It was the day after the May birthday party and the crew of the Moby Dick was gradually pulling itself back together after one of its wildest parties yet. They'd decided to throw it on Luffy's birthday this year, and after the scare he'd given them just a few months ago the kid's sixth birthday had been a celebration for the record books. Eighth division had drawn Luffy-duty, leaving Namur sober enough to make sure the kid didn't get too caught up in the craziness and got to sleep at a reasonable hour, and the fishman had decided that he'd take pity on his horrifically hungover family and give Luffy a swimming lesson while they took a couple extra hours to wallow in misery.

As the crew slowly but surely came back to life, they gathered at the rail for the spectacle that was Luffy's swimming lessons. "I don't know if we can really call these 'lessons' anymore," Thatch mused as he leaned his aching head against the cool railing. "I don't think he's really learning anything from them."

"It's not even funny anymore," Rakuyo griped next to the fourth division commander. "It's kinda sad now."

Marco shook his head as Luffy managed to stay afloat for all of two seconds before sinking. "This is a swimming travesty, yoi. Maybe we should have started trying to teach him earlier."

Thatch shrugged. "Four should be a fine starting age; I could swim like a fish by then." He huffed when Marco gave him a skeptical look. "Okay, maybe not like a fish, but I didn't sink like a rock like our pathetic little bugger does every single time."

"I'm sure he'll get it eventually," Rakuyo said, though he didn't sound very sincere. He turned to Marco, brushing a few stray dreads out of his face. "When are we going to start training him to fight? It's kind of a miracle we've managed to keep him out of a fight this long. Infirmary duty isn't going to protect him forever."

"Next week," Marco said, watching as Namur made explanatory gestures for a while before grabbing Luffy's hands as the kid started kicking furiously. "We'll start him on the basics next week, yoi. Oyaji's got some contact somewhere making him a staff to fight with."

Thatch sighed, counting how long Luffy stayed afloat with his fingers. "He's growing up too fast and too slow at the same time." He faked a whistle in deference to all the aching heads on the deck right now. "Made it to 5 seconds that time, that's a new record."

"Two years and his record is five seconds, yoi." Marco shook his head in despair. "Complete swimming travesty.

"Alright, Luffy, we're going to be working on fighting with a weapon today," Jiru said, pacing in a circle around his young student. "I usually fight with a lance, but I've got plenty of experience in staffwork as well. Kingdew is in the same boat. We'll be showing you some basics today – just learning some basic katas. If things go well we'll get you started sparring next week."

"But why do I havta have a weapon?" Luffy complained, pinky digging around in his nose. "Why can't I just punch stuff like Kingdew does?"

Jiru sighed, getting into a defensive stance. With Luffy, it was always better to show than to tell. "Come at me then."

Luffy grinned and ran at Jiru, fist cocked like Oyaji and Jozu had shown him a week earlier, ready to attack – only for Jiru to put a hand out at forehead level, bringing the charging child to a halt at least a foot away from hitting the commander. "Let go!" Luffy bellowed, futilely swinging his fists as he pressed against his brother's hand. "I said lemme go!"

"This is why you need a weapon," Jiru said, not removing his hand. "If you had a staff, you'd be able to hit me, even if you wouldn't be able to put all that much force behind it from this position. Understand?"

"I get it," Luffy said, pouting as Jiru finally released him. "I'm not gonna use a weapon forever though! Just while I'm little."

"That's fine," Kingdew said, breaking in before Jiru could start a lecture on the benefits of weaponry. "Since you're little right now, though, you're learning right now." Luffy gave a sullen nod, and Kingdew handed him a staff that was almost twice his height. "Now this is going to seem too long, but since your natural reach is so small we need to compensate with the length of the staff until you grow some more."

Luffy eyed the staff skeptically, taking a few clumsy, experimental swipes. "I don't like it," he decided, holding it out like he wanted Kingdew to take it. "I want a sword."

"You would run yourself through within a week, child," Jiru said, shaking his head. "You're sticking with the staff. It's the weapon you're least likely to hurt yourself with." He picked up a staff of his own and got into a ready position. "This is the most basic ready position you can use with a staff." Luffy slid into an approximation of the stance, with Kingdew patiently correcting him on the more difficult parts of his body positioning, and the lesson began.

Whitebeard was just settling in his bed when there was a tentative knock on his door, accompanied by familiar sniffles. "Come in, Luffy," the giant man called, swinging his legs back over the side to greet his youngest. "Is something the matter?"

The door moved slowly until Luffy was poking his head in, eyes bright with unshed tears as he clutched at his old stuffed bear. "I had a bad dream," he mumbled, fidgeting in the doorway.

Whitebeard said nothing, opening his arms in invitation. Luffy was across the room in a second, throwing himself at Whitebeard's chest. Whitebeard caught him gently, hugging him close. "Do you want to tell me what was so bad?"

"Everybody was gone," Luffy mumbled, pressing himself as close to his father as he could get. "It was just me and I couldn't find anyone and then everything got dark and I was really scared and lonely!"

Whitebeard rubbed Luffy's back comfortingly. "That does sound lonely. Your brothers and sisters are all right here, though, and so am I - you are safer here than anywhere else on the seas, and far from alone." He lay down on his bed, situating Luffy comfortably on his chest. "Would you like to sleep with me tonight?"

Luffy pouted. "I don't wanna go back to sleep, Oyaji," he said, sitting up and crossing his arms stubbornly even as he yawned. "Story please?"

"Would you like to hear about the Pirate King?" Whitebeard asked, dragging his blanket up to Luffy's back. "I don't believe I've told you about him yet."

"Pirate King?" Luffy said, eyes wide and curious. "Is that different than a captain?"

Whitebeard chuckled. "The Pirate King was a man named Gol D. Roger, though most call him Gold Roger these days. He was the strongest man on the seas, and the only one to make it all the way to the end of the Grand Line. He truly conquered the oceans, living free and doing whatever he wanted. I first met him when..."

Luffy listened to the story, practically entranced as Whitebeard told the tale of his old rival. "The Pirate King was stronger than Oyaji?" he asked at the end, eyes shining. "He found the biggest treasure ever?"

"Not by much, brat," Whitebeard said with a chuckle. "He found the greatest treasure in the world, the One Piece, and hid it at the last island in the Grand Line, Raftel. The one who finds that treasure will be the next Pirate King."

"Do you want to be King, Oyaji?"

Whitebeard was silent for a moment. "I think the title of King is something best left to the next generation, little Luffy, those who have dreamt of it all their lives. It's not for old men like me who already have their dreams." He winked, leaning in with a conspiratorial whisper. "Don't tell your siblings, though – many of them want to make me the King."

Luffy nodded, giving Whitebeard an exaggerated wink in return. "Wha's Oyaji's dream?" he asked around a yawn, snuggling into Whitebeard's chest as his eyelids drooped.

"To have a family, and I found the best family on the high seas." Whitebeard smiled fondly as Luffy's eyes slid shut. "Goodnight, my son. Dream of freedom."

Luffy was lost. So very lost. Marco had told him a lot of times not to wander off, but he had seen something shiny and gone to check it out and somehow ended up in the middle of a forest. On the bright side, he'd found a really cool rock that was a really smooth and shiny black; maybe if he gave it to Marco he wouldn't be stuck on the ship next time they went to an island! Luffy nodded to himself, idea in place, and carefully put the rock in his pocket to make sure he didn't lose it before he could use it to try and get out of any punishment. Kingdew had told him birds liked shiny things, and Marco was a sorta-bird, so it would work great! Maybe he'd find another one to keep for himself, too!

Luffy tried to retrace his steps back to where he'd left Marco and the others, but he kept getting distracted by the bugs and eventually lost track of his surroundings completely. He started humming softly to himself, making up a tune, and before long he'd created an entire song to sing while he walked.

Oh the islands in the south are warm~

And their heads get really hot~

They grow-a pineapples they grow-a coconuts~

And they're morons~

Islands in the north are snowy~

And their heads get really cold~

They're very chilly-chilly they're very willy-nilly~

And they're idiots~

The islands in the east are -

His singing was drowned out by a roar, and he turned to see a huge bear staring at him hungrily. "Nice bear," he said, freezing in place. "Good bear." He tried to remember what Kingdew had told him to do if he got too close to a wild animal. He was pretty sure there was something about acting calm, but he couldn't remember anything else. "I'm not scared, ok?" He started backing away slowly, hands in front of him to show he didn't have a weapon. Thatch and Kingdew were going to yell at him for not having a way to defend himself if they found out about this. Maybe he could just not tell them it happened after he got away.

His thoughts were cut off by the bear roaring and charging him, moving faster than he would have thought possible given how huge it was. Luffy screamed, throwing himself to the side just in time to miss a swipe of the bear's claws. He thought he heard the sound of someone rushing through the jungle towards him and hoped it was one of his siblings before he was too busy ducking under another swipe of claws and running away as fast as his feet could carry him.

Luffy felt the bear's claws just catch against the back of his shirt as he lost his balance, rolling head over heels into the trunk of a tree. "Owww," he groaned, rubbing his head as he slowly righted himself, looking up to see the bear standing over him with its fangs bared. His eyes widened as the bear once again raised a paw and he looked around for somewhere, anywhere to run as the claws came towards him.

Suddenly the bear's claws were knocked away by a flash of something metal as a man appeared between the animal and Luffy. "Now, now, shouldn't you be looking for a meal with a bit more meat on its bones?" the man said, grinning the same way Thatch did when he was more angry than happy. "Shoo, bear. Before I make you." The bear snarled, rearing up on its back legs. Luffy pressed himself as close to the tree as he could get, eyes widenening in fear, but the man in front of him just moved his sword to a defensive position with a snort. "I said shoo." The bear shrank back, dropping back onto all fours and turning tail to run. Luffy stayed frozen in place against the tree as his rescuer sheathed his sword, turning to face him with a friendly smile. "You okay, kid?"

Luffy sniffled a second before throwing himself at the stranger, burying his face in the man's stomach. "Thank you thank you thank you I was so scared," he babbled, tears tracking down his face. "I wandered off an' got lost an' I dunno where my brothers are or Oyaji and then the bear showed up and I thought it was gonna eat me!"

The man chuckled, easily lifting Luffy up for a hug. "There, there, little guy, it's ok. You're safe, you're safe, I gotcha." He set Luffy down when the boy nodded shakily and loosened his grip a bit. "Do you want me to help you find your family?" Luffy nodded, squirming around in a sign he wanted to be set down as he wiped his eyes. "Alright then. Follow me and we'll head back to the town."

"Okay!" Luffy chirped, bouncing alongside the man. "I'm Luffy! Who're you? Your hair looks really cool."

The man laughed, lifting a hand to adjust the straw hat that sat on top of his bright red hair. "That's not exactly a polite way to ask someone's name, Luffy." He grinned, crouching down to Luffy's level and holding out a hand. "My name is Shanks."

Luffy stared at the hand in confusion for a moment before he remembered Izou saying you shook hands when you met someone. He beamed, grabbing Shanks hand and shaking it energetically. "Nice to meetcha Shanks!"

A/N: Booyah, under a month for an update! I am so excited to write some Shanks, you have no idea. So many things are being set in motion now; Luffy's learning to fight, the idea of being the Pirate King has been planted in Luffy's head, and the Gum Gum Fruit is coming ever closer. I'm super stoked.

Didn't get to put in Luffy's first fight with people, so that's going to be in the next chapter, along with a special surprise guest that I am excited about.

As always, thank you very much for the faves, follows, and reviews! I'll be done with school on Monday, and I'm hoping that will give me more time to write, although I might be picking up a lot more hours at my job in my free time as well.