This day would mark the first time in his life that Captain Red Haired Shanks ever thought life seemed inexplicably short.

The redhead looked straight ahead of him and realized the he no longer had to look down to meet Luffy's eyes. It was oddly surreal- it seemed like just yesterday this man had been no higher than his waist.

The man smiled, let out a short odd chuckle, and Shanks felt an odd pang in his chest that this man was no doubt the man on the wanted posters. He wanted to deny that Luffy was not just Anchor or plain old Luffy anymore. It was unavoidable, however- Luffy was now known to the world as the captain of the most powerful crew in the world, the Strawhats. Shanks found it astonishing that the Marines couldn't find some other trait or signature item to pin to the boy's identity. He remembered seeing so much in the boy despite his plain appearance, and yet the only thing they found extraordinary was his unusual yellow straw hat, when it was in fact the most ordinary thing about him.

Then again, Shanks thought, The Marines were never very smart.

All thought seemed to cease when the man in front of him moved. His hand slowly traveled to his head and rested gently on the straw hat that gave him his epithet. He lifted it off his head in a smooth, slow movement, leaving his head oddly vacant and empty.

"Hey, Shanks," The man's smile softened a bit, and his eyes seemed a bit hesitant to hand over the item in his hands. "I brought your hat back." He gently pushed his hand towards the man as he said this, his smile not wavering even as a warm silence enveloped them.

Shanks looked at Luffy's oddly empty head, and wondered if the hat was even his to begin with. He had always felt like more of a messenger than a receiver.

Shanks slipped his hand over the round dome off the hat and lifted it away, turning it over in his hand as if to place it on his head. The hat was a few inches from his red hair when he froze. Luffy was still smiling; eyes closed and head still oddly empty.

Luffy flinched heavily when he felt the weight of his hat return, and his smile faltered as he looked at shanks from beneath the brim of his hat.

Shanks was reminded of the seen from thirteen years ago, only this time the eyes looking at him from under the hat's brim were not so naïve. However, he noted that they still held the same confidence and youth they had so many years ago, a thought that reassured him that he had made the right choice.

"Those idiot Marines wouldn't know what to call you if you didn't have this hat," He stated honestly, offering Luffy a smile. "Besides," Shanks started to walk casually towards the Thousand Sunny. "It suits you much better."

Luffy pulled down on the sides of the hat, tightening it onto his head.

"Shanks," he smiled widely from beneath the shadow of his hat and for a moment looked like the child who had first received the hat. He let the name hang in the air as he followed after the man, making a beeline for his ship.

Shanks stood in front of his men, who had been watching from a distance by the Thousand Sunny.

Benn shook his head. "How did I know you were going to do that?" He said this with a knowing look towards his captain.

"Because you know me, Benn." Shanks chuckled. Suddenly, his smile widened. "Now, Luffy…" He turned, speaking slightly louder. Luffy perked up and turned towards the man, whose smile had become almost eccentric as he yelled: "We can't just leave it like that! This sort of occasion only happens once in a lifetime!"

The Thousand Sunny and the coast around it was loud and fire-lit that night, ringing with off-key singing and the crackling of fires.

Luffy had spent the majority of the evening telling his story to Shanks, with his crewmates gathered around him, speaking up when they had something to add. Despite the story's jumbled explanation that jumped from person to person (made all the more confusing when Usopp would add something that happened in his fights because no one could tell if he was telling the truth.)

"…and then, these HUGEEE monsters appeared in the sky-" the orange haired navigator interjected, "Luffy, I already explained to you, those were just the shadows on the clouds caused by the people in Skypeia because they were close to the sun and therefore appeared bigge-" "I know, the mystery shadows." All of the crewmembers around him face-palmed simultaneously. "So, anyways, these HUGEEE monsters appeared in the sky and it got really dark…" The story seemed to continue on for what seemed like forever, occasionally disrupted so Luffy could eat, since Sanji would get pissed if he ate while talking. Shanks just listened, laughing alongside them but genuinely wanting to hear their story.

At one point, however, Luffy finally decided that he needed to drink something too, when his voice started to sound dry, as the group of his crewmates finally started to disperse, leaving him sitting at the table with Shanks.

" Saanjiii." Luffy whined childishly, something that Shanks noted had not changed in all those years. "I'm thirstyyy." Sanji nodded, turning his back towards them and opening a cupboard.

"Shanks, do you want anything…( He glanced at the empty bottles at Shank's feet)…else? Guests should be served first," Sanji said casually, setting out some of the bottles out on the counter as he turned back towards the wall. "We have red wine, some sake from Dressrosa, some sake from North Blue, and some plain rum," He bit down lightly on his cigarette as he shuffled through the cupboard. "Man, this party is really drinking us dry,"

Shanks laughed, slightly red-faced. " I think a bottle of rum should be good for now, thanks," he smiled politely at the cook.

"I'wl hawve dah shame." Luffy said through a mouthful of meat, only to be kicked off the chair he was leaning back in by Sanji.

"How that shitty rubber has so many well-mannered role models yet act like-"He was interrupted by Luffy making a slightly appalling noise as he swallowed the food in his mouth."-that, is beyond me." He popped the two corks in a pair of swift movements and handed the bottle to Shanks and then to his captain, who had finally finished the dozen platefuls of food he had been eating and had redistributed the weight using his powers.

Shanks burst out into a hearty laugh. "I've been called many things, kid," he chuckled some more, "but that's the first time someone's called me well-mannered." He laughed some more as he glanced at Luffy. "…but I suppose I am in comparison."

"Haha, really? Am I that great?" Luffy set down his bottle of rum he was about to take a drink of and smiled widely, scratching the back of his head.

"No, that was more of an insult…"Sanji said as he sweatdropped, leaning against the counter.

"Oi, Ero-cook! We need more sake over here too!" the swordman's voice called through the open kitchen door as he leaned against the door frame. It was obvious even Zoro was a little drunk.

"I'm not some sort of servant, Marimo! Get it yourself!"

"What? Didn't you used to work as a waitress or something? That's your job, right?" Zoro said with a blank face.

"That's it, you damn broccoli head, you're gonna get it!" Sanji ran at Zoro, who ran out onto the deck as he drew his swords. The door slammed with a loud bang, leaving Luffy and Shanks without anyone to cook them up some more food, much to Luffy's dismay.

Shanks smiled warmly at where the first mate had just been standing.

"You've found yourself a reliable crew, Luffy." Shanks turned towards the younger man and rested his chin on his hand.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. They're great." Luffy smiled widely. "All of them are really strong, too, especially after they all spent two years training hard. They're like my family." His eyes were soft.

"That's great, Luffy. I'm happy for you." Shanks looked at the boy from the corner of his eye. "Hey, Luffy, I'm curious… what do you plan to do now? There's no one piece to find, your crew surpassed my crew a while ago… now tell me, what lies ahead for the second pirate king?" He asked the question despite knowing the answer. Luffy smiled gently. If he was right and Luffy was anything like his old captain, the answer would be,

"Help my friends complete their dreams! There's no point in being a pirate if I can't go on adventures. After that, I suppose we'll all keep sailing together until…"

…until I die.

The unspoken words hung in the air but they weren't meant in a morbid sense. It was simply the truth, a crew couldn't continue without its captain.

Shanks nodded silently, oddly contented with the answer.

There was once a little boy from the East Blue who would drink juice and yell and say the same words as his captain.

As much as it pained Shanks to realize that this boy could not stay a boy forever, it was something that was beyond his control. He had chosen to put his faith in that boy to be his captain's successor.

Now, here sat a man from East Blue who could drink rum and held the world on his shoulders, saying the same words as his captain and smiling against all odds.

Shanks did a double take at this thought, as he looked at the man sitting next to him, taking sips from the bottle of rum in his hand.

Rum, Shanks thought. When did Luffy get old enough to stop drinking juice? He wondered. When had the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months? To hell with weeks, when did the months turn into thirteen years?

All of it was making Shanks feel very old. His mind wandered for a minute…

I wonder if…

"Hey Luffy," Shanks said with a teasing tone. "Are you sure you can handle that rum? You want me to get you some juice?" He snickered lightheartedly.

"I'm not a kid! I'm a pirate! I can handle drinking!" Luffy yelled, his teeth looking sharp. He pouted and took another sip of his drink as if to prove his point.

"Ohh, are you now…?" Shanks said with a bored tone.

"That's right!" Luffy said, puffing out his chest a little. "And this time it's for real!"

Shanks laughed loudly, banging his hand on the table. "You're still the same as always, Anchor!" his laughter calmed as Luffy pouted again. "I'm glad," Shanks smiled softly as Luffy's pout turned into a smile, and they laughed together like old friends.

Would this cycle continue? He couldn't help but ask himself this.

…If the world were to gain more people like Luffy and Roger….what would happen? If Luffy were to choose a successor, and pass on the old, raggedy straw hat in the same fashion he had?

He chuckled.

That'd sure be an interesting sight.