Hello everyone, and welcome to a new One Piece story. This is my answer to my own 'No Devil Fruit Luffy Challenge.' These first couple chapters will be pretty much Canon, as far as the basic plot is concerned. However, characters personalities and interactions will be changed, and some events will happen differently, or not happen at all. This story will borrow some elements from my discontinued story, 'The Man Who Would Be King.' If you've read that story, thank you for your support, and I'm sorry I gave up on it, but I think you'll like this one even more. If you haven't read that story, you don't have to. It was my first story, and I had never really tried writing like this before.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. All rights belong to their respective owners.

Now, please enjoy 'The Monkey King' Chapter One.

Wealth. Fame. Power. Gold Roger, the king of the pirates, attained this and everything else the world had to offer, and his dying words drove countless souls to the sea. "You want my treasure? You can have it. I left everything I gathered together in one piece, now you just have to find it." These words lured men to the Grand Line in pursuit of dreams greater than they'd ever dared to imagine. This is the time known as the Great Pirate Era.

Party's Bar, Foosha Village, Dawn Island. 10 years ago...

"That didn't hurt at all, Shanks," a little boy said tearfully. He had scruffy black hair, and was wearing shorts and a t-shirt that had a picture of an anchor on it. He also had a large bandage under his left eye, from when he had stabbed himself a few minutes ago to impress Shanks and his crew.

Shanks, a tall, lanky man in a simple white button up shirt and light brown pants, with deep red hair under a worn old straw hat, looked over at the crying child. "Sure it didn't, Luffy," he said mockingly.

The boy, now identified as Luffy, looked upset at that, and retorted, "Don't you make fun of me, jerk! I'm strong. My punches are like pistols." He punched his right fist towards Shanks for emphasis.

"Okay, fine. Now, why don't you calm down and drink some juice," Shanks mock apologized, handing Luffy a glass of juice.

"Thanks," Luffy said, not noticing the sarcasm that time. As he started to chug the glass though, everyone in the bar started laughing at him.

"A real pirate would never drink juice!" Shanks cried, laughing so hard he almost fell out of his chair. (although, that could have been because he was drunk.)

Luffy looked down at his glass and mumbled, "That was a dirty trick," before continuing to drink anyway. Suddenly, the door slammed open.

"So, these are pirates? Not much to look at," a tall man said, entering the bar. He had long, dark hair and a goatee, and wore a long red coat over a white shirt, with black pants that held a sword in one of the belt loops. He was followed by about a dozen men who were leering at Shanks' crew. Looking over at the bartender, the man stated, "We're mountain bandits. Don't worry though, we aren't going to break anything. Just give us ten barrels of rum and we'll be on our way."

The bartender, a green haired young woman named Makino, looked at the bandit leader apologetically. "I'm sorry, but we're fresh out of rum. We should be getting another shipment at the end of the week," she said nervously.

"Then what are these dirty pirates drinking, water?" the bandit shouted, slamming his fist on the table.

"R-rum," Makino stuttered.

Shanks turned to the angry man and held out a bottle. "Sorry, it looks like me and my boys drank the place dry. I've got this unopened bottle left. All yours pal."

The bandit just looked at Shanks for a few seconds, before smashing his fist into the bottle, dousing the red head in booze. Reaching into his coat, the bandit pulled out a wanted poster. "See this? I'm Higuma the Bear. I'm worth 8,000,000 berries. Do you really think I'd be satisfied with one measly bottle of rum?"

Shanks ignored Higuma's threat, and started wiping up the spilled alcohol. "Sorry about the mess, Makino. I'll clean it up, don't worry."

"So, you like to clean, do you pirate? Well then, get this while you're at it," Higuma shouted, slashing his sword out, shattering every dish on the bar. "Come on men, let's get out of this dump." With that, the mountain bandits headed out.

As soon as they were gone, the pirates exploded into laughter. A particularly fat one with a large chunk of meat on a bone, named Lucky Roux, said, "He really got you good, huh Captain?"

Shanks started laughing too, and that's when Luffy lost it. "Why didn't you fight back? They made you look like an idiot, and you just sat there and took it. What kind of man are you? It doesn't matter how many of them there were, you should have fought back."

"Look, Luffy, I get where you're coming from, but relax. You don't have to beat up your enemies to win a fight. Sometimes, you win by not sinking to their level. You'll get it when you're older. Now then, I believe we were partying."

"Whatever," Luffy muttered, turning back to some food he had found and started devouring it.

"You know, you shouldn't eat out of anger, Luffy," Shanks joked, looking over at the little black hole. 'Wait, what is he eating? He didn't have anything left in front of him when the bandits came in. Oh crap!' "Luffy, what are you eating?" Shanks asked, frantically searching the bar for the small chest he had brought with him.

"Some meat I found on the floor after that bear guy knocked everything off the bar. I grabbed it really quick, so it's fine. You've heard of the five-minute rule, right? Why are you freaking out?" Luffy asked between bites of the giant chicken leg he had found.

Hearing this, Shanks visibly relaxed, before looking at Luffy like he was crazy again. "Five second rule, Luffy, not minute. And have you seen a small, wooden chest anywhere?"

"I'm pretty sure it's five minutes, Shanks. My grandpa told me so. Anyway, do you mean that chest?" Luffy asked, pointing over towards the wall where everything had flown after Higuma's outburst. "I tried to see what was inside it, but it was locked. Is it some kind of treasure? Can I see it, please?"

"I don't see why not. I was going to offer it as a prize for a drinking game we were going to have, but the party got a bit out of hand before I could start it," Shanks replied, picking up the chest and taking a key out of his pocket. Opening the chest, Shanks pulled out a round purple fruit with a series of swirly patterns on it. "This is called a Devil Fruit. It is a special type of fruit that can grant people incredible power. For example, you could gain the ability to create earthquakes, or turn into a Phoenix, or even create and control ice. This one is called the Gum-Gum Fruit. It turns your body into rubber, making you extremely flexible and stretchy. The downside is that if you eat one, you lose your ability to swim, forever. Also, they apparently taste terrible."

"What kind of pirate would give up their ability to swim? Are these fruits really that strong?" Luffy wondered aloud, staring skeptically at the fruit in Shanks' hand.

"Some of them are. A lot of the strongest people in the world have Devil Fruits. Of the fifteen people who make up the Three Great Powers, which are the Marine Admiralty, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the Four Pirate Emperors, eleven use Devil Fruits. But, the four who don't are equally powerful. Devil Fruits don't make you stronger or weaker, they only change your body. How you react to that change is what matters. If you think the ability you get is useless, you'll never get stronger. But, if you take the time to practice and learn about it, even the weakest seeming ability can be powerful. For example, the second strongest Warlord, Donquixote Doflamingo, ate the String-String Fruit. It sounds silly, but seeing what he does with it is terrifying. But, that's enough history for one day. It's getting late, and we're leaving in the morning. We'll probably come back one or two more times, but then we need to move on. If we stay here too much longer, the Marines might get suspicious. Good night, Luffy," Shanks said, tousling Luffy's hair before locking up the Gum-Gum Fruit again. With that, Shanks and his crew stumbled out of the bar, singing a very off key version of 'Binks' Brew'.

Turning to Makino, Luffy looked confused, and said, "Late? It's only two in the afternoon."

"I think they make up their own time, Luffy. Now, if you help me clean up, I'll make you a nice supper. How does steak and potatoes sound?" Makino asked, laughing as Luffy's eyes lit up at the mention of free meat.

One Week Later...

Luffy wasn't having a very good day. He was currently face down in the middle of town being kicked by the mountain bandits that had insulted Shanks.

Flashback...

He had been sitting at the bar, sulking about how Shanks hadn't been back when he promised, when the bandits arrived. They had filled the bar and were acting like they owned the place. Luffy was annoyed by them, but knew he couldn't do anything about them, so he bit his tongue and kept drinking his juice. But then, Higuma grabbed Makino's wrist and started groping her, and told her she could 'have a real man, instead of that red haired coward.' That was the last straw.

"Hey! Let her go, jerk! And don't insult Shanks. He's more of a real man than any of you will ever be!" he shouted, standing up in his chair to look the bandit, who was sitting right next to him, in the eye.

That was when Higuma stood to his full height and glared down at him. "That's some mouth you got, kid. But you shouldn't speak if you can't back it up," the bandit leader taunted, grabbing Luffy by the neck and throwing him out the door.

End Flashback...

So, there he was, helpless to defend himself as the bandits slowly stomped the life out of him. Then, suddenly the pain stopped. Looking up, Luffy hoped to see Shanks, or maybe his grandpa, or really anyone who could save him. Instead, he saw Higuma walking towards him slowly.

"Let me go!" Luffy yelled as the bandit got closer.

Higuma just laughed and picked him up by the neck again. "Now why would I do that?" the bandit asked, slowly starting to squeeze the young boy's throat.

"Let... me... go...!" Luffy choked out, squirming to get out of the larger man's grip.

Instead, Higuma started squeezing harder, and spots started to drift through Luffy's vision. But then, the boy and the bandit heard a shout from behind them.

"Please, leave the boy alone," Mayor Woop Slap said, slightly shaking. He was an old man with a gray mustache and beard, and he wore a yellow button up shirt and brown pants, as well as a red and white striped bucket hat and wooden sandals. "I don't know what he's done, but I will give you whatever you want if you just let him go."

"I'm sorry, old man, but at this point, the only thing I want is to see this kid die. As soon as I'm done with that though, I'll leave your village in peace." With that, Higuma returned his attention to the boy in his hand. Just as he was about to finish Luffy off, he was interrupted again, this time by a familiar voice.

"Hey, Luffy, sorry we're late. Looks like you got yourself in some trouble. I thought you said your punches were as strong as pistols." Shanks and his crew walked up behind the mayor, with Makino leading them. "How are you going to become a great pirate if you can't even beat this weakling?"

"Weakling? Last time I checked, you were too scared to even try to fight me. Now you're acting like I'm beneath you. What gives you the right to treat me like that?" Higuma taunted, dropping Luffy to the ground as he turned to stare down Shanks.

"You can insult me all you want. Pour booze on me, throw food at me, even spit on me. I'll just laugh it off. That kind of thing really isn't worth getting too worked up about. But, you never hurt my friends. Understand?" Shanks said menacingly, his straw hat covering his eyes in shadows. Slowly, he started walking towards the bandits.

"Is that supposed to frighten me? You're nothing but talk. Take them out men," Higuma ordered, waving the other bandits forward.

One of them stepped in Shanks' path and pointed a gun at him. "Stop right there, pirate!" he shouted.

Shanks stopped, looked the man in the eyes and asked, "Are you prepared to risk your life?"

The bandit looked confused at that. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, guns aren't for making threats, they're for actions. Now that you've drawn your pistol, are you prepared to use it?"

The bandit stood still for a second, his hands shaking, then 'BANG!' A gunshot rang out, and the bandit fell to the ground. Standing next to the now dead body was Lucky Roux, a smoking gun in one hand, and a large hunk of meat in the other.

"That was a dirty trick you bastards!" Higuma shouted, completely focused on the pirates now. Luffy saw an opportunity and snuck away quietly.

"We're pirates, not saints," Benn Beckman retorted. He was a tall man with slicked back black hair held in a ponytail. He wore a black V-neck t-shirt and dark green cargo pants tucked into a pair of black combat boots. Around his waist, he wore a yellow sash with a rifle held in it like a pistol. "Captain, do you mind if I deal with these guys?" Shanks nodded, and Benn looked at the mountain bandits. "Well, come and get me then," he taunted, drawing his rifle and wielding it like a club.

Charging forward, the bandits drew swords and daggers as they converged upon the First Mate of the Red Hair Pirates. Benn casually lit a cigarette and took a quick drag before putting it out on a bandit's face. As he screamed, Benn swung his rifle into the man's stomach, causing him to crumple to the ground. A few more men got close to Benn, so he swung his rifle in an arc, knocking five more men to the ground. Seizing the initiative, Benn rushed at the rest of the bandits, and knocked each of them out with a blow to the head. Now standing in the middle of a field of unconscious bandits, he took out another cigarette, and said, "Maybe next time you should bring a battleship."

Higuma looked at the pirates, fear showing on his face. He reached into his pocket to pull out a smoke bomb, hoping to make a quick escape, when he felt a sharp pain to the back of his legs that sent him to his knees. Turning around, he saw the little brat from the bar holding a broom. Luffy swung again, hitting the bandit leader in the face, sending him fully to the ground. Then, Luffy started kicking him in the head until Shanks ran up and grabbed Luffy, pulling him away from the man.

"Let me go, we have to kill him!" Luffy shouted, kicking and screaming to try and break out of Shanks' grip. "We have to finish this so he doesn't hurt anyone else!"

"Luffy, it is finished. Just calm..."

"Let me go!" Luffy cried, unknowingly releasing his Conqueror's Haki. Shanks dropped him, and he ran back to finish what he started.

"Luffy, stop," Shanks said calmly, letting his own Haki flow over the boy. 'Who would have thought I'd find a kid like this in the East Blue, of all places,' he thought, watching as Luffy stopped in his tracks. "You don't have to kill him. Sure, he said some mean things about me, and I'm glad you stood up for me, but he's not actually a threat. I'm not going to tell you that you should never kill your enemy, because that's naïve, but what I will say is this. Only kill to protect your friends. If you can defeat an enemy without killing him, then don't. But, if it's a situation where sparing your enemy would mean putting a friend in danger, finish it. Do you understand what I'm trying to say, Luffy?"

"B-b-but, Sh-shanks," Luffy said tearfully, "it w-wasn't just words. H-he... He grabbed Makino and... and started grabbing her chest, and she looked really uncomfortable, and started telling him to stop and..."

"Alright, Luffy, calm down. Everything's okay now," Shanks whispered reassuringly, hugging Luffy. "Mayor, why don't you take Luffy and Makino back to the bar and get started on lunch. My crew and I will clean up out here," he said louder, so everyone could hear.

The mayor gave Shanks a knowing look, before nodding and taking Luffy's hand. "Come on, boy. With you and the pirates, it's going to be a busy lunch, and Makino's going to need all the help she can get."

"O-okay," Luffy said wiping the tears from his eyes.

As soon as Luffy was around the corner, Shanks stood up and looked at his crew. Without a word, they each nodded and grabbed one of the bandits, and walked back towards their ship. Shanks and Benn walked over towards Higuma and looked down at the bandit leader. The beaten man looked up and saw Shanks crack his knuckles. "I guess you need a lesson in treating ladies with respect."

Ten Minutes Later...

"Alright, problem solved," Shanks said, walking into the bar, his crew right behind him. "Are you doing okay, Makino?" he asked, taking his seat at the bar. Luffy was sitting next to him, silently drinking his juice and looking uncharacteristically shaken.

"I'll be fine, thank you," she responded quietly, looking everywhere except at Shanks.

"If you say so. Just remember this. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"In that case, would you mind staying here tonight? I don't think I can feel safe alone."

"Of course, I'll have my men stand guard, and..."

"N-No, uh, just you. If you don't mind."

"As you wish."

"Shanks," Luffy said, looking up from his drink, "what did you do?"

"I, uh, what do you mean by that?"

"With your voice. Your voice got really low, and you told me to stop, and then I couldn't move. What happened to me?"

"Oh, that. It's called Haki. It's pretty complicated, but I'll try to explain the basics. It's all about willpower, the strength of your spirit. There are three types, two of which, anyone can learn if they work at it. The third one, you have to be born with. The first two are called Observation Haki and Armament Haki. Observation Haki is the ability to sense someone's presence, even if you can't see them. It can also be used to sense the power of an opponent and, with enough concentration, their next move. Try to hit me."

"What?"

"As a demonstration, you try to hit me, and I will try to avoid getting hit. But here's the trick. I'm going to be blindfolded."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely."

"Alright, but you asked for it."

With that, Shanks put his hat on the table and wrapped a bandana around his eyes. As soon as he put his hands down, Luffy attacked. He started with a straight right punch, but Shanks moved his head ever so slightly, and Luffy hit nothing but air. Trying again, Luffy went for a left hook, followed by a right spin kick. Shanks ducked the punch, then grabbed Luffy by the leg and held him upside down.

"See, you can't touch me. Now, while I'm still blindfolded, I want you to put your hands behind your back and hold up any number of fingers you want."

"Okay," Luffy said skeptically. He put his hands behind his back and held up two fingers on his right hand and three on his left. "Ready."

"Five."

Luffy switched to four on both hands.

"Eight."

One and five.

"Six."

Three and four.

"Seven."

Both of his middle fingers.

"Cheeky."

Shanks put Luffy back down in his chair and removed the blindfold.

"Next," he continued, putting his hat back on, "is Armament Haki. It's the ability to project your spirit as a shield. It can also be used to coat your body or weapons, making your attacks stronger. It is also capable of hitting Devil Fruit users whose abilities would normally prevent them from being injured by physical attacks. Try to hit me again, but this time I'm going to let you." He held out his arm with his open palm facing Luffy.

"Here goes nothing."

Luffy punched Shanks' hand as hard as he could.

"Ow!" Luffy shouted, shaking his hand.

"Now, the third type of Haki, Conqueror's Haki, is incredibly rare. Only one person in a million is born with it. It's what I used on you to make you stop. It's basically just pure willpower exerted as a force, in a short burst to render foes unconscious and tame wild animals, or as a continuous flow to also cause physical damage to objects around you. You've already seen this one, so I won't demonstrate it again. Now, we are leaving again in two days, and we won't be coming back. We've used this island as a base for almost a year now, and if the Marines aren't on to us yet, they will be soon. My sources tell me that your grandpa is thinking about coming for a visit soon, and we need to be gone before he gets here. So, tonight we party, then tomorrow, we begin preparations for departure. Luffy, you can't come with us, but I have some things to give you to get you ready for when you finally do set out, okay?"

"Sure. I wouldn't want to go with you guys anyways. You're all old. I'm going to find my own crew, and we'll be even better than you. And then, I'll become the King of the Pirates."

"King of the Pirates. You? In that case, here." Shanks took the straw hat off his head and put it on Luffy. "This hat is very special, and very important to me. So, I want you to give it back to me, but only after you've become a great pirate, okay?"

"Right," Luffy nodded, tears welling up in his eyes again.

"Hey, no more of that. Like I said, tonight is supposed to be a party. So, let's have some fun, then tomorrow after we leave, that's when you can cry." Turning to his crew, he shouted, "Drink up, men. After tonight we won't have any decent rum until we're back on the Grand Line. So enjoy yourselves, but remember that you also have to be able to work tomorrow. Anyone who doesn't can stay here and be a farmer or something, got it!"

"Aye aye, captain!"

The rest of the day passed quickly, people eating and drinking and singing late into the evening, and there was much rejoicing.

The Next Morning...

Shanks woke up early, moving slowly so as not to wake up Makino, who was lying naked next to him. He quickly got dressed, and headed to his ship. Upon his arrival, he saw Benn and Roux filling a small chest with books. "What are you boys up to this morning?" he asked, stretching his arms above his head.

"Oh, captain," Benn said, looking up from his current task. "We figured you would have a late night and wouldn't wake up until about noon. So, we decided to start preparing your gift for Luffy. You did say you had some things to give him, and we figured you meant these books."

"Good work. Now, aside from these books, I have two other gifts in mind. I'll grab those. Benn, when you're finished here, wake the rest of the crew and get started with preparations to set sail. Roux, take stock of the larder and prepare an order for the butcher. Once we head out, I'd like to make as few stops as possible, so make sure we can get to at least Lougetown before we need to resupply," Shanks ordered, heading up the gangplank on to the ship.

"Aye aye, captain," the two men replied, getting ready for a long day of work.

After that, the docks were a hub of activity for the next several hours. Men ran this way and that, checking the sails, cleaning the deck or gathering supplies. Finally, around five o'clock in the afternoon, the Red Hair Pirates were ready to head out. Well, almost ready.

"Shanks!" Luffy cried out, running up to the docks.

"Hey, Luffy. Just in time. So, are you ready for your gifts?" Shanks asked, walking down from his ship. Benn was behind him, carrying a small chest. As they reached the shore, Benn put the chest down in front of Luffy.

"Oh boy, treasure! Thank you, Shanks. This is the best..." Luffy began, opening the chest. "What is this? It's full of books. Where's the treasure?"

"In the pages of those books," Benn answered, chuckling as Luffy's smile faded. "Being a pirate isn't just about fighting and partying and gold. Some of the most valuable treasure in the world is knowledge. That's what's in this chest Luffy, the knowledge you'll need to become a great pirate."

"Luffy," Shanks chimed in, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, "you can go almost anywhere in this world with just a ship and a dream. But in this Era, a lot of people share your dream. To become the King of the Pirates, you'll have to be better than all of them. So take these books and get stronger. Some will teach you the basic skills that anyone who goes to sea should have, like how to navigate, and how to sail. Others are more specialized, like how to fight with a staff, and how to lead a crew. There are three in there that are particularly valuable. First, there is a guide on how to learn and use Haki. I gave you a basic demonstration, so you should be able to figure out if you're doing it right. The second book is a Devil Fruit encyclopedia. It has a description of every known Devil Fruit, as well as a picture for some. It should come in handy if you ever come across one. Finally, there is a book about the Six Powers, high level Marine combat techniques. Unfortunately, getting our hands on that book wasn't easy, and it was ripped in half by one of my men and a Marine officer. The half we got covers the three leg based techniques. There's Shave, which allows you to move at superhuman speeds; Moon Walk, the ability to jump in midair, giving the illusion of flight; and Tempest Kick, a blade of compressed air launched by kicking very quickly. Study these books, but don't stop when you're done okay. You'll go far, Luffy, but only if you never stop moving forward. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I get it. I promise to learn everything I can to become a great pirate. Thank you for everything, Shanks," Luffy answered, nodding his head in determination.

"I haven't given you everything yet. There are two more things I want you to have," Shanks said, reaching into his cloak. He pulled out a familiar looking chest and a red staff tipped with gold. "No one on the crew wanted it, so I'm leaving the Gum-Gum Fruit here with you. You can eat it if you want to. Or, you could hold on to it for later, either to sell it, or give it to one of your crew. The choice is entirely up to you. And this," he said, holding out the staff, "is Jingu Bang, the Gold-Banded Rod. It's made of Adam Wood, meaning it is virtually indestructible. However, it weighs 796 kilograms, so I doubt you can lift it right now." Standing up, Shanks walked to the beach and found a large boulder. He hefted the staff like a spear, and stabbed it straight through the solid rock. "So, you'll need to train every day, both physically and mentally, until you can pull it out of this stone. Good luck, Luffy. I'll see you on the Grand Line." With that, he and his crew got on their ship and prepared to set sail.

Looking back, Shanks saw Luffy standing at the end of the dock, waving at the pirates and shouting, "Goodbye, Shanks. I will become the King of the Pirates, and I will see you again. That's a promise."

Shanks just nodded, watching as the island slowly started to shrink away, the ship picking up speed as they headed back home. 'Things are going to get interesting now,' he thought, as the island finally faded completely from view. 'It looks like the Will of D lives on, Roger. I wonder how it will end this time.'

And that's a wrap. Thank you all for reading this story. I am sorry that there was a lot of exposition in this chapter, but it should give you all the info you need, so that next chapter I can just get right into the story without having to stop and explain things every other paragraph. Also, how do you feel about my descriptions? Did you like them, did they feel too long, do I need to describe everyone? Please leave a review to let me know what you think. I will answer any non-spoiler questions through private messaging. Constructive criticism only, please. All flames will be absorbed by Ace. See you all next time on 'The Monkey King.'