The Straw-Hat Boy and The Demon Child

"I WANNA GO HOME!" That little outburst earned a seven year old Monkey D. Luffy a large bump on the top of his head, curtesy of his hard-boiled Marine Vice Admiral Grandfather, Monkey D. Garp.

"I won't stop telling you, Luffy! We're not going back until I get that stupid idea of being a pirate out of your head, once and for all!" Garp roared, loud enough for not only his grandson, but the rest of his men on deck to hear.

"It's not a stupid idea! Shanks saved my life and I promised I'd become a better pirate than him! I'd become the Pirate King! This hat is proof!" Luffy pulled down his treasured straw hat on top of his head, clinging to it as much as his childish resolve to become a pirate.

Garp gave a tired sigh. "I'm grateful that Shanks saved your life, no doubt about that, but he didn't have to go and poison your mind like that right after! Probably his plan all along I'll bet. Save your life, then turn you against me…" Garp started to murmur to himself.

Before he could delve any further into his imagined plot, a dull pain appeared in his leg. Now hopping on one leg, it just so happened that Luffy had kicked him in his shin. "Don't talk about Shanks like that!" The young boy bellowed.

Some of the soldiers watching on deck couldn't help but chuckle under their breaths at the spectacle before them. Their humor died immediately when they caught the sight of Garp revealing a very angry expression. The next thing that happens, Garp grabs Luffy by his cheek and lifts him in the air, only for the boy's cheek to stretch by a meter before Luffy is carried with it.

"And he had to go and get you cursed and all!" Gary fumed as he pulled at Luffy's rubbery cheek, bouncing him up and down like a yo-yo. The marine soldiers onboard still couldn't fathom it; a seven year old boy eating a devil fruit that turned him into a rubber boy.

"I ate that fruit by myself! Shanks tried to make me spit it up!" Duffy managed to get out, even though half of his face was being stretched and bounced around.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" Garp was starting to lose what patience he had left. One more word about 'Shanks' or 'Pirates' or, heaven forbid, 'Pirate King' and he was going to give his grandson a hit so bad-

"U-uh,sir?"

"WHAT?!"

The brave soldier that dared to approach a raging Garp, who was close to foaming at the mouth no less, leaped back a small distance in fear. Seeing this, Garp regained himself and stood straight in authority, still clinging on to a struggling Luffy's rubber cheek.

"U-uh…" The soldier came out of his surprise and stood at attention, making an effort to not look at the poor boy stuck in his captains grasp. "…We have just in informed by our lookout that Ohara is starting to come into vision."

"Excellent!" Garp finally let go of Luffy, causing the boy to fall to a painful slam on the floor. "Make ready to dock and assemble the men!" Garp gave his orders, which all the men under his command were more than happy to follow. He was Garp the Hero after all, the man who went up against the former Pirate King, Gold Roger, on a regular basis, and brought in many a wanted pirate and bandit in his day, and was still going strong, with no intention of stopping now.

He truly was an inspiration to his men, and many others in the Navy.

Luffy managed to pick himself up off the floor and started rubbing his sore areas from his fall. "Where are we going anyway, Grandpa?"

"The Island of Ohara," Garp answered, stepping toward the bow of the ship to get a view of their destination.",Where the Tree of Knowledge grows in the centre of the island itself."

Luffy walked up next to his Grandpa and looked out over the horizon. The sight he saw blew his mind.

Woooooooooow…! Luffy expressed his amazement. "That's a huge tree!"

It was indeed. A giant tree, standing high into the sky, it's large flourish of branches and leaves sheltering the island it grew upon, like a giant umbrella. Upon closer inspection, the lower half of the tree, where the roots met the ground, was covered in houses and buildings. The tree itself seemed to be hollowed out as well, the trunk it being littered with what looked like windows.

"What are we doing here, Grandpa?" Luffy asked excitedly, making his vice admiral elder look at him and crack a large smile at his enthusiasm.

"We're looking for two wanted criminals, Luffy." Garp looked back at the island, a distant look in his eye.

"Nico Olivia and Jaguar D. Saul."

"Are they pirates?" Luffy asked, exited at the notion of meeting more pirates than just Shanks.

"No," Garp shot down immediately, sounding more serious then he was before. "But they're two people I intend to ask some very important questions."

"Why? What questions?" Luffy pouted.

Garp kept looking at the island before them. "Sorry, Luffy, can't tell you. Classified business." He then turned and gave him a smile, wanting to change the subject. "You can learn all about that when you're a Marine!"

Luffy then puffed out his cheeks in annoyance. "How many times have I got to tell you, Grandpa?! I'm not gonna be a Marine!"

Garp took on his angry face once more, his shadow looming over a now very frightened Luffy.

"And how many times have I got to tell you, Luffy? YOU'RE GONNA BE A MARINE AND LIKE IT!"

The sound of a loud bonk and the scream of a child echoed across the ship and the sea for many to hear.

In the middle of a large forest, sitting on a tree stump, a little dark haired girl wearing a ragged brown dress, looked up from her book, catching the sound of what could have been a small creature in pain. After not hearing the sound again for a while, the girl returned to her book.

Unknown to her, rustling in some bushes, a group of kids are staring at her.

"There's that weird girl again." One of the boys mutters.

"Yeah, everybody around here calls her a monster, even the grown ups." A girl murmurs back.

"All she does is read all day. What a freak!" Another boy spitefully comments.

The last boy of the four gets the attention of the other kids by picking up a rock and tossing it in the air a few times.

"Let's teach her a lesson…" The boy cruelly smiles.

Once the marine vessel had made dock, every soldier there started to do there assigned duties. Hoisting the sails, weighing the anchor, all hands being on deck. Truly a sight that brings a warmth to Garp's heart, to see strong marines doing what they can to help one another, operating as a true crew.

The sound of a loud grumbling brought him out of his musings to look down at his Grandson, who had seemed to have collapsed to the ground.

"Grandpa, I'm hungry~!" The young boy whined.

Garp growled in frustration before grabbing Luffy by the back of his shirt collar.

"Luffy, you need to pay attention!" The Vice-Admiral bellowed. "If you plan on sailing out to sea, being pirate or marine, you have to make sure to look after your ship at all times,and have a crew to help you with its maintenance!"

Luffy stopped his midair thrashing around to stop and look at the marines working hard to dock the ship. The young boys eyes took on a shine of appreciation and inspiration.

"Wooooooow…" Luffy exclaimed, watching all the men work as a team, as a crew. Garp looked at his Grandson and was proud to be finally getting through to him, even if he had to mention the word pirate. What he said was true, however. Weather your'e a pirate or a marine, you have to be ready and prepared if your'e going out to sea. If not, the harsh waves of the ocean will make you pay for your negligence.

"I want to have a crew that's as loyal and awesome as anyone else in the whole world…" Luffy stated. Garp was so proud, his Grandson's words warming his heart. "…When I'm a pirate."

The good feelings were gone and his anger was back.

"Luffy…!" Garp was winding up for a hard right straight to his Grandson, when a marine soldier interrupted him, sparing Luffy a painful fate.

"Sir, the ship is now docked and the men await your orders!" The marine saluted.

"Ah! Wonderful!" Garp dropped his Grandson once more, approaching his crew, all of which were standing at attention.

"All right boys, listen up!" Garp instructed, all attention being on him, all apart from Luffy, who was nursing his painful areas of his latest fall.

"We have reason to believe that a marine vice admiral gone rogue by the name of Jaguar D. Saul, has made his way through the Grand Line, making his way to this, the island of Ohara!"

Murmurs among the crew began to arise. Saul was a well respected captain among the marines and the news of him going awol was more than surprising. Garp regained his mens attention with a clearing of his throat. All soldiers returned to being as stock and stern as statues, not daring to interrupted the hero of the navy again.

"As you are all aware, Saul is accused of aiding the escape of a fugitive by the name of Nico Olivia."

No murmurs came up this time, but the name of that woman was notorious. Nico Olivia was an archeologist and scholar, seeking the mystery of the ponoglyphs, ancient tablets of history that no one on in the world could hope of translating, except her.

"We have reason to believe that the two fugitives will meet up here, on this island. Our job is to find Saul and Olivia and bring them in. From there on, I will personally look in to why Saul would help a wanted criminal."

Garp couldn't fathom why Saul would help in the escape of a prisoner in the first place, but or what ever reason, Garp was sure to find out. Something wasn't right about this whole thing…

Coming out of his thoughts, Garp faced his men once more.

"Men, these our your orders! Patrol the island, find the fugitives and bring them in!"

"YESSIR!" The men spoke in union.

As the soldiers began to make there way onto the island, Garp turned to walk back to his Grandson.

"Now then, Luffy, all I have to do now is have a chat with the scholars at the library in the Tree of Knowledge. If anyone would know anything about Olivia it's them. After that, how about you and me have a nice, big-"

Garp stopped in his tracks to find that Luffy was nowhere in sight.

Lunch…"

Another loud, monstrous growl escaped Luffy's stomach.

"Uuuuuh! I'm so hungry! There's got to be somewhere to eat around here!" Duffy trudged through the forest, clutching his belly as he moaned with every step.

"Monster!"

Luffy's ears perked up at this, switching his head back and forth for where the noise came from.

"Who said that?!" He angrily snarled.

"You don't belong here!"

"What'd you say?!" Luffy clenched his fists, looking for the face of that voice so he could punch it.

"You're a freak!"

"Come out here so I can knock you out!" Luffy was gnashing his teeth at this point.

"Over here!"

"Ah-hah! Big mistake!" Luffy charged into the forest, ready to make whoever was talking to him like that sorry.

Bursting out of some bushes, he looked around and spotted a group of kids picking on a little dark haired girl, sitting on a tree stump and reading a book.

"Huh," Luffy adjusted his hat as he looked on. "They weren't making fun of me? Well, they don't even know me, so I guess-"

Luffy stopped talking to himself to see one of the kids throw a rock at the girl, hitting her straight on the head. As all the kids laughed and pointed while the girl on the stump started to bleed, Luffy was about to blow a blood vessel he was so mad.

"HEY!" The straw hatted boy screamed, catching the attention of the group of kids and the girl on the stump. "What's the big idea, ganging up on one girl like that?!" Luffy stomped up to the kids, fists at his side shaking in aggression.

"What's wrong with us?! What's wrong with you?! Sticking up for the monster like that?!" The one little girl of the group screeched, pointing her finger at the two of them.

"Monster?" Luffy took a minute to look at where the girl was pointing, only seeing the dark haired girl, then taking a look around him, even looking into the sky.

"I don't see any monster…" Luffy answered. All the kids looked at the straw hatted boy like he was the weirdest thing on earth.

"They mean me." Luffy looked at the dark haired girl, watching as she rubbed the blood from her forehead.

"I'm the monster." The girl on the stump said.

Luffy's eyes widened, taking in the words the girl just said.

"You're not a monster, you're a girl!" Luffy corrected.

The group of kids slid there heads to the side, wondering how stupid this kid was.

"Yes, she is!" One of the boys yelled out. "She does this weird thing with her hands, and all she does is read all day!"

"Why is having hands weird? You have hands!" Luffy corrected again.

"That's not what I mean, you stupid kid!" The group of kids were starting to lose their patience.

The little dark haired girl closed her book, making everyone look at her.

"This is what they mean…" The girl then extended out her hand and another hand sprouted out of her pam, and another, and another. Soon enough, an entire row of hands had jettisoned out of her pam and reached over to Luffy. All the other kids had recoiled in fear and disgust, wondering what she was going to do with those hands.

"That…" Luffy began to speak. "…is so…" The kids wondered what this weird kid that came out of nowhere was going to say, while the dark haired girl remained uncaring, as if she was used to this sort of thing.

"…AWESOME!" Luffy yelled out ecstatically. The little dark haired girl did a double take on the boy's words, while the rest of the kids had a look of complete disbelief on all their faces.

Luffy then began to poke and prod at the row of hands, going so far as to shake the one in front of him.

"That's so Cool! How can you do that? Can you show me how to do that? How many arms can you make? Can you make only arms? What about feet? Can you make feet? Oh, man, This is so-"

Luffy could have gone on and on about the dark haired girls power, who was growing very uncomfortable under the praise she was receiving, until one of the boys of the group interrupted him.

"Are you kidding me?!" Luffy looked at the kids, all of them mad at him, like he did something wrong. Whatever that thing was, Luffy didn't know.

"That's why she's a monster!" The boy yelled out, pointing at the girl's multiple hands.

"What kind of girl grows more body parts?! It's freaky!" Another boy yelled out.

"She's a freak!" The little girl of the group screeched out next.

"Yeah! Why would anyone want to be friends with a weirdo like her?!" The last boy of the group chided in.

Luffy took a few steps forward, going quiet all of a sudden. The little dark haired girl watched him, wondering what he was going to do next. Once the straw hatted boy was facing the group of kids in front of him, he began to speak.

"Your'e an egghead with glasses!" Luffy pointed to said boy, who looked taken back by the words.

"You have a bad afro!" The boy mentioned countered with a "Hey!"

"You have a pig nose!" The little girl of the group looked like she was about to cry.

"And you look like you have mini carrots sticking out of your head!" Luffy finished, earning him an angry glare from the last kid of the group.

Luffy then pointed back at the little dark haired girl while still staring down the other kids.

"Compered to her, you're the ones that are the freaks!" Luffy finished his tirade, crossing his arms with a harrumph.

The dark haired girl was speechless at what this boy was doing. No one has ever cared about her this much before, let alone stuck up for her.

As 'Bad-afro' and 'Egg-head' were stunned silent by the boy in front of them, and 'pig-nose' was crying at being called names, 'carrot-head'; the boy that threw the rock, stepped forward, easily towering over Luffy.

"Who do you think you are, calling us names like that?!" The boy ground out through his clenched teeth.

Luffy just placed his hand on top of his hat and a large toothy grin split out over his face as he looked the larger boy in the eye.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! And I'm gonna be the Pirate King!"

'Carrot-head' just stared at the boy, along with the other kids and the girl he was defending. Suddenly, 'Carrot-head' starts laughing and the other kids follow in mocking the boy as well. All except for the dark haired girl.

"'Pirate King?' You?!" 'Carrot-head' continued to laugh as the group of kids behind him began to walk up and circle the straw hatted boy, who didn't even flinch at their laughter.

"A freaky girl and a pirate wanna-be! 'Bad-afro' chuckled.

"What a pair of losers!" 'Egg-head' clutched his stomach.

"How stupid can you get?!" 'Pig-nose' sniggered.

The little dark haired girl on the other hand, just stood there in amazement. This boy, who just burst out of nowhere, defended her, called all those kids names and stated something that sounded ridiculous without any sort of hesitation. Who was this boy?

The dark haired girl was brought out of her thoughts to see 'Carrot-head' bring his face nose to nose with Luffy. The straw hatted boy was barely his height, even if they did seem close in age. Whatever the larger boy was going to do to him, it was not going to be pretty. Even so, the smaller boy didn't budge, looking 'Carrot-head' square in the eye.

"Your just a stupid kid who doesn't know what he's talking about!" 'Carrot-head' sneered. "BEAT IT!" One motion of his hand and he had knocked the smaller boy's straw hat off his head, seeing it gliding a few meters away.

"AAAAH! MY HAT!" Luffy freaked out as if he had lost a limb. He ran across the field, picking it up, checking for any damage and planting it back on his head. Looking back in anger at the kids, he saw them all laughing at him again, 'Carrot-head' grinning at his own actions. By this point, Luffy had had enough.

"You bunch of jerks! You asked for it!" Luffy grabbed his shoulder and made an action of winding back, as if he was about to pitch something.

"GUM GUM…!" The laughter stopped and everyone watched to see what this boy would do next.

"…PISTOL!" The straw hat boy then lunged forward, stamping his foot on the ground and launched his clenched fist, proceeding to stretch his forearm from where he was standing and send his fist flying at 'Carrot-head'…

…Only for the fist to make contact with the ground between the two of them, ricochet off and send the fist flying in the air, high above the trees and into the blinding sunlight through the branches.

Soon enough, the fist came back down, landing right on top of Luffy's head, making the boy sound out an "OW!"

As Luffy rubbed his sore head, everyone was in complete shock. The arm that Luffy had stretched slowly slinked back to its owner, like a snake slithering across the grass, making its way back into its natural shape and form. But noting about what was just seen could be described as natural.

After Luffy was done checking for any bruises, he looked back at the group of kids and the dark haired girl, all of which were wearing faces of utter disbelief.

"What?" The rubber boy asked.

"AAAAAAAAAH!" The group of kids screamed in total fear. The little dark haired girl on the other hand, stood there completely dumbfounded.

"HE'S ANOTHER MONSTER!" 'Egghead' wailed.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR ARM?!" 'Bad-afro' shrieked.

"THEY'RE FREAKS! BOTH OF THEM!" 'Pig-nose' Hollered.

"THE GIRL MUST BE CONTAGIOUS! IF WE STICK AROUND, WE MIGHT TURN INTO FREAKS NEXT!" 'Carrot-head's comment sent the group of kids running, screaming and crying all the way out of the forest.

After the noise had faded away, all that was left in the open field in the middle of the forest, was the little straw hatted rubber boy and the little dark haired girl who could grow body parts.

"What a bunch of jerks!" Luffy steamed. "I don't like them! Not one bit!"

"U-um, excuse me…" The voice caught Luffy's attention. He turned to face the little dark haired girl he had stood up for.

"Yeah?" He asked, wondering what the girl wanted.

"Thank you." The girl bowed her head in gratitude, clinging to her book as she did.

"No problem! Four against one isn't a fair fight anyway!" Luffy beamed, his large toothy smile going across his face again.

Robin looked back up, her big bright blue eyes full of curiosity. "How did you stretch your arm like that?" She asked.

"Oh!" Luffy excitedly exclaimed. "I ate a Devil Fruit…" He then proceeded to grab his cheeks and pull them apart, making them extend to an inhuman length. "…And now I'm a rubber boy!" He managed to speak, even though he sounded ridiculous.

"You ate a devil fruit too?!" The girl grew surprised.

Luffy let go of his cheeks, making them snap back in place. The sound they made sounded painful, but the boy seemed not to feel it. "Yeah! I'm guessing that's how you got your powers?"

"Yeah," The girl answered. "I ate the Hana Hana Fruit."

"I ate the Gum Gum Fruit!" Luffy pronounced proudly.

The two of them couldn't help it, but a laugh broke between them. Finding someone else with as much of a weird gift as you was quite the discovery, especially when you thought you were the only one.

The little dark haired girl came out of her laughter, as did the straw hatted boy. The girl reached her hand out, wanting to shake hands.

"My name is Robin." She introduced herself.

"My name's Luffy!" The boy happily took her hand and shook it in his own. "Nice to-"

The sound of his stomach grumbling stopped him from saying anything else.

"Meat~…"

With a sigh and a tumble, Luffy found himself lying on the ground in so called agony.

"Are you alright?" She looked down in concern for the boy.

"I forgot I was so hungry…" Luffy wheezed out, acting as though he was in so much pain he couldn't move. Robin looked down at the boy, wondering how out of place his character was, even for a seven year old. He acted like he was younger then he looked.

Robin thought for a moment. What she was planning would be a big risk for her, but looking back down at the boy, the only boy to stand up for her, the only boy who could possibly be her only friend her age, it was worth the risk.

"Luffy, if you can get back up, I can find you something to eat at my house?" She politely persuaded.

The straw hatted boy immediately jumped up from his lying place and stood on his tip toes in glee.

"Really?! You mean it?!" Luffy beamed ecstatically.

"Y-yeah…" Robin was starting to grow concerned about this boy's mental state.

Robin opened the door to her house with a creak, checking if the cost was clear. Seeming that no one was home, Robin slowly opened the door the rest of the way.

"Come on." She whispered, leading the way for Luffy to follow in behind her.

Once the two children were inside, Robin lead Luffy to the kitchen. "I'll make you a sandwich." She then crossed her arms, keeping her hands open and closed her eyes. The next thing that happened, multiple hands literally started popping out of the wood work, opening cabinets and pulling out what she needs to make a snack for her guest.

"Awesome…" Luffy just turned slowly, watching the arms do their work around the room. Once everything was on the table in the middle of the room, more hands sprouted up and started making a meal.

After the sandwich was complete, the hands then quickly started to put everything away as quick as possible. Luffy was still in awe at the display and didn't notice the nervous look on robin's face.

After everything was put away, the children each took a seat at the table, Luffy happily taking large bites out of his lunch and Robin just watching him, with a hand propped up under her chin.

"You're not from here, Are you?" She deduced.

"Why ask me that?" The straw hatted boy said after swallowing a bite.

"Any one else my age on this island would just pick on me, but you didn't…" robin explained sadly.

"Oh…" The boy understood. He took another large bite out of his snack. "I came here on a ship, with my Grandpa!" Luffy said with his mouth full. Luffy kept on eating as Robin kept on asking questions.

"So, where do you live?"

"Foosha Village, on an Island in the East Blue!"

"You're from the East Blue?"

"Yeah? Is that a problem?"

"No, but…how could you go from the East Blue to the West Blue so easily?"

Luffy kept eating as he talked. "Why would that be a problem?"

Robin looked skeptical. "Well, if you live in the East Blue and this is the West Blue, you'd have to cross through the Grand Line's current, then-

Luffy spit what food he had in his mouth out at this.

"I WENT THROUGH THE GRAND LINE?!" Multiple hands shot out of the seat Luffy was in and slammed over his mouth, muffling anything else he had to say.

"SHHHHHH! Don't scream like that!" Robin said in a desperate whisper.

The hands disappeared, letting Luffy catch his breath. "Why not?"

"I can't let my Auntie Roji know I brought you home with me. I can't let her know I fed you either." Robin started to get depressed, and it showed, causing Luffy to grow concerned.

"Your Auntie?" Luffy asked, wanting to know what was bothering this nice girl that fed him.

Robin gave a sad nod. "My auntie beats me and calls me worthless every day. She barely feeds me and gives me old clothes to wear…" Robin was starting to replay memories in her head, all of them she wished she could abolish from her mind.

"Wow. Reminds me of my Grandpa, except the whole clothes thing…" Luffy chimed in, eating the last of his sandwich.

"Your Grandpa beats you, too?" Robin looked up in surprise. How could this boy go through such abuse and still smile so big?

"Yeah, every time I say I'm gonna be a pirate, he knocks me one on the head. It really hurts…" Luffy rubs his head, remembering some very painful memories.

"That sounds awful…" Robin says concerned. "But why do you want to be a pirate anyway? Aren't they all murderers and thieves?" She asks with curiosity.

"Shanks isn't like that!" Luffy pipes up, taking Robin by surprise. The boy then puts his hands on top of the straw hat on his head. "Shanks is a pirate that risked his life for me…" He then grows a face that resembled great guilt "…he lost an arm, saving me from a sea monster…" Robin's eyes grow wide as dinner plates. "…but that showed me that that's what real pirates do; they look out for each other, and only fight when one of their friends is in trouble!"

He then took off his hat to stare at it nostalgically. "When he was leaving, he gave me this hat and made me promise to become a pirate, that I'd find a crew, and become the Pirate King." Luffy smiled, not his big toothy grin, but a content, gentle smile.

A slam on the table brought Luffy out of his memories to see a very distraught Robin looking at him like he was crazy.

"How can you be so happy?!" She asked hysterically. "You nearly get eaten by a sea monster, watch a man lose his arm in front of you and get beaten by your own Grandfather!" She paused a moment to catch her breath. Luffy on the other hand was just sitting there, waiting patiently for what she wanted to say next.

"HOW CAN ALL OF THAT NOT BOTHER YOU?!" Robin was close to tears. She had been suffering all by herself, taking so much abuse since she was only two years old, and this boy just comes along with all this baggage and doesn't even seem to care. How?!

"Cause one day, I'm going to be big and strong enough to stop stuff like that from happening ever again!" Luffy broke out into his big toothy grin, somehow being a symbol of his resolve.

Robin was shocked still. She turned her head to stare at the table, mulling over the words spoken to her from this strange little boy.

Luffy then hopped out of his seat and walked over to Robin, who was still lost in her mind.

"Hey, Robin? You okay?" He asked, waving a hand in front of her face. Robin then shot up from her thoughts and took Luffy's hand in her own.

Robin had never heard such an aspiring thing. The only other person she could remember saying something like that would be…

Robin leaped out of her seat, surprise covering her face, while Luffy fell backwards from Robin's outburst.

"Luffy!" The dark haired girl yelled in her sudden excitement, while Luffy picked himself up off the ground, nursing his head from his fall. "I have to go somewhere, but you can't come with me!"

"Awww!" Luffy pouted. "why not?"

"I…can't tell you. I made a promise…" Robin wished she couldn't shut the boy out. He could be her only friend that was around her age with any luck.

Oh, okay!" Luffy understood.

"Just like that…?" Robin shot he head up, wondering why he was so quick to agree with her wishes.

"Yeah! If you promised, I totally understand!" Luffy stated, clinging to the hat on his head to emphasize his point.

Robin nodded, happy that he was so understanding.

Opening the back door of the kitchen, the two children made their way outside.

"I'll be back soon." Robin said before she made a dash for the forest.

"Wait!" Luffy called out, stopping the girl in her tracks to look back. "where can I find you when you get back?"

"Meet me at the library!" Robin called back.

"Okay!" Luffy agreed. "That's where my Grandpa's going anyway!"

A knock on the door caught the attention of Professor Clover, director of the Ohara library and renowned leader of archeology.

Getting up from his desk, he made his way through the library, passing his fellow scholars and archeologists.

Reaching the front door, he gladly opened it.

"Welcome to the Tree of Knowledge! How may I-"

Seeing Garp the Hero and a squad of marines behind him took the historian by great surprise,

"…Help you?"

"Professor Clover, I presume?" Garp asked, wearing a warm smile.

"Y-yes, I am." Clover stuttered.

"Excellent!" The large bearded man beamed. "I was hoping to ask you a few questions! Mind if I come in?"

Clover was reluctant to do so, but saying, 'No' would bring nothing but trouble.

"O-of Course not…" Clover opened the door wider to let the larger built man inside, along with a few marine soldiers following behind him. The rest of the marines outside marched away, leaving two to guard the other side of the door.

Closing the door, Clover looked back at Garp, his soldiers and the countless worried faces of his colleagues that scattered the library, looking his way. All of them were asking the same thing that Clover was to himself; 'Are they on to us?'

"I've always wanted to see this library!" Garp's booming voice echoed out through the inside of the tree, bringing Clover back to reality.

"Y-Yes! It is quite the sight, isn't it?" Clover forced a smile on his features.

"Indeed! Glad I could see it before my old age catches up to me!" Garp gave a hearty laugh, not caring if he was making a scene. "How many books do you think are in here?"

"I-It's nearly an unfathomable amount! " Clover saw a chance to distract Garp. "This library has what many believe, the largest stock pile of literature the world has ever known! This tree has been standing for five-thousand years, gathering information from all over the world!"

"Impressive!" Garp complimented, putting clover at some ease. "I understand that this library attracts many archeologists and scholars?"

"O-of Course!" Clover stated, trying to stay resolute under the pressure in the hall. "Many people who seek knowledge and wish to share their own, have been coming here to-"

"Then maybe you have had an archeologist by the name of Nico Olivia drop by here and there?"

Garp dropped a verbal bomb on Clover, making the leaf bearded man gain a fresh coat of sweat.

Robin pushed her way past a thick brush of branches in the forest, until she came across a wide open view of a white sandy beach, with the ocean stretching out far onto the horizon.

Robin looked up and down the beach, ignoring the beautiful view, until she spotted who she was looking for.

"Saul!" She called out.

Saul, being an enormous giant, wearing tattered clothes, a worn brown cowboy hat and a big bushy orange beard, turned from the gigantic raft he was building to look at where the voice came from.

"Oh! Robin!" Saul cracked a smile as he made his way over to her, stomping across the beach due to his size.

"Good to see you again!" Saul spoke in a booming voice. Robin didn't mind however, smiling all the way at seeing her first ever friend.

Good to see you too!" She called, wanting her voice to reach his ears. "How's the raft coming along?"

Saul took a seat, leaning his back against the cliff Robin stood upon. "Pretty ship-shape if I do say so myself!" Saul then erupted into a strange mixture of laughing and crying at the same time, making a strange noise as he did.

"Dereshishishishishi! Dereshishishishishishi!"

Robin giggled to herself as she enjoyed the infectious positivity that Saul managed to produce. It reminded her of the boy she just met that day. She wondered why that was…

"So," Saul attempted to strike up a conversation. "Read any good books lately?"

"No, nothing special…" Robin answered as she took her own seat on the grass and bringing her knees to her chest. "But…" Robin grew quiet, which only got Saul's attention even more.

"'But' what?" Saul asked in a curious tone.

"I think that…" Robin didn't want to jinx it, but she couldn't drop the subject now. "…that I made a new friend today!" She beamed.

"Dershishishishishishi! That's fantastic Robin!" Saul was delighted to hear this from Robin. After all the stories she told about the other kids on the island and that rotten old aunt of hers, hearing she now has a fried warmed Saul to the heart.

"Yeah! He reminds me a lot of you!" Robin started to go on about the boy she had met that day. How he stood up to her against a group of kids picking on her, how he ate a devil fruit like her and what he said about wanting to be big and strong enough to stop bad things from happening.

"I like the sound of this kid! Sure wish I could meet him!" Saul broke out into his strange laughter again. "So, what rock on this island has this kid been hiding under anyway?"

"He's not from here." Robin answered, enjoying the talk they were having. "He says he came from the East Blue."

"The East Blue? This is one brave kid you've come across! Going through the Grand Line and all!" Saul was happy for his little friend. Knowing that he had to leave was painful, but now that Robin had someone else with her and to take his place, life should be a lot easier for her.

Besides, no matter how painful it may be to leave, he had to keep moving.

He had to reach Ohara.

Hundreds of lives depended on it…

"Also," Robin brought Saul back from his thoughts. "He's got a 'D' in his name too. Just like yours!"

"Huh? O-oh, really?" Saul returned his attention to Robin, pushing his personal mission to the back of his mind for now.

"Yeah! If I remember correctly…" Robin started to rack her brain as to what the boys full name was. Being an eight year old girl who aced a high grade archeologist test, it wasn't that hard for her to remember.

"His name was…Monkey…Yeah, Monkey D. Luffy! That's what his name was!" Robin stated, proud of her memory skills.

The slam of Saul's hands on either side of her on the cliff side did more than shake her out of her musings. Falling over, she picked herself up and ended up staring back at the intense gaze of the orange bearded giant.

"M-Monkey?!" Saul managed to choke out in his flabbergasted state. "Did you say M-Monkey D.?!

"Y-yeah…?" Robin was getting scared. Saul had never acted like this before in the days she knew him.

"Robin," Saul gulped, swallowing his nerves. "Did Luffy come with anyone else to this island?"

"H-he said he came here with his Grandpa…" Robin started to shiver, she was so scared of how Saul was being.

Saul then froze at those words, the word 'Garp' being whispered from his massive maw.

"'Garp'?" Robin asked, stunned in fear as much as Saul himself.

"Robin!" Saul looked back at Robin, now seeing how scared Robin was looking at him.

Saul took a minute to pull himself together, not wanting to scare the girl anymore then he already had. "Sorry for scaring you, Robin, but it's very important that I talk to Luffy's Grandpa right now!"

"O-okay…" Robin stood up from where she lay. She knew that Saul would never hurt her, but the way he was acting was positively terrifying.

"Robin," Saul leaned in, wanting Robin to hear him loud and clear, even though his voice was loud enough for nearly all to hear. "I need you to go find Garp, and I need you to say to him two very…important…words…"

Robin swallowed her fear and hesitantly nodded.

"If we had any records of the likes of Nico Olivia being in this library, I would show them to you, Garp sir." Clover was managing to keep up his act, but if Garp kept probing him like this, then there's no telling what the outcome would be. Garp wasn't known for his patience after all.

And impatient was exactly what Garp was getting. He knew the scholars in this library were hiding something, something big. What ever the connection was between Olivia, Saul and Ohara was, these people knew, and they weren't telling him what he wanted to hear.

There was an invisible elephant in the room and all Garp had to do was keep poking in the right directions until-

"Let me in, will ya?!"

"L-Luffy, where did you-"

"Let me in, already!"

The muffled arguing outside drew all eyes to the front door of the library.

"You can't go in Luffy! Your Grandfa-"

The sound of a kick and an audible 'OW' sounded out before a straw hat wearing boy came charging in through the front door. "GRANDPA!" The boy cried, causing all the scholars to look at the Vice admiral, who couldn't help but feel a wave of awkwardness overcome him.

"Were sorry, Garp sir!" A marine soldier, rubbing his aching shin, apologized as he followed behind Luffy. "I couldn't stop him from coming inside!"

"Darn-it, Luffy! I'm in the middle of something important, and you choose NOW to show up!" Garp was at the end of his rope. First his Grandson runs off and disappears, the scholars give him the run around, and now his knuckle-headed grandson finally appears, barging in and ruining his questioning. Garp didn't want to admit it, but he was starting to feel pretty old right now.

"Sorry, Grandpa…" Luffy hung his head, only to shoot back up again. "But I'm here to wait for a new friend I made!"

Garp put his palm to his face. "Luffy, now is not the time or the place! Stay outside, with my men! And wait for your friend there!"

"I need to speak with someone called 'Garp'!"

The next voice to come from outside caught everyone's attention once more.

"Sorry, little girl, Garp is in a very important-"

"This is important!"

"Listen! You are not aloud to-"

Another kick, another 'OW', and this time, a little dark haired girl came running inside, with a second marine soldier nursing his shin.

"My Grandson is one thing," Garp spoke in a lecturing tone. "But a little girl?! What happened to your'e training?!"

Both soldiers hung their heads in shame.

"I need to speak with a marine called 'Garp'!" Robin cried out desperately.

"Robin?" Luffy caught the girl's attention.

"Luffy!" Robin said surprised.

"Luffy, who is this?" Garp asked curiously.

"This is the friend I made, Robin!" Luffy cracked his toothy grin as Robin was stood still in place, shocked at what Luffy had called him.

"W-were f-friends?" Robin stuttered, unable to believe what as he just heard.

"Well, yeah!" Luffy answered as if it was obvious.

Robin couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face and her eyes become a little moist.

"Oh, I see…" Garp said in a mentionable tone. "Here on a playdate, Are we, Luffy?"

"It's not like that!" Luffy yelled in defiance, while Robin blushed crimson and lowered her head, hoping no one would notice.

"Robin!" clover whispered sternly. "What are you doing here? And how do you know 'Garp'?"

Robin was so caught up in what was going on, she nearly forgot her reason for being here.

"Well," She began, as everyone turned their attention back to her. Seeing the worried look on her face made Luffy and the two adults nervous. "A friend of mine told me about you…and told me to come find you and say something…" The little dark haired girl grew quiet again, remembering the dire face that Saul wore.

"And what would that be?" Garp asked gently, wondering what was so important for a little girl to force her way past a marine officer to see him. Clover was also wondering what had Robin so on edge, along with the rest of the scholars and marines scattered around the library.

"Robin…?" Luffy didn't like seeing his new friend in such a scared state.

Robin looked back up, looked Garp in the eye and said one word.

"Buster Call…"

The blood of every adult in that library ran cold.

Arriving on the East side of the island of Ohara, a small rowboat was steadily making it's way to the island.

Upon the boat, a lone slender figure with long snow white hair rowed tirelessly with all their strength.

"Please let me get there in time…Please…"

A crack of light shown through as the door to the galley of the ship was creaked open.

"Commander Spadine! We are just a few more hours away from the island of Ohara!" The marine soldier spoke.

"Splendid!" A man wearing a black suit with skin that showed he barely got out in the sun spoke. "let me know when we're ready to dock!"

With a 'yessir' the soldier left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Soon…" Spadine whispered to himself. "The world will be reminded of just how powerful the World Government is…"

He looked over to a golden snail, gleaming in the dark on the desk beside him. A sinister sneer split across his face.

"…And remember to stay in its proper place!"