait, what are you eating?!" Shanks demanded as he quickly shoved himself up from the floor. The sudden change in Shanks frightened Luffy somewhat as he stopped eating, looking up at Shanks with quivering eyes. "Don't tell me you ate the fruit that was in that box!" Acting quickly, Shanks grabbed Luffy by the ankles and yanked up off his seat until he was hanging upside down nearly a foot from the floor. "You Dumbass! Spit it out! Spit it out right now! Every last bit!" He shouted as he shook the small boy.

"Shanks! Cut it out! You're gonna drop me!" Luffy squirmed about in the pirates grasp, the breath being shaken out of him in gasps and his stomach tossing about with the jerking movements. "Dammit Shanks, stop it!" He shouted in annoyance until finally, the shaking stopped. Luffy breathed out a sigh of relief, reaching up to brush his forehead as Shanks held him above the ground, the entire bar completely silent.

"Luffy..." Shanks muttered, a slight quiver to his voice. Frowning, Luffy craned his neck to look up at the pirate, only for his eyes to widen in shock. "Would you mind letting my hands go?" Shanks asked, his voice seeming calm, but it wasn't hard for anyone to detect the underlying panic as he inspected the serpentine like tree branches growing out of where Luffy's feet had been not seconds before, the wood sprouting leaves as it latched onto his hands like a constricting snake.

"S-Shanks." Luffy whimpered as he looked at where his feet should have been, fear worming its way through him. "W-What happened to my feet?!" He cried out in an explosive episode of absolute terror, the seven year old thrashing about in desperation and confusion, only to throw Shanks about with him, twisting his arms every time he tried to kick his way free of whatever had happened to his feet.

"Luffy!" Shanks shouted, gritting his teeth as his elbows strained against the force trying to bend them the wrong was as Luffy kicked about again. "Stop!" But it was no use, Luffy's own fear driven cries and thrashing about drowning the captain out as he kicked again, lurching Shanks forward and nearly to the ground as he lost his balance. True, Shanks had been in much more painful and strenuous ordeals, but this wasn't exactly comfortable. Luffy really could squirm around.

"Dammit, this isn't working." Shanks thought as he ground his teeth together. "Screw it." Splaying his feet and squaring his shoulders, he held Luffy up higher for but a brief second as he narrowed his eyes. A ripple of power distorted through the air between him and Luffy and immediately, Luffy stopped squirming, his eyes having rolled into the back of his head as he began foaming at the mouth, his body falling limp.

Shanks's crew watched on in silence, surprised that their captain would use the kings will on a child. True, the kid was refusing to calm down and could have hurt somebody with his new apparent devil fruit powers, but it was unexpected nonetheless. Slowly, before their very eyes, the branches that had encased Shanks's arms receded, shrinking back towards Luffy until they shrunk and reshaped back into the boys feet.

Sighing, Shanks gently lay the small child down on the floor, closing Luffy's eyes and mouth with an almost fatherly smile.

"C-Captain..." Came a meek voice from behind Shanks. With wide eyes, the entire crew of the red hair pirates turned to see Makino standing behind Shanks, the bar owner having watched the entire scene unfold. "W-What just happened?" She asked, clearly having no idea what was going on.

"Uuhhh..." Shanks's mouth opened and closed as he gaped like a fish out of water, clearly unsure how to proceed. "Well you see..." He began with a forced chuckle, nervously rubbing the back of his head as he tried to find the words, only too give up and look to Benn with a pleading, puppy eyed look that was a clear cry for help.

Sighing, Benn resigned himself to being the one to explain everything. "What we had in that chest was a rare fruit called a devil fruit. This particular fruit in the Ki Ki No Mi, or the Tree Tree fruit. It has literally turned Luffy into a tree man." The first mate of the crew explained with a grave, ominous tone as he looked to Shanks. "From what Lucky and I were able to figure out, it's a Logia type. And if wielded correctly it could b one of the most powerful fruit in the world." His voice rumbled.

Shanks frowned and made to speak, but was interrupted by a small groaning coming from the floor. Looking down, Shanks and his crew found Luffy stirring, the small boy slowly pushing himself upright and rubbing his head. "He's awake already?" Shanks thought with a frown. "That's not right. No, he should be out for the rest of the night unless he's got..." Shanks turned rather pale as his thought trailed off. "Ah shit. I really hope I'm wrong or else I may have just awakened any haki he might possess prematurely. This isn't good." He looked over the core members of his crew with a serious and slightly panicked look, one they all shared.

Kneeling down beside Luffy, Yasopp gave him a worried look as he rubbed circles on the boys back in a calming manner. "Hey Luffy, you feelin alright there?" He asked in a soft voice. Luffy just frowned in grumbled in response, rubbing his eyes as though he had just awoken from a long sleep. That was, until his eyes widened fearfully and he stared down at his feet. Slowly, and a little cautiously, he reached down and poked the big toe on his right foot.

"It feels like my toe..." He mumbled as he poked his foot. "It feels alright..." Gingerly, he moved onto his other foot and repeated the process, carefully poking his big toe and then his foot before adopting a look of serious thought. The red hair pirates shared a confused glance before turning back to Luffy. "Huh." The small boy huffed as he folded his arms over his chest and cupped his chin as though he had just decided something serious. "That was a really weird dream."

At this, the Shanks and his crew deflated into wheezing laughter.

"L-Luffy!" Shanks managed as he forced his laughter down, yet couldn't be rid of the dopey grin on his face. "That wasn't a dream." He chuckled, ruffling the wide eyed boys hair affectionately.

"B-But then-" Luffy sputtered as tears looked about to fall from his fearful eyes.

"Relax." Shanks interrupted, cupping Luffy's chin and bringing his eyes up the to pirates own. Shanks too a deep breath, ignoring his laughing crew and calming himself as he shifted his hands to grip Luffy's shoulders and looked directly into his eyes as his grin finally died, the normally jovial pirate adopting a more somber look, the crew's laughter dying off as they mirrored their Captain. "Luffy, you ate a devil fruit. Devil fruits give you strange powers, but those who eat them are cursed by the sea. You'll never be able to swim in the ocean ever again." Luffy lost a bit of color at the information. "I'm sorry."

"I won't be able to swim again?" Luffy asked as he stared up at his idol with large, wide eyes that threatened the pirate with tears. If he couldn't swim, would that mean that he couldn't be a pirate? Would he not be able to chase his dream of being the pirate king? But is he couldn't follow his dream then... "Shanks..." Luffy whimpered as his bottom lip quivered, his head drooping as he tried desperately not to let the stinging feeling in the corners of his eyes get to him. "Can I..." He sniffed as he failed to hold in his tears, the first slowly trickling down his cheek. "Can I still be a pirate?"

Shanks's heart rippled with guilt at the look of the crying boy. He felt for him, he really did. Who was he to crush this boy's dreams? "Of course you can still be a pirate." He said with a forced smile, immediately bringing pause to Luffy's probably meltdown. "In fact, I know a lot of pirates that have devil fruit powers." He continued, using a finger to lift Luffy's chin up, Shanks's smile becoming all the more genuine as he saw the hope in little Luffy's eyes.

"In fact, have you ever heard of a man called Whitebeard?" Benn asked as he appeared beside Luffy, who looked up at the tall man with wonder. Luffy shook his head. "Well, Whitebeard is one of the most powerful pirates in the world." Benn began. "He fought Gol D. Roger himself a few times. He was the pirate kings biggest rival, and he has devil fruit powers."

Luffy's eyes widened as a great big smile that looked as though it was too big to be natural spread across his face. "Really?" He asked with an awed look in his eyes.

"You betcha, kid." Lucky Roo joined in, taking a bite out of his leg of ham. "Whitebeard's got devil fruit powers, and he's known as the strongest man in the world. He has the biggest pirate fleet in the world, too. In fact, a lot of his crew have devil fruit powers."

"Yeah." Shanks grinned as he gave the seven year old a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You can still be a pirate with devil fruit powers. Hell, if anything they might even make you all the stronger if you got the right one, and you got one of the strongest types." He chuckled. "You ate the tree tree fruit. Your a tree man."

"All right!" Luffy shouted as he leaped up onto his previous seat and then onto the bar top, facing the red hair pirates and, with a look of pure determination, he boldly declared before all. "I'm going to become the king of the pirates!"

Shanks smiled up at the boy as the pirate remained crouching on the floor, as from this angle his eyes seemed to deceive him, because it almost looked like the shadow of his old captain was grinning down on little Monkey D. Luffy. But that image was shatter by one simple, innocent question.

"Hey Shanks? What's a tree man do?"

The water in the well rippled, the sounds of dark laughter echoing through the eerily quiet town. Luffy grit his teeth in anger as he glared up at the man who currently had his foot planted on the small boys chest, holding him against the well in the center of Foosha village.

"We were having a nice and quite beer until you strolled in." The leader of the mountain bandits, Higuma, muttered boredly, his face an emotionless mask as he stared down at the boy at his mercy. "What'd you go and do that for, kid?"

Luffy's eyes shook in anger, his fists trembling as he wiped a scruff of dirt from his face. He was dirty from beating and his shirt torn a bit, but he was otherwise unhurt, something he would have thought about if his attention wasn't currently occupied.

"Apologize, dammit!" He growled up at the tall man, whose hand now rested on the pommel of his sword as he took his foot from Luffy's chest, only to bring it crashing down on his face, but Luffy merely bared his teeth and endured. He would endure this, just as Shanks had endured. "You were making fun of Shanks and his crew!"

It had taken a while for him to understand what had happened, but after Shanks and Benn had explained the scene in the bar, Luffy had become determined to make amends for what he had said, so when he had seen the same mountain bandits in Makino's bar just days later, he had bolstered his courage to confront them, unfortunately, it had all gone downhill from there, as he had landed in his current predicament; A mountain bandits boot in his face.

Higuma clicked his tongue. "Did something I say hit a nerve?" He asked mockingly, getting a few more chuckles from his men. But his mockery meant nothing to Luffy.

"Damn right!" He shouted as he tried to shove the bandits foot off his face, but to no avail. "Apologize!"

The mountain bandit merely sighed as he cleaned his ear with his pinky. He had felt the eyes of the terrified village upon him as he beaten the kid, but he didn't care for it. What he did like, though, was the fear each of them felt at the sight of him. Whenever he had strolled through the village, everyone trembled at the sight of the man worth 8,000,000 Berri. It made him feel like a king.

So when this brat had insulted him in the village bar, well... He had an image to keep up.

"That was a poor choice of words, kid." He muttered, looking down his nose at the seven year old boy. "No one has ever pissed me off and lived to tell about it." His voice was dark and rough, full of contempt as he grasped the hilt of his sword.

"Please wait!" Came a panic ridden voice. The bandit turned to see man in what he would guess to be his late fifties, huffing as though he had just run all the way here from Goa, as the bar owner, Makino, stood behind him. "Let the child go, I beg of you!" He called out. Luffy's eyes widened as he looked from the bandit above him to old mayor Woop Slap. "I don't know what Luffy's done, but we don't want any trouble! We'll pay you as an apology!" He rasped out as he slowly brought himself to his hands an knees, bowing his head in his prostate position. "I beg you, let the child go!"

"Mayor!" Luffy called out in fright. He liked the old man. Sure he could be grouchy and he shouted at him whenever Luffy got into trouble, but he had been nice, a kind grandfatherly type. At least, much better than his actually grandfather. To see him beg like this just for Luffy...

"You old folks sure know the ways of the world." The mountain bandit smirked his cruel smirk as he watched the old man over his shoulder, enjoying the sight of someone begging so lowly before him. "Unfortunately, you're too late to save him. He'd gone and pissed me off." His smirk bled into his voice as he drew his blade, tormentingly slow as he stared the boy straight in the eyes. Luffy, to his credit, glared right back at him.

"You're the one who pissed people off, mountain monkey!" Luffy defiantly roared back. Although insulting, annoying, brash and in need of a wake up call as to how the world worked, Higuma had to give the kid credit; He had balls of steel.

"What a hopeless brat." He sneered. Balls of steel or not, he really hated this kid right now. "You can regret what you've done in the afterlife." The bandit growled as he lowered his sword to the boys neck.

"Luffy!" Makino cried out in horror as she watched the vicious looking snarled that spread across the mountain bandits lips as he pulled his blade back, his aim taken and bade thirsting.

"Please! Let him go!" Woop Slap cried out in desperation as Luffy squirmed and struggled underneath the bandits boot in a vain attempt to get free.

The bandit grinned viciously as he swung his gleaming blade down, slicing through the air to the cacophony of horrified screams of the villagers as Luffy let out a cry of defiance. He would not go into the next life without at least making some damn noise! But all thoughts and sounds were cut short as the blade found purchase, and a wave of pure, unbridled will erupted within the town.

Shanks laughed jovially as he and his crew made their way down the dirt track, heading back to Foosha village. He and his crew had only come to Dawn island for a vacation, a rest and relaxation after their first voyage through the New World. It had been trying, full of challengers and rival crews or marines at every turn, but they had made it nonetheless, and he'd be damned if after all of that they didn't get a bloody break.

And it was a damn good idea. The crew liked the relaxed change of pace. They finally got to do normal things without worrying who would challenge or try to turn them in next. In fact, after the past week on the island, Benn had finally gotten drunk enough to loosen up his inhibitions, and what came out happened to be what they had set out to do today.

Benn had always wanted, of all the mundane things to do in life, to go hunting in a forest.

Apparently he had never done so, even after all the heavily wooded island they had visited during their trip around the Grand Line. But Shanks would be damned if he didn't let his best friend and first mate have such a simple joy of life. And so, the crew had set out in teams of three to go hunting. Not only would it be a tick off Benn's bucket list, but it also served to restock the ship.

But like in all things they do that aren't life threatening, the Red Hair pirates eventually turned it into something much less serious than hunting to restock, as so their afternoon devolved into a hunting competition; Who could hunt the biggest animal. Whoever lost paid for the first round tonight.

And now, after an entire afternoon of dashing through the undergrowth chasing wild animals, laughing all the way, Shanks and his crew felt in the right mood for another night of drinking.

That was, until the crew was stopped in its tracks by a massive wave of the Kings Will.

Shanks paled. Only those who could survive the New World could use haki. What the hell was someone like that doing here?! Had someone followed after them? Bounty hunters? Rival pirates? A shiver ran down Shanks's spine as he clenched his fists. He liked this place, he really did, and he'd made some great friends here, so if anyone, anyone, that had come for him ended up hurting Makino or Luffy or even old man Woop Slap...

A glint of unbridled rage shone in Shanks eyes as he glared at the village in the distance, his hands shifting to his blade.

Not even the wrath of the seven seas would compare to what he would do.

"Captain?" Lucky asked, trepidation in his voice. He'd only seen that look in his captains eye once before, and that was when marines had captured Yasopp. According to rumors, pieces of marines still washed ashore of what was left of the island, even all these months later.

A stern nod was all Shanks gave him.

The crew, all New World pirates in their own right, immediately took flight, their movements a blur as they speed down the track at breakneck speed, weapons being drawn and guns loaded along the way. Whoever had shown their faces here wouldn't live to regret it. But it was the smudges of green and brown that were trees and bushes turned to the rigid shapes of building and they began to slow that they knew something was off.

The villagers were unconscious, yes, foaming at the mouths and eyes rolled into the backs of their heads, but none of them looked as though they had been in any state to fight or run. They had been watching something, but it hadn't threatened them. The hell had happened here? It was then that they stumbled upon what looked to be the epicenter, where everyone had been looking towards, and Shanks felt his blood run cold.

The mountain bandits from a few days ago littered the area around the villages well, their leader unconscious directly in front of it. On the other side of the mass of unconscious bodies, though, lay Makino and Woop Slap, the old geezer had been propped up into a sitting position against a house, but had fallen off to the side as though he were drunkenly passed out.

Makino sat beside him, mouth slightly agape and eyes closed as in her lap sat and sobbed a small child. Luffy's hands crumpled her clothes as he hugged her tight, his face buried in her chest as his tears stained her clothes, the soft sobs of the young boy being the only sounds on the entire island in that moment. Not even the birds and insects had been spared from the torrent of conquerors haki.

"Luffy..." Shanks muttered as he stared dumbfounded at the seven year old boy's head. Or more accurately, the sword embedded in it. How the hell..? Actually, now that Shanks thought about it, Luffy wouldn't know that he could survive a sword to the head. He had been told what a logia was and could do, but he was too young to comprehend it. Looking about, his eyes narrowed on the unconscious body of the lead mountain bandit. He was missing his sword.

It was making perfect sense to Shanks now. The bandit had swung his sword at Luffy and the kid, not knowing that it wouldn't kill him, had considered his life in danger. As such, his prematurely awakened haki had blasted the entire are in a subconscious bid to keep alive. Unfortunately, if Luffy hadn't been a logia, it wouldn't have worked. The sword now protruding from his head being evidence of that.

Turning about to look over his shoulder, refusing to let Makino go, Luffy sniffled as he tried to make out who had spoke his name through his bleary tears. "S-Shanks? I-Is th-that y-you?" He choked out, and the New World pirate felt his heart break at the pain in Luffy's voice.

"Captain..." Yasopp began, his eyes the size of saucers as he took in the sight before him. "You know what this means, right?"

"Of course." Shanks muttered quietly, unable to keep his eyes off the scene in front of him.

"P-Please help!" Luffy begged as he forced back another sob. "I-I don't know wh-what happened! E-Everyone j-just dropped!" Luffy's voice cracked under the strain of emotion as rivers continued to pour down his face. "Please Shanks! Help!" He shouted in desperation, before quietly whimpering under his breath. "I'm scared."

Shanks swallowed as he slowly made his way over to the terrified child, carefully stepping over the unconscious bandits to get to him. If Luffy was truly the only person in this village conscious, and from extending his observation haki out it looked like he was, then that would mean that the conquerors will had to have come from him. Monkey D. Luffy, the son of the most wanted man in the world, Monkey D. Dragon, and grandson of the most praised and heroic marine in recent history, Monkey D. Garp, wielded a truly monstrous amount of conquerors will.

Shanks sighed as he stopped beside the weeping child. Such a potent will had never been seen outside of the New World before, so for Luffy to have it... Dammit. He'd have to be taught how to wield it as not to hurt someone on accident. But that in and of itself was a predicament. There was no one around to train the boy, and if Shanks himself were to do it, his presence would attract unwanted attention.

Shanks took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair and looked over his shoulder at his crew, who all gave him encouraging gestures. As if this wasn't hard enough...

Shaking his head, Shanks decided. He'd rather be caught himself than have Luffy go untrained and run around with a weapon more powerful than a marine armada doing who knows what. If something happened because Shanks didn't train him, wouldn't that be Shanks's fault? Indirectly, for sure, but that's how his conscience worked anyhow. Besides, he didn't have to train him completely, just give hims enough instruction so that he had enough control not to hurt anyone with it.

Whats more so, is that Shanks could just let Garp know what happened the next time he showed up. The marine hero would be over the moon with his grandson wielding such a power, so much so that Shanks would be willing to bet that he'd take more time off to spend with his grandson and train him more.

A smile tugged at his lips.

That settled it then. Shanks and his crew would stay and help Luffy understand and control his conqueror's haki until Garp showed up and then passed the torch onto him. Simple. And in doing such, they would reduce the risk of Luffy hurting others with his powers and others being drawn towards Luffy because of Shanks's presence. A win/win if Shanks ever saw one. There was just one more thing to do then.

"It's ok, Luffy." Shanks smiled down at the boy as he knelt closer. "Everything's alright. They're just unconscious, is all. They'll wake up soon enough." He assured as he gently ruffled the small boys hair. Luffy's sobbing lessened, but his grip on Makino was never relinquished, something Shanks would be happy to tease the little anchor about later on. "Just, stay like that for a bit there." He told Luffy as his hand shifted atop his head to grasp the hilt of the sword.

With a quick yank, Shanks pulled the sword from Luffy's head and tossed it aside carelessly, watching in fascination as the wood inside Luffy's head stitched itself back together, before a realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"I forgot he's a Logia. Damn." It was well known throughout the new world that a complacent logia was a dead logia, knowing armament haki was a must for them to survive in the second half of the grand line. "Well, If i'm going to train him to control his kings will, then I might as well tell him about armaments. Hell, might even help him train to get it a bit." He thought rather nonchalantly, enjoying the thought of having an actual reason to stick around the little anchor. Crouching down until he was eye level with the teary eyed boy, Shanks grinned as he held his hat in one hand.

"Hey now little anchor." Shanks began as Luffy turned to look at him, his eyes puffy and red. "Come on Luffy, wipe up those tears. No one got hurt." The pirate assured. "Besides, I've never heard about a pirate that cries so much." He said, trying to rouse the boy a bit to get him out of his sobbing state.

"B-but Shanks..." Luffy sniffed. "I-I hurt all these people, didn't I?" He choked out. "I hurt Makino and old man mayor." Shanks recoiled at the words, shocked, before a grim determination set over him.

"Luffy, they're fine." Shanks began. "But this power you have, you kings will, it can hurt people, yes." Luffy's eyes swelled with fresh tears at this, but before they could spill, his eyes were covered by a mesh of straw as Shanks rested his hat on Luffy's head. The hat was so big on Luffy, it sat over the top of his eyes, bringing an affectionate chuckle from Shanks.

"But that's only if you can't control it." The red haired pirate continued as he screwed the hat down onto Luffy's head even more before standing up. "And I promise you Luffy, I'm not leaving until I help you control it." As the words left his mouth, Luffy's head shot up until the hat was tilted backwards on his head to show his hope filled eyes staring back up at Shanks as he blinked his eyes away.

"You will?" He asked quietly, and Shanks felt something akin to fatherly protectiveness shift within him as he stared down at that small boy wearing his hat and tear tracks running down his cheeks. Shanks held a hand up to his chest, covering his heart and staring Luffy directly in the eyes.

"Luffy, that hat there is very special to me. It belonged to my old Captain, and he was a great man that I deeply admired. That hat is all I have left of him. That hat is my treasure." Luffy's eyes widened in awe as he took in the hat atop his head. "So you hold onto that hat for me. You take good care of it, and know that the very hat on you head is symbol of my promise to you. I promise, on my honor and my greatest treasure, to train you to control your conquerors haki. And later, when you become a great pirate of the seas, you promise find me and return that hat to me, deal?" Shanks asked, holding out a hand to the boy with a smile.

Luffy grinned back up at him, wiping away his tears as he climbed off of Makino's lap, puffing out his chest and clasping Shanks hand in his own with a tight grip.

"Deal!"

10 Years Later...

The sun shone through the cloudless sky over Dawn Island, bathing the crowd gathered at the docks in its warmth. "Perfect weather for the occasion." Luffy thought with a smirk as he held in his hand the very thing he had become famous to the entire island for wearing more than anything. Of course, Shanks's straw hat had never left his sight since the pirate had given it to him. After all, he had a promise to keep.

Luffy stood taller than most seventeen year old's were, probably because of his habit of constantly using his devil fruit, but as he stood on the dock of Foosha village with pride. He wore his sleeveless red red unbuttoned, showing his heavily tanned skin to the world, along with a pair of denim shorts and sandals. Twirling his straw hat on the tip of his finger, Luffy felt an intense excitement building up inside him. Looking out to sea, he couldn't help but feel as though it was calling to him. The was an adventure out there! He could feel it!

Turning about to look at those he had grown up surrounded by, Luffy flashed them his signature grin and waved as he stepped into the small boat, just as his older brother had done not three years ago. "Bye!" He called out to the waving crowd. "I'll miss you guys!"

"We'll miss you too, Luffy!" Makino shouted back as she waved. "Goodbye!" Beside her, major Woop Slap crossed his arms and grumbled incoherently, only to receive as sharp nudge from Makino's elbow and a scowl. "At least say farewell." She scolded.

"That kid's gonna ruin this villages good name." He muttered, only for Makino to roll her eyes. "But I might as well wish him luck." The elder man conceded. "See ya later, ya brat!" He shouted with a wave. Makino huffed and glared at the old man, but supposed that was the best she was going to get.

"Look out for me in the papers!" Luffy chuckled back, much to the horror of the old mayor, before sitting down in the boat, his feet slowly sinking into the wood until they had complete merged with it, his feet being a part of the boat and small leaves having sprouting off parts of the tiny dingy already, and he could feel the current of the water under his feet. Not that he knew what to do with it, but it felt reassuring to know what way the water flowed.

With a mighty heave, Luffy pulled back on the oars and the boat lurched forward under the force, and Luffy smiled brightly. The smell of the sea breeze, the gentle, soothing sensation of a swaying boat... Luffy felt more at home on the sea than he did on land, which was odd considering he was a tree man, but nonetheless, he was truly beginning to feel like a pirate now.

It was then that the rocking of the boat became more aggressive, the current under the boat suddenly the opposite way as it made way for the massive displacement. Frowning as he tilted his head back until he was leaning backwards and looking behind him, Luffy blinked as he saw the grinning lips of the lord of the bay, the local baby sea king that prowled the waters around dawn island.

"Hello there." Luffy grinned as he stood up, turning to face the beast properly. "You know, I used to have nightmares about you when I was really little." He laughed as he reached to his left his his arm outstretched, watching as it rapidly grew in length with bark growing up and down his thickening arm. "Funny how things come in circle like that, huh? Cause if you survive this..." Luffy's grin turned predatory, the slightest inkling of his conquerors haki leaking into his being to make him seem that much more daunting. "Then you'll be having nightmares about me!"

Suddenly his arm, which had grown into a ten meter long tree trunk as thick as a man, flattened and compressed in upon itself until it became a sharp, wooden grain pattern scythe blade longer than the boat Luffy stood in. Pulling his arm back, the beast saw the immediate danger too late as it opened its maw. "Harvesting Blade!" With a mighty swing of his wooden blade arm, Luffy felt his attack bit flesh and tear right through as the reapers tool took the lord of the bays head.

Luffy's boat rocked as the waves made by the fallen beasts caress sunk beneath the waves lapped at his small dingy, the weight of his blade nearly capsizing it if he didn't grow an equal mass of branches out the other side of the boat. The new pirate smirked as he retreated his arm and the counter weight back into his body and the boat, respectively. It had been an easy victory, but it was more symbolic than anything, and to Luffy, the symbol was clear.

His adventure had truly begun!

Well that's it for chapter one!
I kinda wanted to get this rolling and out of the way so I could dig into the rest. Anyway, I plan on Luffy being a bit smarter along with his new devil fruit and basic knowledge of Haki, so he's not an expert, just has the basics. He'll get better with time.

Luffy's fruit:
People have been asking how the tree tree fruit is a logia and it has even been compared to Katakuri's Mochi mochi fruit. But here's the thing. The Mochi mochi fruit is classified as a 'special paramecia'. A special Paramecia is called as such because their fruits turn their bodies into the material but don't give them the ability to control or create it, like logia do. Katakuri can only create mochi because he awakened his fruit, and he can only become intangible because he uses observation and morphs his body before the attack hits. The fruit that Luffy uses in this fic is a Logia because it his body is made of wood and he can create and manipulate it. To those who say Trees aren't an element, well neither is sand or magma, yet no one questioned those in cannon.

Anyway, let me know what you think in the reviews!
Until next time!
Toodles!