In the peaceful village named Foosha, East Blue. A girl who is 11 years old resides along with a boy named Monkey D. Luffy, who recognizes her as his own family.

That girl is Shuli Alberitch, another child that Garp brought home a few years ago when Luffy was just barely 6 years old. Right now her being 11 while Luffy is 7 years old -- Shuli has her own pocket money by helping Makino-san, she planned to sail out, or at least that's what she thought. Luffy kept eating stuff that was outside Makino's place, not that she mind it one bit.

Like any other day, The Partys Bar is lively as always thanks to the Red Hair Pirates. Luffy who was done with shanks' teasing approaches his sister with a pout on his face, not wanting to face that smug captain after trying so hard to become one of their crew but sadly it was a no to the captain.

"Shuliiiii, let's practice pirate!! I don't want to hang out with shanks anymore!"

"Luffy, I'm helping Makino-san at the moment." She said it to the boy though a bit harshly.

"Oh my luffy~ you made your sister angry because you hurt yourself~." Shanks snorted at the both of them.

"Shut up shanks!"

"Luffy, you gotta try to understand how he feels."

"First mate.."

"Shanks knows how tough and dangerous being a pirate more than anyone else-- he is my captain." The black-haired man named Benn Beckman spoke wisely while lighting up his cigarette. "Don't you see? It's not like he wants to break your spirit."

"No, I don't! Shanks is just making fun of me!" He snarled at thought of shanks.

"Anchor!--"

"SEE!?"

Shanks kept on laughing while he glance at the little girl who is walking behind the bar and sat down to take a break.

"Are you done?" The owner asked.

"All of them, all I need to wait is for them to ask for a refill. Hopefully, they don't ask for more booze, it's finished." Shuli sighed.

"Shuli, you're quite the hard worker despite you being a child but I can recognize you as a mature being! How about coming over to the crew? As hmmm my apprentice!!" Shanks asked the 11-year old which made everyone spit their drinks and Luffy screamed feral at him.

"Don't be ridiculous uncle shanks, as much as the offer sounds pleasing -- I don't think I will survive because I know how the world is." She muttered the last few words.

"You remind me of someone... But I can't remember who's that someone." Shanks sighed disappointingly.

"Ah, I see the old age is keeping you up huh." Shuli smugly smiles at him.

"Shut up! Don't say it so casually as if you're the same age as us! It's creepy!"

"Shanks is getting nagged being old by an 11-year-old." Luffy snickered.

"WHY YOU LIL BRATS!?!"

Luffy laughed loudly and made his way to have a seat near shanks. Again with his persistence to join his crew. "Shanks! Let me in on your next voyage! I wanna become a pirate." This made Shuli sigh tiredly at her brother's perseverance.

"As if!" He laughed.

Meanwhile, yasopp gave him another piece of wisdom to share. "Just being a good swimmer doesn't mean you'd make a good pirate."

"I'm good at fighting too! My punches are like pistols! Right Shuli?"

Shuli nodded quietly, trying to appease the younger one. Lucky Roux saw how tired she is and felt a Lil bad about her playing along with Luffy.

"Oh really???" Shanks mumble while eating his meal, full of doubt that he adds.

"What does that supposed to mean!?"

"What Captain meant is you're too much of a kid, Luffy!" Lucky roux laughed to join in the fun.

"Seriously, you're around the same age as my kid!"

"I'm not a kid! I'm a grown-up like Shuli!"

"Now now, don't get so mad -- Here! have some juice!"

"Wow! Thanks, shanks!"

"See!! Still a kid!" He laughed loudly.

"That's dirty shanks!"

"Shuli, why don't you have the rest day off. A child like you shouldn't work anyways." Makino smiled at her. "If I have the rest day off, don't dress me up ever again."

"Deal, you're not supposed to be working such heavy work." Makino sighed disappointingly at the deal.

"I bet she looks pretty in every clothes~ imagine someone as pretty as Shuli calls me dad." He teased. "Call me dad and I will bring you into my ship Shuli!" He began to start his tipsy self again.

"No way uncle shanks." Shuli came up with a fast reply bringing the crew a whole new entertainment.

"Yea! She wouldn't want you to be her dad because her little brother is here! Bleh!" Luffy went to her and blows a raspberry at shanks way.

"Because I know my dad is still alive but he said he'll probably come back to visit." Shuli spoke out her reason.

"Oh? Well dammit, you still have a dad huh? If you ever want a parental figure, you can always count on the red hair pirates!" Shanks pat her head with sincere actions.

"Okay! Uncle shanks." She blushed and smile ever so brightly at him.

"Hey, Shuli! Smile like that at me too! I'll become a pirate too!"

"Yes yes, you are."

Suddenly someone kicked the entrance door down to spoil the party. "Pardon us." The tall figure said not after he broke the door.

Everyone quiets down to see the new group who's coming in, sensing the person is gonna do something stupid -- Shuli made her way to Luffy and hide behind her back. "Sis, what are you doing?"

"Quiet Luffy." She shushed Luffy as shanks nodded at her to stay away just in case.

"So, these are pirates? Look pretty damn dumb to me." The newcomer spouts nonsense in the air as he made his way to the counter.

"Welcome.." Makino welcomed them with hospitality.

"We're mountain bandits but we ain't here to tear up the place. Sell us some booze. Ten barrels will do." The leader ordered.

"I'm very sorry but I just ran out of alcohol." The owner apologized.

"That's odd, these pirates seem to be drinking something... What is it, water?"

"I'm sorry sir, but just like the owner said. She 'just' ran out of alcohol so 'it' recently finished." Shuli gave them a heartwarming smile that was yet so fake.

"I didn't ask you brat. So shut up and let the adults talk." He glared darkly at Shuli.

Her hands still holding Luffy's who is behind her - her hands were shaking badly due to her sense of fear but someone taught her not to show such fear or they'll take advantage of it.

"Oh my, I'm sorry but I just repeat what the owner says. A simple English that you can't unders--" Shanks cut shuli off with a smile on his face.

"My apologies, looks like we're the ones who drank the whole place dry. Sorry!" The captain apologizes to the leader of the other party. "You can have this if you'd like. It hasn't been opened yet." He then shows a bottle that's untouched from the opening.

The leader of the bandits who looks like grabbing it ended up punching through it and let it scatter onto him making Shuli gasp out of fear.

"Uncle shanks!" She stayed still because shanks is smiling at her with no waver emotions getting angry.

"There's an eight million berry bounty on my head, yknow. One bottle ain't enough for a bedtime drink, so don't insult me." The bandit looked down at the pirate.

"Now the floor's all wet." Shanks frown at the outcome. "Sorry about that, Makino. Do you have a rag?" He picked up the shattered bottle.

"It's okay, I'll do that!" She hurried went to get the rags but the bandits made even more of a mess, creating a slash on the bar counter to the end making dirt all over the place luckily Shuli made Luffy far away from the counter before it could even make more damage.

"Seems that you like cleaning so much, I'll give you the job. Not worth the time if they're out of booze, let's go!" The leader ushered them out. "Later wimps!"

"Are you okay captain?"

"Oh no, I'm fine! No problem one bit." He was quiet but then he laughed.

"He got you real good captain!"

"Talk about lame!" Everyone in his crew started to laugh and went back to his joyful self.

"Uncle shanks are you okay?" Shuli slowly approaches him with worried eyes.

"I am kiddo, why? Are you that worried for me?" Shanks teased her but she ended up nodding with her hand gripping her clothes' side.

Poor Shuli was scared and he noticed it.

"If you want to find out that I'm okay, why don't you hug me?" Shanks jokingly said it to the younger lass but ended up with him having a hug because she was worried.

"I keep forgetting you're just a kid." Shanks sighed and sat up while holding her in his arm despite having the smell of alcohol everywhere.

"WHY ARE YOU GUYS LAUGHING?!" Luffy screamed angrily at them. Luffy couldn't believe what he had just witnessed, pirates are the strongest people who could see and all those stories told by shanks seem like a lie to the little boy. "That's so uncool! Why didn't you guys fight back?!" He stood up on the bar stool before continuing. "No matter how many are they or how strong they seem, you're not men or pirates -- if you laugh after something like that!"

Shuli who is still in shanks' arms, tried to calm Luffy down. "I can understand how you feel, Luffy. He only spilled some booze on me, it's nothing to get angry about." He patted Shuli's head.

"Whatever!" Luffy looked at Shuli and then at the fruit in a treasure box.

Makino and shanks look after each other while giggling. "At this point, you're her father if you keep taking care of her like this captain." Makino giggled at the image.

"Luffy? What are you eating?" Shuli asked tiredly.

"Eating out of frustration, Luffy?" Shanks's teasing phase is back again.

"Shut up!" Luffy took a big bite from the fruit.

"WAIT LUFFY, WHAT ARE YOU EATING!?" Shanks shriek in fear, approaching Luffy with worries on his face.

"Uncle shanks? What's wrong?" She looked back at Luffy who was eating some kind of exotic fruit.

"That box! Did you eat what was in that box??!" The more hesitant Luffy is the more truth on display on his face.

"Y-yea.."

With a whiff, Shuli out of instinct jumped down while shanks use both hands to hold Luffy's legs. "Spit everything out now! Every last bite!!"

"Wait exotic fruits? Is it poisonous? Or is it." Shuli questioned herself until a reasonable answer came out to her mind. "Don't tell me it's a.."

"What are you doing shanks!? Sis help me!!"

"Luffy spit everything out now!" Shuli pats his back harshly, trying to get it out.

Before it could progress any further, Luffy's face hit the ground with his legs being stretched -- everyone who drank their drinks began to spit out like a fountain.

"What was that..."

"Luffy, you just ate a devil fruit." The 11-year-old sighed with a sweat of worried.

"Like what my daughter said, what you ate is a gum-gum fruit! It's a devil fruit that grants its user an ability to be like rubber but in exchange, you lose the ability to swim for the rest of your life?!" Shanks finished.

EH?! NO WAY!!"

"YOU DUMBASS!!"

"I'M NOT YOUR DAUGHTER YOU DUMBASS!"

-Chapter 1 ended-