A/N: Hi everyone! Luffy and Shanks are two of my favorite characters of One Piece (I love their relationship so much). There are many stories online where Whitebeard raises Luffy, but barely any where Shanks raises him. So I guess, this is sort of the inspiration for my story.

Shanks groaned when the bright sunlight hit his face. He ducked his head, massaging his temple gently. Unfortunately, it did nothing to ease the throbbing pain.

I shouldn't have drank all that sake last night, he thought piteously.

He sniffled, his mood only slightly cheered when he saw that the state of his nakama wasn't any better than his own.

Shanks turned to his loyal first mate, scowling when he noticed that the stoic man was whistling softly whilst polishing one of his pistols, looking no worse for wear than usual. He pouted, no matter what happened, the dark-haired man always remained composed and alert.

"Beeeennnny, my head hurts. It's too bright and sunny and hot. Make it stop."

Benn glanced at Shanks, raising an eyebrow, "Well, maybe you should've thought about the consequences before you threw that party last night. Not only did you use up all of our funds, you also ended up with a dreadful hangover."

Shanks let out another pout at the lecture, muttering, "Well, it was fun while it lasted. Anyways, we owed the villagers for supporting us during the fight. Without their help, I would've probably ended up with worse injuries."

Benn let out a noncommittal hum, "Maybe."

Shanks scowled at Benn's tone, immediately recognizing that the other man didn't really agree with him, but let him have his way.

"But?" Shanks prompted.

Benn sighed slightly at Shanks' disgruntled voice, deciding to humor the red-haired man. "We have no money now to buy ingredients or medical supplies. Furthermore, most of our crew are either unconscious or barely conscious as a result of last night's party. We're quite vulnerable to attacks by our enemies at the moment…and we have many enemies."

Shanks chuckled softly at his first mate's worrying. No matter where they were or what they did, Benn always accounted for any possible treacherous situations. Good thing too. The Red-Haired Pirates would've been in trouble if they didn't have a right hand man as responsible as Benn. However, Benn could stop and relax sometimes. It probably wasn't healthy to be that uptight.

Shanks lounged lazily on deck, waving his hand carelessly, "Stop being so serious Benny, we're pirates and pirates always throw a great party. Anyways, I don't-"

BOOOOM!

Shanks jumped slightly from the loud explosion, breaking off mid-sentence to stare in the direction of the noise. "What the fuck was that?"

Benn didn't respond, instead choosing to silently watch as one of his nakama came running towards the pair with a panicked expression on his face. "Guess we'll find out soon," he muttered.

"Boss! Boss! Boss!"

The subordinate was panting loudly, sweat pouring down his face as he fell onto his knees. "I-It's…he's, he's…the revolutionary D-Dragon is here! He's asking permission to board the ship!" The young pirate gasped out the words with effort, fear and anxiety apparent on his face.

Shanks eyes widened slightly in surprise. Although his posture visibly tensed up for a couple seconds, he quickly forced himself to relax. It wouldn't be good if a pirate captain panicked in front of his crew, especially the rookie ones.

Shanks rubbed his chin thoughtfully, pondering what this visit could possibly mean, before sharing a quick glance with Benn. "Oh? Dragon? Well hurry up and let onto the ship then, it's impolite to keep him waiting."

The boy nodded rapidly, stumbling in his haste to relay the orders.

When the kid left, Shanks lost his carefree persona. A scowl worked its way onto his face and a dark aura started to cloud over him when he thought about fighting in the midst of a hangover.

Shanks raised his head and took a deep breath before closing his eyes. Using his observation haki, he felt a strong aura slowly making its way through his ship.

Must be Dragon.

The captain opened his eyes when he felt the aura come to a slow stop in front of him. "Yo Dragon. Yasopp, Lucky, thanks for leading him here."

Yasopp and Lucky Roo nodded grimly in acknowledgement before turning their full attention towards the mysterious dark-haired man.

Shanks spoke up, gripping his sword in warning. "I hope the revolutionaries aren't here to make trouble. I have to admit that I'm not feeling too well today."

Dragon shook his head ever so slightly, "Relax Akagami, I bear no ill intentions."

Although Shanks relaxed the hold on his sword, his body was tense, ready to jump back into combat at any time. He stared at Dragon with narrowed eyes, conveying the silent question that was on everyone's mind.

Dragon didn't say anything for a moment, flipping his cape wide open with a flourish, revealing the sleeping baby he was cradling in his arms. He glanced at the small boy, his eyes softening, before speaking quietly. "This is my son. His name is Monkey D. Luffy."

Shanks' eyes widened in surprise, "Oh, so you had a son? I suppose congratulations are in order. It'll be interesting to see how he changes the world when he grows up."

The revolutionary nodded seriously, "Indeed."

He pierced Shanks with his dark eyes. "It's far too dangerous for him to stay with me. If anyone finds out about our connection, Luffy will be executed. Moreover, we have many important documents that a baby may accidentally destroy." He continued on bluntly, "Shanks, I would like you to take him on your ship."

There was silence for a few moments,

…

…

…

Before everyone's jaws comically dropped open.

"NANI?!"

Benn was the first person to calm down, "Why don't you get his grandfather to raise him?"

Dragon answered, "If I leave him with my father, he will attempt to push the marine occupation onto Luffy like he did me. I want Luffy to grow up somewhere where he'll be happy and free."

Shanks stared at the dark-haired man even more seriously than before now that an innocent baby was involved, "Why did you choose me to raise him? I've never met you and you have no reason to trust me with your son. Wouldn't someone like Whitebeard be a better candidate for Luffy's caretaker? The man always did enjoy the aspect of family."

Dragon pondered the other's questions, and answered carefully, "I've always been a good judge of character and you seem like an honest man who can be trusted. Frankly, I did consider giving Luffy to Whitebeard. However, the New World is too perilous for a baby. I've noticed lately that the Red Force has been staying out of the Grand Line for a couple of weeks now. Although not by much, your ship is safer."

Shanks didn't say anything back in response, a hesitant look on his face.

Yasopp rolled his eyes at Shanks' indecisiveness, moving forwards to coo softly at the sleeping baby. "Oh, c'mon boss, can't we take him in? He's so adorable! He reminds me of my kid Usopp who's just as cute with his little long nose and…"

Shanks rolled his eyes at the cooing, interrupting the sharpshooter, "Then why don't we take Luffy and leave you behind."

Yasopp pouted slightly, before responding back, "Oh, don't be such a-"

Benn let out a small sigh, choosing to ignore the bickering couple and instead turn back to Dragon, who was watching the entire interaction with an amused expression. "However, even if we were taking a vacation from the Grand Line, we have no obligation to care for your child. What if we refuse?"

Dragon's lips quirked up ever so slightly, "Well, I suppose I could always lie to my father and tell him that you guys are harboring his grandson."

Shanks broke from his argument with Yasopp, breaking out into loud guffaws at the bold statement. "Dahahaha, are you seriously threatening us with Garp?"

Though Dragon stared at Shanks sternly, his eyes were sparkling with humor, "I'm always serious."

Shanks grinned impishly before moving to stand next to Yasopp so he could get a look at the brat. However, before he could say a word, Dragon swiftly dumped the child into Shanks' arms.

Shanks froze, slight panic running through his frame. "Ah…a-are you sure you want me to hold him? Maybe Yasopp should hold him, I mean, he has a child back in the East Blue."

He chose to ignore the snickering of his crewmates when they heard his panicked voice. They weren't the ones in this situation. He bet that they wouldn't know what to do with the miniature human either. Shanks couldn't handle delicate, breakable things. He was a pirate. What if he accidentally dropped Luffy or something? Oh god, if Dragon and Garp didn't slaughter him, Yasopp and Benn would for being careless with a kid.

Shanks glanced cautiously at the baby when he let out a quiet gurgle. Before he could help it, a small smile crept upon his face.

The kid's kind of cute, he thought.

Luffy stared at Shanks with wide, curious eyes, giggling happily.

Shanks laughed, his eyes softening when Luffy grabbed the pinky of his outstretched hand. Little Luffy let out a happy squeal, staring earnestly at the red-haired man. God, Shanks thought, this kid's melting my heart. If this was a different world, maybe…just maybe, I'd take him in.

Unfortunately, the world didn't work that way. There was no way a child would be able to live peacefully with a pirate. He'd instantly be recognized by the government as a criminal. It'd be even worse when they figured out his bloodline. What Dragon needed to do was hide his son in a small and quiet village.

Shanks looked up with apologetic eyes, "Look Dragon, I'm sorry but a pirate's life is not for a child." He started to pass the baby back to his father when he realized something. The enigmatic man was no longer in front of him.

"Ano…Dragon? Dragon? Hello? Where'd he go?" He looked around wildly, "Is he hiding?"

Lucky mumbled around a mouthful of meat, "He already left a long time ago, boss. Said you looked too happy with Luffy for him to interrupt."

Shanks' eyes bulged out, his mouth dropping wide open. "What?! But we can't raise a baby! It's too dangerous for him here, I have to give him back! Where is he?"

Yasopp shrugged, "Dragon's already long gone. We can't even contact him. The revolutionaries are all mysterious like that."

Benn nodded stoically, "Guess we'll be stuck with Luffy for the meantime then."

Shanks merely stared at his nakama, before giving in, let out a sigh. He didn't think this meeting with Dragon would turn out this way.

He shrugged. Oh well, no point in dealing with the past.

"Guys, you know what happens when we get a new member! We throw a party!"

Revised this chapter on 7/19/16.

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