Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters. The plot, however is mine… all mine… Muahahaha! *ahem* yes… anyway…

This is my first ever fan-fic so please leave a review to help me improve in the future! This first chapter is kind of just an introduction, by the way, so it's not that interesting compared to what's to follow.

Note: in the One Piece world I'm starting at the point where the crew have escaped the marine base and are on their way to the next island, so their current ship is the 'Going Merry' and not the 'Thousand Sunny'.

Thanks, and enjoy!

Chapter 1 - It all begins

What would you do if a strange old lady walked up to you one day and gave you a random piece of wood, claiming it was magical? You would probably think she was on crack and was nuts. And, that's just what Lynn Vienna assumed when she took the strange wood into her hands. However, the small shape interested her. It took the form of a traditional castle gate and was no bigger than the palm of her hand. Its elegantly spiral-patterned arches and delicate details made it look like a precious antique. Near the top of the gate was a small hole, in which a thin metal loop had been placed and threaded through with the finest red coloured string, making it a pendant. She had to admit, it was very beautiful.

It was a cool Saturday afternoon. Lynn and her best friend Miriam were just two normal, bored teenagers hanging about on the surprisingly empty beach when they were approached by the mysterious ancient woman. The woman had simply walked up to them directly and pressed the wood into Lynn's hands.

"This is the gateway to another world. I bestow it to you, now that you are of age." Her voice sounded like crackling dry leaves when she spoke. "It is the link between reality and a dream." Lynn gave her a funny look.

What on earth did that mean?

The wrinkled old prune grinned crookedly. Her black eyes twinkled with an expression Lynn couldn't quite interpret.

"Figure out its wonders for yourself, as I am allowed to tell you no more. Though I must warn you, the gate could decide to trial you before accepting you as its new owner." With that she turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows.

Lynn blinked. "Well, that was… strange…" Miriam didn't say anything, though her expression clearly illustrated her bewilderment. Lynn looked down at the gate she was holding.

"Could she have possibly meant this thing is some sort of portal?" Lynn wondered aloud.

"You don't really believe her do you?" Miriam asked. "I she was probably just an old quack who'd had too much to drink."

"Yeah!" Lynn agreed, "This is the 21st century! How old does she think we are?"

Miriam laughed. "But, say it does work... Why don't you take me? I've always wanted to visit the 6th dimension!"

"Don't forget Toto and your red shoes!" Lynn joined in with the joke. They stood laughing for a while at how silly it sounded. Lynn fiddled with her little gate. What really baffled her was when she said, 'now you are of age'. It was like the old woman knew it was her 16th birthday only yesterday. Did that have anything to do with it?

"You know, something has been bothering me," said Miriam, frowning. "The old cracker said something about a 'trial'. I've got a bad feeling about it."

"What could happen?" Lynn laughed it off, but deep down, she was concerned too. The incident had been too strange. It made her feel uneasy. Plus, 'what could happen?' are usually famous last words...

"Is it really all right me just taking it?" Lynn wondered aloud as she slipped the gate over her head and onto her neck. "I feel like I'm stealing."

"But, you aren't," Miriam said defensively. "She gave it to you. It's yours, fair and square."

Suddenly, Lynn felt the gate start to vibrate. It trembled and shook, making both girls gasp in surprise. Then, with a sickening crack, it split into a dozen pieces and shattered. The most shocking thing, though, was that none of the broken piece landed on the ground. In a stream of light, each piece flew off in a different direction, shooting away from the source like fireworks. They disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!" Miriam screamed.

Lynn simply stood and blinked rapidly. It had happened so fast. She quickly looked down at the gate which hung from her neck. Or rather, what was left of it. It was still attached to the string, except it was now only a tiny piece.

"It just exploded!" Miriam continued to panic. "Was that old nutcase a terrorist?"

"It didn't explode," Lynn said, "or we'd be dead by now."

"Then what on earth was that?"

Lynn couldn't answer. She was just as confused as Miriam was. But she knew for a fact that something wasn't right about that piece of wood. What exactly was it? Why the hell was she given it? She had tons of questions and it annoyed her that she wasn't about to get any answers to them.

X x X x X x X x X

The ocean was calm and steady, and the sun shined brightly onto a ship which sailed slowly and gently with the breeze. On its mast was a pirate flag with a straw hat on the grinning skull. It was the Going Merry carrying her crew - the Straw Hat Pirates.

"Hurry up with dinner, Sanji! I'm starving!" a boy called from his favourite seat on the figurehead of the ship. When he didn't get a response he repeated his demand, only louder. Much louder.

"Oi oi," Sanji muttered, emerging from the kitchen and onto deck. "It's only gone noon, Luffy. Keep your hat on."

Luffy glanced up at his hat and put his hand on it. "But, it is on."

Robin smiled at this, not looking up from her book, sitting comfortably on her folding chair.

"Food, food, food, food..." Luffy began a little chant.

The lounge door opened and an orange haired young woman walked out, stretching her arms. "What's all this ruckus?" she complained frowning. "I thought I told you to keep it down whilst I'm working on my map?"

"But, Sanji won't give me any food!" Luffy pouted.

"God, Luffy, we just had lunch an hour ago."

"I need my nutritions," Luffy argued. "Or my stamina will go down and I'll be weak in my next battle. You'll be responsible if I lose."

Sanji snorted. "I bet he didn't understand the meaning of half of what he said." He looked over to Usopp, who sat at the side of deck working on his latest gunpowder experiment. "Did you teach him that?"

Usopp started whistling innocently, and Sanji rolled his eyes at his obvious excuse.

"Oh, well. I'll let you off this time for disturbing me," Nami yawned. "I'm kind of tired, anyway. A bit of fresh air will do me good."

Sanji's eyes burst into love hearts. "Oh, Nami-swan is so cute when she's tired!"

Ignoring him like she usually does, Nami rubbed her wrists, which were beginning to ache. She decided to remove her Log Pose, just for a little while, and set it down onto the railing of the ship.

Suddenly, a strong, sweeping wind caused everyone to turn their heads and stare at the thing which appeared above where Nami stood. Her jaw dropped in surprise.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!"

X x X x X x X x X

Lynn leant against the apple tree and looked out to the ocean.

An hour had passed since the strange incident from before, and Miriam had been called home by her mum. Lynn decided to get some peace and quiet. Closing her eyes, she relaxed and quietly listened to the sound of crashing waves below her.

This was her favourite spot. The apple tree sat at the end of the high street, away from noise but just close enough to civilization. The huge tree had been here for as long as she could remember, sitting on a piece of earth on the rocky cliff above the seaside.

Not only was it a great place to chill out, it also held many special memories for her. And, the apples that grew on it didn't taste half bad, either! Lynn grinned at a silly idea. 'If the apple didn't fall on Mr. Isaac Newton and fell on me instead… probably no one would know about gravity today!' she thought with snigger. Suddenly, a sharp pain on her head made her cry out.

"What the hell?" she mumbled, rubbing her head. "I wasn't serious about the apple, you stupid tree…"

That's when she noticed it wasn't an apple that smacked her on the head.

She blinked.

No way. But, she could recognize that thing from anywhere. A round glass ball on a strap, with a dangling magnet pointer. It was a Log Pose. She picked it up gently and turned it about in her hands. 'It must be a toy,' she thought, 'but why the heck did it fall out of a tree?'

"Aarrhhh!" a cry, followed by a loud thud, startled her.

She turned sharply, and leaves fell from shaken branches on the other side of the tree. "Ouch," a voice muttered, followed by a pause. "W-where am I?"

Lynn was shocked. Someone just fell from nowhere! "Are you alright?" she called, standing up and making her way around to where the figure stood.

The first thing that caught her attention was the hat. A strange, familiar straw hat encircled by a red ribbon. She froze. Standing before her was a boy. A rather familiar looking boy, wearing a red unbuttoned vest, blue shorts and sandals. His face was hidden by shadows beneath his straw hat.

"Y-y-you…"

He turned on hearing her voice and she could see his face clearly now.

The dark hair peeking from under his hat and his scar under the left eye. There was no mistaking it.

"Monkey D. Luffy?"

AN: Right, that's the end of chapter one, hoped you liked it! Though I've barely even started yet! Future chapters will be longer, funnier and more exiting! And it'll just keep getting better, promise!

Okay, see you in the next chapter and don't forget to review! I thank you for your help in advance!