~ Windmill Village, East Blue ~

~1 year later~

Luffy was now a healthy six-year-old girl, quite strong for her age. Over the past year her hair had grown a little longer and she had traded her dresses for t-shirts and shorts. She quickly realized that dresses and her gramps "training" - she had been persuaded to call him at least that - didn't exactly mix well. She often got stuck with them on branches and bushes, which wasn't exactly to her advantage when she tried to run away from Garp. The day itself was like any other. The villagers were working, Makino, a young woman with dark green hair, was standing behind the counter of her bar "Partys Bar" and cleaning some glasses. She wore a yellow scarf with black lines on her head, which she tied at the back. She wore an orange sleeveless vest over her black collared shirt. And Luffy sat on one of the bar stools in front of the counter and watched her clean. Since Garp was rarely in the village because of his work, she had lived in Makino's care for as long as she could remember. Luffy wasn't sure if Makino was more of a big sister than a mother figure to her. The calm was broken when the alam sounded from outside and someone shouted: "Pirates! Pirates are coming towards the village!" Outside, the villagers quickly ran to their houses. Only one person didn't seem to be afraid, rather the opposite, she even seemed quite excited. "Pirates? Real pirates? I have to see them!" Luffy shouted and jumped off her stool. Makino knew she couldn't stop the six-year-old, calling after her: "Please take care of yourself, Luffy! If the pirates want to harm you, run away as fast as you can! Did you hear?" "Yes, I'll do that Makino, don't worry!" And then she ran out of the bar and headed towards the docks.

The huge ship had already docked there. It had a reddish color, three masts and five sails. The figurehead was a simply designed dragon's head with two horns. The pirate flag flew from the middle and largest of the masts. It showed a skull with three red lines over the left eye. Instead of the usual crossed bones, two crossed swords were depicted behind the skull. Some of the pirates had already come off board, the gang was led by a man who was wearing a white, wide-open shirt and brown trousers that were about knee-length. He wore a red cloth around his waist. However, a black coat hid everything quite well. As did the sword he wore on his right hip. Around his left eye were three, almost vertical scars, similar to those on the gang's flag. He had a red Henriquatre beard. On his red hair, which reached down to his neck, was an old straw hat with a red ribbon. Directly to his left was a man with long black hair tied in a braid. However, there was a strand hanging over his face that didn't seem to bother him. There was an X-shaped scar on the left side of his face and he had a cigarette stuck in his mouth. He wore a black V-neck T-shirt, light green pants and, like the red-haired man, he had a yellow scarf tied around his waist. He had a gun stuck in the cloth. On his right side was a plump man wearing a green and white striped headscarf. His shirt also had the same pattern and color. He also wore knee-length beige trousers and also wore a blue scarf. His eyes were hidden behind some kind of swimming goggles and in his right hand he had a led of meat from which he took a large bite. A dark blonde man walked a few steps behind them. A cloth was tied around his forehead with the name "Yasopp" written on it. He was wearing a blue shirt and white jeans. "Man, it's like a ghost town here," said the red-haired man, a little disappointed. The black-haired man said: "Does that really surprise you, Captain? We're pirates, so it's normal for the villagers to flee as soon as they see the skull." "I know that too, Ben!" said the red-haired captain, a little annoyed, "I was just hoping that we could find someone to ask were the local Bar is." The man with the headband laughed: "Typical of our captain, always only thinking about the next party." "But we also have to replenish our supplies of both beer and food," said the man with the headscarf and took another bite of his meat. "Yes, that too Lou. But what does that mean, Yasopp? You look forward to every party we have." "Nobody looks forward to it as much as you Captain!" came the rest of the crew at the same time. "Hey, but where you're right, you're right!" he said and started laughing. "What do we do now, Ben? There doesn't seem to be anyone here who wants to talk to us." "Well, if there was a person, they would either have to be really brave or incredibly stupid." What normal person would willingly talk to pirates? "Hey, you there!" a voice sounded shortly afterwards. "Are you real pirates?" "It looks like there is such a person here in the village," said the captain with a smile. They turned to the voice and were surprised to see a little girl there. "Now tell me! Are you real pirates or aren't you?" the black-haired child asked more urgently. The red-haired man smiled at her, walked a little closer to her and said: "Yes, we are real pirates." He could literally see how the child's dark brown, almost black eyes grew larger and began to shine. He crouched down to be at eye level with her. "But didn't your parents tell you that it's dangerous to talk to pirates or even get close to them?" "I don't have parents," came the answer immediately, "Gramps took me it, at my father's last request. I couldn't get to know him or my mother. You're looking for the bar, right?" The man in front of her just nodded. "The only bar here belongs to Makino. I live with her because gramps is rarely here because of his work and he can't take me with him. Come on, I'll take you there!" With that, she grabbed one of the captain's hands and pulled him behind her a little. A little surprised by the little girl's actions, he let her lead him and his men followed him. "Hey, lassie, what's your name?" the redhead wanted to know. The girl turned slightly to him and gave him an almost inhuman, wide grin, which seemed somehow familiar, before she said: "I'm Portgas D. Luffy. And you?" Now he had to grin too. "I am Shanks, the Red Shanks, captain of the Red Hair Pirates." They walked through the streets for a while until Luffy stopped in front of a building that had the inscription "Partys Bar". "Here it is," she said, pointing. She took a deep breath and called out: "Makino, I brought guests!" And again she pulled Shanks further behind her and into the bar. The green-haired bartender looked up from her work and had to smile. "I hope you didn't put too much strain on this nice gentleman, Luffy. I'm sorry, she can be quite pushy." "Oh, you don't need to worry about that, Makino, right? If anything, she was a great help to us. I would like a few glasses of beer for myself and my men." "Of course. Please take a seat, I'll get you something straight away." With that, Makino disappeared into a side room to get the drink he wanted. Meanwhile, the pirates took their seats at the free tables. Shanks, however, took a stool right by the bar and Luffy took the one next to him. "Shanks, you've experienced a lot on your travels, right?" Luffy asked with clear curiosity in her voice. "Well, that's what I think, right guys?" Shanks asked his men. They agreed with a roar. As before, Luffy's eyes seemed to become larger and brighter than they already were. A wide grin appeared on her face again and Shanks felt like he had seen it before somewhere. At the next words that came from Luffy, he couldn't help but grin as well. "Can you tell me about your adventures?! I want to know what you've experienced." "Nah, then listen carefully Luffy. Because what you are about to hear is a sample of the exciting and never-ending adventures of the pirate life. A life of freedom and without rules." "And don't forget, the part where we annoys the Marines!" called one of his men. He had to laugh again: "Of course, how could I forget that!" At that moment Makino came out of the warehouse with a barrel of beer and began to fill a glass for everyone. Shanks took a long drink before beginning his story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~1 year later~

The Red Force, the pirate ship of the Red Hair Pirates, had already been anchored on Dawn for a year. However, no celebrating pirates could be heard in the bar, which was quite unusual as it was getting closer to evening, they were all on their ship. Standing on the figurehead was Luffy, who had recently turned seven, looking determinedly down at the pirates with her dark brown eyes. She had on her typical sandals, blue shorts and a white t-shirt that had the word "Anchor" with the anchor on it. Her long black hair flowed in the wind and she held a dagger in her left hand. "What are you doing?" Shanks called up from the deck. Luffy raised the dagger in the air for everyone to see and said, "Listen up everyone, I'm not kidding! I'm serious. I'll prove it to you all!" Shanks, who wasn't wearing his coat, just laughed and said, "Nah then get going! What are you planning to do this time?" "Luffy definitely wants to do something stupid again," said one of his men. He didn't believe that the little girl he had met a year ago would dare to do whatever she wanted to show them as proof of her courage. But he would soon realize how wrong he was. She took the dagger in both hands and pointed the blade at her face. She trembled slightly and sweat started to run down her face. Shanks didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling as she began to move the blade closer and closer to her left eye. His eyes widened. She woldn't! The tip of the blade had already reached her skin. His men also began to fall silent as they realized WHAT Luffy was planning. Before anyone could react, the girl had already plunged the dagger into her face. They stared at her in shock. Luffy screamed in pain and Shanks began to shout: "You idiot, what are you doing!?!" However, all you could hear from her was: "That hurts!" The villagers turned to the ship and silently wondered what Luffe had done again. "Men, let us offer some consolation! Here's to Luffy's courage and our successful raid!" "Yes!" It had now become night and the pirates had gathered again at "Party's Bar". They drank, partied and sometimes even beat each other. Sitting at the bar, Luffy had a bandage under her left eye and tears were about to form in her eyes. But she was able to hold them back. "Ha, that didn't hurt at all!" she said. "Do not lie to me! Don't do that again!" Shanks' voice came from next to her. "Pain doesn't bother me at all, you hear me!" she said defiantly, "Please take me with you on your next trip. I want to be a great pirate too, you know?" "I don't think you have what it takes to be a pirate, Luffy." "What?! Hold on, I'll show you!" she shouted angrily. But before she could do anything, Makino intervened. "Luffy, it's very late. You can continue arguing tomorrow. Off to bed!" "B-but Makino!" "No buts, young lady! Go to bed or you won't have any meat for a week!" said the bartender and pointed to the door that led to the upper floor. Grumbling, Luffy rose from the bar stool. Before she disappeared through the door, she called out to Shanks: "This isn't over yet!" She could hear his laughter through the door as she climbed the stairs. She liked Shanks, even though he often made fun of her. They had become friends during the year he had been in the village. She enjoyed listening to him tell his best stories. He had also talked about the Pirate King, her father, and there was always more awe and respect in his voice than she had ever heard before. Shank's behavior towards her sometimes reminded her of the behavior she saw from the fathers in the village when they did something with their children. She didn't know that feeling, but she was sure that the feeling she felt around Shanks was close to what you would get with your father. But that feeling was overshadowed by a big question. A question she asked for the first and last time two years ago. She really wanted to know what Shanks would say but at the same time she was afraid of the answer. He seemed to have respected her father but...what about his child? Would she get the same answer as she did back in the bar or something completely different? Could...could she trust Shanks about her heritage or not? She knew she wasn't allowed to do this but she wanted to trust Shanks. In her room she sat on her bed, holding the picture of her mother. 

Garp had given it to her for her sixth birthday. "Mom, what should I do?" she asked into the silence of the room. At that moment the light of the moon shone into her room. She looked out the window in surprise. From there she could see the sea and the partying pirate gang's ship below her. And then she knew what she was going to do. Smiling, she looked back at the picture and said, "Thank you." Before putting it back under her pillow. With her mind set on what she was going to do tomorrow, she crawled under her covers and in a few seconds she was asleep.

It was early afternoon the next day when the pirates, like every day, were sitting in the bar, laughing and drinking. Luffy sat on her stool, a little nervous. She had already removed the plaster and a scar was clearly visible. Shanks sat next to her as always, drinking one beer after another. Luffy gathered all her courage and asked him the question that had been on her mind for a long time. "Shanks," the one addressed looked at her, "I have a question." "Do you want to ask me again if I take you on a ride?" Luffy shook his head, that was a question for later. "Well, now I'm curious. Shoot." She took another deep breath to calm her nerves before asking her question: "You seem to have respected the Pirate King a lot and that made me wonder: What if he had had a child?" There, she asked the question. Now there was no turning back. Her heart beat excitedly in her chest as she looked at Shanks expectantly. It had become quiet around them. His face was in shadow because of the straw hat and Luffy couldn't see what it looked like. "If the Pirate King had had a child, you say. Well, I would..." his voice sounded so unusually serious that it sent a shiver down her spine, "celebrate with them of course! Roger was a great man and I'm sure his child could become great for themself in the future too. Most of all, I would love to see the look on every Marine's face when they found out Roger had a child. That would certainly look hilarious." As he said this he had a huge grin on his face, his eyes seemed to be shining and on the verge of tears at the thought of the reactions. Luffy looked at Shanks in surprise. She felt like a gigantic rock had fallen from her heart when she heard that and she couldn't help but grin broadly herself. The rest of the crew had now started celebrating again. "Since YOU mentioned that earlier, Shanks, and we were interrupted by Makino yesterday. Would you take me on your next trip, please?" He stuck his tongue out at her before saying, "Absolutely not. You can't even swim yet. Someone who can't swim has no place on a ship." "Nah then I just won't go overboard! It's not my fault that no one had time to teach me how to swim and I certainly won't ask gramps. I trust him to just throw me into the water and say that my instincts will teach me how to do it." "Hey, Luffy. Even if you could swim, it doesn't matter. There's more to becoming a pirate. Besides, you're just the same age as my son," Yasopp said from a nearby table. "I am a top fighter! My punches are like pistols!" she said and punched the air demonstratively. "Pistols? Yeah, sure," Shanks said again in a bored voice. "I don't like your tone!" she shouted at him. "Hey Captain, what could go wrong? Let's just take her with us." "Yes, I think so too," say some of the crew. Shanks took his drink in his hand and replied before taking a sip: "And which of you is leaving his place on the ship for her?" "I'm sorry, that's it for you," said the member who made the suggestion at the beginning. "Traitor, I thought you were on my side!" Now she turned back to Shanks, still upset. "And you! Why do you keep saying no?!" "Simply because you're still too young, lassie," said Lucky Lou, who was holding a leg of meat in his hand as always. "I'm not a child anymore! I've been an adult for a long time!" "Come on, don't get so upset! Here, there you have some juice," said Shanks and pushed said juice in front of her nose. "Wow, thanks Shanks." Luffy said happily and started drinking it. Laughing, Shanks hit the counter as he said loudly, "Nah, what did I say. She is still a child!" "That's not funny!" The pirates around them began to laugh at their captain's joke. Shanks just liked to tease her, she always reacted so impulsively. "That's unfair, you're a bastard Shanks!" The gang's laughter stopped when someone suddenly kicked one of the swinging doors off its hinges. All eyes were focused on the entrance, except for Shanks, who calmly ate the food that Makino had set out shortly before. "Can we come in?" the person asked. All that could be heard was the sound of cutlery hitting dishes as the man entered. "So, you want to be a band of pirates? But you make a pretty stupid impression." The man was wearing a long, brown coat that had a yellow, vertical pattern on the back. Underneath he was wearing a light brown shirt and black trousers. A gold necklace with circular pendants hung around his neck. He had a sword attached to his right hip. He had a black goatee and long black hair, part of which was tied up while the other part of his shaggy, shoulder-length hair was loose. He had an X-shaped scar over his right eye. He stood at the counter to Shanks' left side and supported himself so that Shanks couldn't continue eating. Luffy, on the other hand, still held her glass in her hands and stared at the man. "Good evening, sir," Makino said, walking towards the man from the other side of the counter. His companions also came into the bar. "We are bandits from the mountains, but don't worry. We have no intention of robbing you." His people all had nasty smiles on. "Just sell us 10 barrels of beer. We're really thirsty." "I'm really sorry, you're unlucky. We just ran out of beer," Makino said calmly and politely. Meanwhile, Shanks had started eating again. "What, that's strange. I see all the pirates drinking here. Is that water?" "We have not a single drop of alcohol left in the house. It's all gone." "Well, things like that happen," Shanks spoke up. The bandit raised an eyebrow at him. "Apparently we drank the place empty for the day. Sorry, but if you want you can have my beer. I just opened the bottle." Shanks held the bottle out to him. It almost seemed as if the bandit wanted to take it as he balled his hand into a fist and hit the bottle. It shattered and the shards landed clattering on the floor. However, some of the contents ended up on the floor and also on Shanks. Makino held her hand over her mouth in shock, the pirates remained sitting quietly and Luffy looked worriedly at the red-haired man. "Listen, you joker! There are 8,000,000 Berrys on my head and one bottle is an extremely poor night drink. You don't want to provoke me," the bandit said to Shanks in a condescending tone. "Oh, it wasn't actually meant to be like that," his face was once again in the shadows through the straw hat, before he raised his face and looked at the floor, "The floor is full of beer and broken glass. I'm sorry. Makino, do you have something to clean up with?" He had already gotten off the stool and started picking up the large pieces of glass. Makino stood on the other side of the Teke and looked at her puzzled for a moment before she came back to her senses and said: "A-a. Wait, I'll do it." She quickly grabbed a rag and wanted to get around the bar when the bandit pulled out his sword and brought it down over the bar. He broke the plate that Shanks had been eating from and left a large dent in the counter. Makino stopped in shock. " You seem very eager to clean. Well, then you have a lot to do now," said the bandit. Shanks was now sitting on the floor, his hat covering his face again and he was leaning on the stool where he had previously been sitting with his left arm. The bandit put his sword back in its sheath and said before he left: "And next time I want to see a well-stocked bar! Come on, let's go. Have fun you sissies." Luffy seethed internally as the bandits left the bar. The pirates, on the other hand, remained silent, Makino knelt down to Shanks and asked him: "Is everything okay, Captain? You didn't hurt yourself?" But Shanks just raised his hand. "No, everything is fine. What should happen to me?" Then the whole gang started laughing. Yasopp said with difficulty: "You look like a watered-down poodle!" Shanks, who had pulled his hat off his head, also started laughing loudly while Makino began to dry off with the towel. Luffy looked at him blankly, why was he laughing? Anger rose within her. No father would allow his child to see something like that or at least react differently. With that fury, she stood on her stool and looked down at Shanks with her narrowed brown eyes before she started yelling, "What's there to laugh about, Shanks!?" The laughter suddenly stopped and all eyes were on the angry seven year old directed. Even Makino had stopped rubbing Shanks dry. "That was extremely embarrassing! Why didn't you hit him?! The guy completely provoked you and you put up with it. You just laughed. You're not a man and you're not a pirate either!" She was shaking with anger and Shanks just looked at her. "I know you don't like that, my girl. But this was just about a few pieces of glass and I haven't been upset about such nonsense for a long time, got it?" "You wimp," Luffy said again in a calmer voice and turned away from him. Was she really mistaken about him? She couldn't trust a man like that with her biggest secret! Her gaze focused on an open, small gravel that she hadn't noticed before. Inside lay a round, purple fruit with strange patterns. She had never seen one like this before, but it was just right for her. She was still angry and if she wanted to release her anger, she needed something to eat. She grabbed the fruit, sat back down and started eating it noisily. Meanwhile, Shanks put his straw hat back on and looked at Makino, who was still kneeling next to him. When he heard Luffy chewing noises, he looked up at her and smiled. "Mmm. But you haven't lost your appetite." "Shut up!" Luffy said before continuing to eat the fruit. Shanks had a bad feeling and was shocked to see WHAT she was eating. "Luffy, what are you eating?" She had already eaten half of the fruit and was swallowing her next bite before looking at Shanks in confusion. He was ready to get back on his feet and came towards her. His face showed anger and worry. "Where did you get that? This isn't fun anymore! Did you eat something from the box?" his voice cracked slightly at the last sentence. Luffy didn't really know what to say: "Um, yeah, um..." She couldn't finish her sentence because Shanks had grabbed her and started shaking her, holding her by the ankles. The others watched the two in shock as Skanks shook her and screamed, "Spit it out now! Spit out everything you ate!" What had gotten into Shanks? She didn't understand why he suddenly shook her like that and because of her hair she could hardly see anything. Desperately she begged him: "Stop Shanks! What are you doing?! What's this?" Without warning, her legs suddenly stretched and she hit her face on the floor. Shanks had stopped shaking her and was just holding her. Her legs retracted again but now her neck stretched as her face was still looking at the ground up close. Then her neck retracted again, lifting her head from the floor. Her face was slightly red where she had hit the ground. Her eyes were wide in shock. "What's going on now?" she asked quietly. She no longer understood the world. Shanks lifted his arms up so he could look the girl hanging by her ankles in the eyes. "You just ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi, you idiot! This is a devil fruit. It changes your whole life! Anyone who eats it will become a rubber human and besides, you'll never be able to swim, Luffy! It's over once and for all," he said in a panic. During Shank's explanation, Makino held her hand over hier mouth in shock. Luffy couldn't help but scream: "Ah, you're crazy!" "You idiot!"

The next day she sat back in her usual spot in the bar. The Red Hair Pirates had set sail again and wouldn't be back until later. After her little scene the day before, she quickly accepted that she was no longer a "normal" person. Makino put a glass of juice in front of her with a smile and continued cleaning glasses when the bandits from the day before came into the bar. "Ah, it looks like there are no pirates here today. Am I correct in assuming that me and my people will also get beer today?" asked the leader. "Yes, we got a fresh delivery this morning" "Good. I want a keg of beer for me and my men, for now." "Of course, I'll bring it immediately." The bandits drank one beer after another and Luffy did her best to ignore them. But then she heard something that made her blood boil again. "This pirates are a bunch of whiners, you can smoke them in your pipe." She knocked over her glass and stood on her stool. Makino tried to hold on to her, but it was in vain. "Shut up!" The bandits became silent and looked at the small, black-haired girl, who gave them dark looks. "You dare make fun of Red Hair Shanks and his crew? These are not whiners! Come on, apologize and then get out of here, you scarecrow!" Of course, the leader of the bandits wouldn't put up with this. While his men were trashing the bar, he grabbed Luffy by the collar and walked out with her. She tried to defend herself but the bandit was bigger than her and kept her at a distance enough so that she couldn't hit him. When the bandits disappeared from the bar, Makino quickly ran to Mayor Woop Slapp. Meanwhile, the bandit leader had reached the village well. He threw Luffy against the water barrel and said: "I just wanted to drink my beer in peace, but apparently you have a problem with me." Luffy glared up at him with her dark brown eyes. "You can bet your life on that! So apologize to Shanks! You humiliated him!" He kicked her head with his foot. "Did I say something that might have hurt him?" he asked boredly. "Yes, of couse. Apologize!" The villagers watched from afar. Nobody dared to intervene for fear of being killed. Makino and the mayor were running around the corner and saw the situation that young Portgas D. was in. The bandit looked at her coldly and reached for his sword. "I don't like it when people talk to me like that, little girl. I can get pretty unpleasant and no one has survived that yet." "Wait a minute!" Woop Slapp shouted and all the bandits looked at him. "Please let the girl go. She's still a child." Luffy looked at the mayor in shock, the bandit leader's foot still in her face. "I don't know what Luffy did and I don't want to argue with you. If you want, I'll give you money, you can certainly use it." He got down on his knees and continued to beg: "But please release the girl." "Mayor," Luffy said quietly, she couldn't believe what was hearing. The leader grinned over his shoulder at the old man before saying, "You're an old man and you've been through a lot. You know how to get through life. But the answer is: no. This brat pissed me off and she has to pay for it." With that he finally pulled his sword out of its sheath. Luffy said defiantly: "I'm not afraid of you, you rathead!" "You're a hopeless case, but you can worry about that in the afterlife." He now held his sword just a few centimeters away from Luffy. Neither the bandits, nor the mayor, nor Makino noticed that several people had appeared behind the last-mentioned. "Luffy." "I'm begging you, please let her live." "I was wondering why there wasn't anyone in the bar," Shanks' voice came from behind the two. He was wearing his black coat, just like the day were they came. Makino and Woop Slapp turned around in surprise. Shanks held the red cloth around his waist with his left hand and a small smile was on his lips. His crew stood behind him. "I know you, you're that bandit." "Captain Shanks, please!" Makino pleaded. The bandit leader angrily starts looking over his shoulder at the newcomers. Luffy's eyes widened even more, if it was even possible, and said barely audibly, "Shanks." "So, you pirates are still here. Have you guys cleaned the whole village?" "Luffy," Shanks ignored the bandit leader, "I thought your punches were like pistols." "S-Shut up!" "I don't know why you're still here, But you better leave before you get hurt!" the leader said coldly, "One more step and you'll have a bullet in your head, my friend." Then a bandit, who was now standing right next to Shanks, aimed his pistol at him. "Exactly. Stay where you are, otherwise I'll put a load of lead through your skull, got it?" The other bandits started laughing, but Shanks stayed calm. "Listen, your life is at stake!" "Huh?" The bandit with the pistol didn't understand what the pirate meant by that. "If someone points a gun at me, their life is at stake!" "Huh, what nonsense are you talking about?" Shanks turned his head to the bandit and pointed a finger at his gun. "That's not an idle threat. That's the sad reality." Before the bandit could even make a peep, a pistol shot rang out and he fell lifeless to the ground. It was Lucky Lou who fired the shot. His pistol was still smoking in his left hand as he took a bite from themeat in his right. Everyone stared in shock at what had just happened. "You...you just shot him!" "You bastards, that's really unfair!" "Unfair?" asked Yasopp. And Ben said, "We're pirates, not saints. We don't know the word 'fair'." "You're dealing with the Red Shanks and his crew," Shanks added. "It's your fault for this, we'll get you for this!" shouted one of the bandits. "Listen up you heroes! I can overlook a lot of things. For example, about spilled beer, broken bottles or the bar that you smashed, that's not all that bad." Shanks looked up. You could clearly see that he was angry. "But I don't forgive anyone if they do something to a friend of mine, do you understand that!?" "Shanks!" Luffy wanted to cry. It was the first time that someone had stood up for her so decisively. Now she was sure that the feeling she felt for Shanks was what a child feels towards its father. Shanks was like a father to her and all of this had to happen for her to realize that. The bandit leader just laughed at that. Either he was damn confident of himself or he was damn stupid...or both. "He doesn't forgive anyone, great! Stupid pirate talk! Forward men, finish them!" The bandits charged at the pirates screaming with their weapons drawn. Ben put his hand on the handle of his rifle and stepped forward. "Let me do it, I end this!" He pulled out his rifle, used it like a club and finished off the bandits on his own. He then aimed one hand at the shocked leader. "You probably overestimated yourselves a little. If you want to continue messing with us, you better be prepared for a full blown attack." Luffy watched the whole thing in awe. The leader turned to the pirates, nervousness written all over his face. "Hey, now wait a minute!" he began, "It's all about the girl. She started it!" "You have a bounty on your head," Shanks said. Sweat ran from the leader's forehead. He only saw one way out. He pulled a smoke bomb out of his coat and threw it on the ground. Both the leader and Luffy were enveloped in smoke. Luffy felt herself being grabbed. She wanted to scream but the person covered her mouth and ran.

At the same moment, Shanks said, "A smoke bomb." When the smoke cleared, they could see that the bandit leader and Luffy had disappeared. "He ran away. Luffy!" Shanks remained silent for a moment until he grabbed his head in panic and shouted: "My goodness, I could have guessed that! Luffy! Lou, what should we do now?" "Hey, don't worry, keep calm, Captain! If we all look together, we'll find her soon." "We'll find her, Captain," Ben said. But what they didn't know was that the escapee was no longer on land with his little hostage.

In the middle of the water, in a small fishing boat, stood the leader. In his hand he held the struggling Luffy by the hem of her T-shirt. "Hahaha. I tricked them brilliantly. They'll never think of a bandit escaping to the open sea." "That's crap. Let go of me, you stupid monkey! Go to hell, you bastard!" shouted the seven-year-old and continued to glare at him. "Hey, mistake. You're going to hell now. You made me very angry and I can't stand that. Have a nice trip!" And with that he threw the girl into the water. A few tears flowed from her eyes as she flew towards the water. "Oh no, crap! This rat. Well, wait, I'll catch you at some point and then...!", she couldn't finish her sentence because she hit the surface of the water at that moment. She felt like she could barely move, was that the curse of the sea that Shanks had mentioned? With all her strength she fought her way back to the surface and tried desperately to stay there. But her body felt so heavy and the fact that she didn't know how to swim before didn't help. Laughing, the bandit watched as the black-haired girl struggled not to go under. "I'm really sorry, but you're no longer of any use to me anyway, girly." He was having so much fun that he didn't notice the monster rising out of the water behind him. It looked like a gigantic snake with a crocodile mouth and blood-red eyes narrowed into slits. It was only when it heard its deep growl that he noticed it. Startled, he turned around. In a panic, he shouted: "W-w-who are you?" Desperately, Luffy kicked and flailed her arms and legs. She screamed in fear and swallowed some water. The bandit also screamed as the monster opened its mouth and swallowed him, along with the boat, in one bite. Fear of death rose within her as the monster's eyes turned to her. "Help! Someone help me!" she cried in desperation. She knew that no one would hear her and if someone did, it would be too late anyway. She didn't want to die! She wanted to experience so many more and find friends her age. The monster swam towards her at breakneck speed and opened its mouth. Luffy couldn't help but scream and squint her eyes close. Suddenly she felt someone grab her and press her against there chest. She opened her eyes and saw Shanks. The monster dove back into the water just beside them. Tears began to gather in her eyes. "Th-thanks, Shanks," she managed to say. Her hands clung to his white shirt like a lifeline or a lifebuoy, or like Makino's skirt when she was afraid of something. The monster reappeared, looked at them and froze. Shanks gave him a withering look and said in a tone that didn't allow anyone to talk back: "Get lost!" Monster and the red-haired man looked at each other for a while and Luffy could have sworn that the monster was shaking in fear. Then it disappeared again into the depths of the sea. It was only then that she noticed that some of the water around her was colored red. She followed the trail with her eyes until she stopped by Shanks. Her eyes widened in shock and tears streamed down her cheeks. Her hands gripped the fabric even tighter. "I owed you something, Luffy," Shanks began to speak, "Makino told me everything. You stood up for us and fought against that bandit." She buried her face in his wet shirt and cried bitter tears. "Hey, stop crying. You're a brave fighter," Shanks said, looking down at her. "B-but Shanks. YOUR ARM!" Where his left arm used to be, there was now only a stump left that went slightly over his armpit. His right hand rested on her black hair. He looked at her sympathetically and stroked his head as he said, "That's okay. At least it had sense. I'm glad you're alive." His last words shocked the young Portgas D. so much that she paused for a moment with her eyes open and the tears also stopped. No one had ever told her that they were glad she was alive. A warm feeling spread through her chest before another crying fit took over her.

It was evening and there was a big party in the bar. Both on the rescue of Luffy by the captain of the Red Hair Pirates and the farewell of the crew. The next day they wanted to finally set sail again and return to the Grand Line. Shanks' wound had already received medical attention and was partying like there was no tomorrow. Luffy sat next to him thoughtfully. She had decided to tell him the truth, the only question was: How? Shanks, who had noticed her silence a while ago, looked at her worriedly. "Hey, what's wrong Luffy? You look like something is on your mind." She looked at him in shock, but she was able to take advantage of this situation. "Actually, there is really something I want to tell you but not here. I want only you to hear it." He looked at her in surprise before saying with a smile: "Okay, then lead me to a quiet place!" Luffy jumped off the stool, took Shanks by the hand and led her to the Stairs to the upper floor. There she led him into the small living area and pointed to a chair. "Sit down!" Without saying anything, Shanks did so and looked at Luffy. "And what's bothering you, Luffy? Is it because of the arm? I already told you that it wasn't that bad." "No, it's not about the arm," she said with a serious expression on her face and voice that he knew from somewhere. "You know that I am an orphan and have never met my parents. That's why I don't know what the love of a mother or a father feels like. But I noticed that I feel a strange feeling when I'm around you. For a long time I didn't understand what it meant, but today it became clear to me. Shanks, I see you as a kind of father figure." "That's fitting, because I've had the feeling for a long time that you're the daughter I never had," Shanks said with a smile. Luffy also smiled briefly before her expression became serious again. "I'm glad, but that's not the thing I wanted to tell you. Do you remember when we met for the first time and I introduced myself as Portgas D.? Well, that's not my real name." Shanks' eyes widened. "Well, not entirely anyway. Portgas D. was my mother's name but she actually named me after my father. Gramps thought it would be safer if I bore her name, since I would be in danger with my father's name. Do you remember the question I asked you yesterday? 'What if the Pirate King had a child?' Now the question had an even deeper meaning for me than just curiosity." Shanks felt the tension slowly eating away from within. What could it be that Luffy wanted to tell him? "I've been thinking for a long time HOW to tell you this and believe me, it's very difficult for me to say it. Especially since I was always told I couldn't tell a soul. But I see you as a kind of father and I don't WANT to hide that from you! So I'm telling you this openly now. My real name is...my name is actually Gol D. Luffy and my father was none other than the pirate king Gol D. Roger, who everyone called Gold Roger." She now looked at Shanks, waiting. He was frozen. Now he is also struck by all the similarities between his former captain and Luffy. It now made sense why so many things about her seemed so familiar. It's because Luffy is Roger's daughter. All this information combined with the events of the day were too much for Shanks' body and he fell from the chair to the floor. For a few seconds there was dead silence in the small room until: "Ahhh!" "Luffy, what's wrong?" Makino called from the bottom of the stairs full of worry. "Shanks passed out!" "What?" "Shanks passed out! Just like that!" Makino quickly came running up the stairs. "Calm down, Luffy! Did something happen before he fell over?" She started to sweat. She couldn't tell Makino that she had told Shanks the truth about her origins. But she couldn't lie to her, for various reasons. "Luffy!" Makino said encouragingly and she had that tell-me-the-truth-or-else look on her face. She nervously looked at the floor and began to play with her fingers. "It could be that I may have told him about my...origins," at the end she became quiet and looked up cautiously. You could see how angry Makino was. "Portgas D. Luffy, what have we told you about this topic?!" "That I wasn't allowed to tell anyone." "Then why did you do it?" "Because Shanks is like a father to me and you don't have secrets from your parents." Makino's facial features softened. "I understand that, Luffy. I trust Shanks too, but how can you be sure he's REALLY keeping it a secret?" Luffy looked Makino directly in the eyes. She could read the confidence and certainty in the seven-year-old's eyes as she said, "Instinct. My instincts tell me I can trust him." Makino sighed. She couldn't argue with this answer. "Well, then I trust your instincts too. It would be too late now anyway. I don't think Shanks will wake up tonight. I'll put him on the sofa and tell his men and you..." "I'm going to bed because it's far too late for me," Luffy finished the sentence.

It was the morning of the next day. The entire village had gathered at the docks as the pirates brought the last crates aboard the Red Force. "You're leaving us now, huh?" Luffy asked Shanks. He was wearing his black coat again as he descended the small stairs to the footbridges. "We've been here for quite a long time but now it's time to set sail." He had quite a headache when he woke up on Makino's sofa that morning. It had taken him a while to remember the conversation with Luffy the night before. He knew the gravity of what Luffy had told him and what a vote of confidence it was in him. He was almost sad that he didn't know it earlier. He would have liked to tell her many stories about Captain Roger, but the longing for the sea was greater. "I'll miss you" "Yes, I'll miss you too Shanks and I'll never ask you to take me with you again." Both looked at the sea while they talked. "I've got something in my head. I'm going to be a pirate too." Shanks turned slightly to her and stuck out his tongue. "You don't really think I would take you with me. I don't think you'll ever become a pirate." This wasn't actually true. In fact, he was sure she would make a pretty good pirate. But he loved to tease her. Luffy's temper came through again. The pirates who were loading the ship stopped to listen to this. "Just wait! One day I'll put together a crew that's really great. Then I'll find the greatest treasure in the world and then I'll be the next Pirate King!" "Wow, you've got a lot planned." Shanks could see a fire burning in the girl's eyes that he hadn't seen since Rogers died. He knew exactly what he had to do. He reached for his straw hat and placed it on her head. Surprised, she tried to look up, but only saw the inside of the hat. "I want to give you this hat. It's meant a lot to me." He pushed her hat a little higher and took his hand off it. "I got it from your father when I was still on his ship. So take good care of it!" She lifted the brim of her hat from her eyes and stared at Shanks. "But he gave it to you, I can't accept that." "I'm sure he wouldn't have minded. Besides, you can see it as a sign of our promise." She looked at him confused. "Promise?" "Yes, the promise that one day you will become a great and infamous pirate. And when you become this, you will come to me and then you will be the one to tell me about your adventures," Shanks said with a big smile. Tears began to form in her eyes and stream down her cheeks. That was the best gift anyone could have given her. Without thinking about it, she jumped at Shanks and wrapped her arms around his neck. He had expected many reactions from the young Portgas except this, barely managed to keep his balance. Through the girl's soft sobbing he could hear her saying: "Thank you, thank you." He lovingly stroked her long hair. At that moment he wondered what Luffy's life could have been like if Roger had still been alive. Would she have grown up on the Oro Jackson? Or would he have left her somewhere in secret until she was old enough to come on board. Would she have already been known as the Pirate Princess? So many questions that he would never get an answer to. They stayed like that for a while until Luffy let go of him again and went back to Makino. The last loads were stowed and the pirates set off. They all stood on the deck and staggered as the villagers said goodbye. Still with tears in his eyes, Luffy stood in front of Makino, who was holding her by the shoulders and holding the straw hat in her hands. The symbol of her promise to Shanks, the only thing she had from her father. A fire burned in her heart. Her goal, which she would one day fulfill, firmly in her mind.