A/n: I'm proud to present to you this new fic I'm writing, I'm working hard on this and LOVE One Piece so I'm gonna try and keep things interesting. It's gonna have a slow build, so I'm sorry but it'll take a bit before you see Zoro. Please enjoy (I don't own anything)
-Ryan Sensei
As the unique marine ship made its way through the glistening sea, one could find vice admiral, Monkey D. Garp frantically looking for his adventurous six year old grandson on the deck of his ship.
Standing on the large canine figurehead, was none other than said man's grandson, Monkey D. Luffy; a petite boy with raven hair and eyes, and an adorable overall appearance, oblivious to his grandfather's search for him.
"Oi Jii-chan! Look! Look! Isn't the sea so big?" Luffy shouted from his comfortable position, and alerting Garp of his location.
"Bwahahahaha! What does my adorable future marine think he's doing up there?"
"Marine? I already told you jii-chan, I'm not gonna be a marine, I'm gonna be-!"
Right before Luffy could make his triumphant declaration, the two were interrupted by Garp's right hand man Bogard. "Sorry to interrupt you two, but there is a pirate ship steadily approaching at 3 o'clock."
Garp raised an eyebrow, and pulled an opened box of crackers from his marine jacket pocket. First giving one to Luffy, then munching on one himself, he looked back at his long time friend.
"Pirates who willingly approach "War Hero" Garp's ship? They must either have some big balls or are idiots… or maybe a bit of both. What flag are they under?"
"Unreadable at the moment, but it is confirmed that they are an all fishmen crew. How would you like to proceed?"
"Fishmen huh…" The admiral glanced over his shoulder to find the innocent boy playing with a stag beetle he found; suddenly remembering his first time meeting him.
The large mug of beer was lightly presented before Garp as he looked at the too young bar maid. A puzzled look came across Garp's face as he looked between the drink and the green haired girl.
"Um, Makino-chan, I didn't order this beer, I mean I'll take it, but-"
"Oh! About that, that guy with the tattoo over there said to give it to you," she said pointing to a cloaked figure at a lone booth in the corner.
Getting up from his seat, the vice admiral made a straight B-line for the man, readying his 'fist of love'.
Within seconds, the man was nursing a large bump on his head, while Garp sat parallel to him.
"What the hell was that for old man?!"
"It's not 'old man' it's 'Dad', and that was for not contacting me in so long… Dragon."
The tattooed man lifted his head upon hearing his name and stared wide eyed at his father who quickly guzzled his drink.
"So, what's the excuse this time?" The older man said, lowering the mug and crossing his arms, while giving a skeptic look.
"This here, is your new grandson, Monkey D. Luffy," the man said, revealing a bundled infant from his cloak.
Garp froze for a moment, wide eyed looking between the baby and his son.
"I-I'm a grandad?" He said close to tears.
Dragon smirked before handing the infant to his father. Garp happily accepted the child, who's onyx hair and eyes added to his cherubic like nature.
"He's glowing…" as if on cue, the baby giggled, producing the most heartwarming sound known. "...Oi, idiot son, who's the mother? I want to meet the woman who was able to pull the reigns on you."
Dragon stilled for a moment and tried to fight his frustration. "Her name was Alectrona… she was a sun goddess…"
"That explains the glow and adorableness since there's no way that came from you, but how the hell did you of all people get in contact with one of the goddess? I'm very sure the gods made it clear that they didn't want to mingle with the humans..." The elder questioned while cradling the child.
"Well the proof is Luffy right here, and the little sun birthmark on his left hip, but when we met, she was in her human form… I never actually found out she was a goddess 'till yesterday when she… was killed."
Garp's eyes widened and he was about to offer his apologies when his son interrupted any thoughts of speech.
"After Luffy was born, she was in a weakened state, and went into her -breathtakingly vibrant- true form… I was surprised to say the least, but that didn't change my feelings for her. I was just happy to have a family of my own… Somehow some of the gods found out about her pregnancy, and they didn't share our sentiments they- they just… killed her. Was it because she disobeyed the gods and fell in love with a human? Because we broke a taboo and created Luffy, a demi-god? I'm frustrated about how in the dark I am about all of this! If only I was stronger I could've! I could've…" the man's fist clenched just recalling the memory.
"I heard one of the gods talking about how they'd have to lie about her death, and get rid of all three of us…. I couldn't let them take all of my family! I just couldn't! So I ran as far as I could with our son. They'll be looking for Luffy and I together, so I think it'd be best if we separate, and I place him with you."
"You mean someone strong?"
"No, I mean someone I can trust. The son of a notorious criminal and a goddess… He'll be wanted by both humans and gods. I feel remorse that my son has to live in such a world.. But that's just another reason why I'm trying to make it better… Besides, I can tell that the gods that killed Alectrona weren't the true masterminds behind all this, whoever they are won't stop until both myself and Luffy especially are no longer breathing. Along with getting rid of our current government I plan to discover the truth." He began to stand, and laid a generous tip on the table in the process.
Giving his son a smile, the criminal looked to his slowly aging, yet still strong father.
"Oi, idiot son… Are you really sure you wanna do this? Are you sure you want to just leave Luffy like this? Alone with no mother or father present?! Do you realise just WHAT you are leaving behind? It's not fair to-" he paused mid-sentence as he took in the shaking form of his son's back. It was clear just by looking how difficult this was for him.
Sighing, Garp softly patted his son on the back- well, whatever 'soft' was to Garp-. With a whisper he added, "take care of yourself."
Dragon stood still for a moment before walking to the exit, stopping at the frame. He tilted his head in Garp's direction and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear.
"Thank you… Dad."
Just thinking about it made the vice admiral want to cry. With a new look of determination, he shouted to all the members on the ship, "All men! Prepare for battle!"
A chorus of 'yes sirs!' filled the ship as men prepared for the incoming fight. Garp picked up the small boy by the back of his shirt, and with confidence said, "Luffy, this is your chance to watch some marines at work, stay hidden behind these barrels and watch as your jii-chan beats up some evil pirates!"
Carefully placing the boy behind a pile of supplies and barrels, the war hero removed his jacket and placed it over the boy.
Within mere moments the pirate ship had managed to intercept the vice admirals, and with an unidentifiable battle cry, a full on fishmen pirates vs. marines brawl began.
Luffy watched in awe as his grandfather overpowered opponent after the other, but was horrified to see the pristine deck soon be tainted in crimson from both parties. Corpses from both sides flooded the deck and agonizing screams surrounded the small boy.
Pulling his knees closer to his chest and tightly closing his eyes, tremors racked the raven haired boy's small frame. This would mark the first -and certainly not the last- time Luffy saw countless battles where lives were on the line, and the death count was piling.
Too busy blocking out the traumatizing sight, Luffy didn't realize the pair of hands that made its way at him.
"Hoho, what's this? Who woulda thought I'd find a child on a marine ship. You must be important if you were allowed on here and wearing this jacket... I wonder how much the marines would pay to get you back? That settles it! Kid, you're coming with us!" exclaimed a pale looking fishman with the kanji character 'koi' printed across it.
Luffy glanced at the character and muttered the word "carp?"
The fishman holding Luffy came to an abrupt stop and shouted, "it's not carp! It stands for love you idiot human!" the webbed hand's grip shifted over to Luffy's neck as he began to choke the boy in anger.
Luffy's hand reached for the larger male's, hoping to pry off the iron grip to no avail and was quickly knocked unconscious.
With the boy no longer struggling, the fishman gave a cry as he made it back onto his ship's deck, "Return to the ship! We got something valuable! Retreat!"
Garp raised an eyebrow at the fishman's antics and let out a hearty laugh, "Bwahahaha, I see they realized they're no match for us marines huh."
The remaining fishmen managed to narrowly escape since Garp was busy handling a few of their comrades. It was only after they were beyond the horizon that Garp realized his grandson was taken.
xX~OP~Xx
The sound of distant laughter and a faint grunt filled Luffy's ears as he slowly shifted awake. Taking in his surroundings, he realized he was in a dark room with only a barred window and the light under the door to help him see.
The room had a musty scent and was moderately cold. "W-where am I?" He lightly said shaking off any dizziness
"King! You're awake! Thank goodness!"
"King? Who's that? I'm Luffy! Wait... Who said that?"
"Where are my manners!" A tall blonde haired teen approached Luffy from the opposite side of the room. Looking at him closely, his eyebrows were very pale, and his hair was quite long. The teen's body was covered in scratches and bandages, yet he lightly smiled at the young boy.
"I'm Basil Hawkins, 18. My cards said that you would be coming."
"You're cards can talk?!"
The teen chuckled a bit at the boy's amazement, "Kind of. They talk to me only though. You see, not too long ago they told me that 'the future king will soon accompany you, and will guide you to the light'. Let's just hope the 'light' they're referring to is outside though… But there's no mistaking it, you are the future king."
"I don't really get it, but nice to meet you Basil!" With a blinding D-shaped smile, Luffy held out his hand, and happily shook Basil's. The blonde's eyes widened in awe.
He's definitely the king. I need to protect him, and this smile.
"King, how old are you?" he asked, positioning the boy across from him and wiping off the smudge of dirt on his cheek.
"Geez, my name's Luffy! Oh! And I'm six years old now! I was on Jii-chan's ship when these fish guys started attacking and this guy with 'carp' on his head knocked me out," he said with a slight pout.
"I see, the one who took you is named Take, he and Shioyaki are the leaders over here. From what I've gathered, their boss's name is Arlong, but he doesn't know about their current operations… As for me, my family gave me up to these guys cause they're ridiculously strong, and had no chance at defeating them. There's that and because of my clairvoyance abilities."
"C-clear voyage? Huh?" Luffy struggled with the word, which only made Basil's smile grow deeper. Resting his chin on his palm he continued.
"Clair-voy-ance. It's basically being able to see the future. I'm forced to tell these guys their future in exchange for getting to see another day. They often make jokes about my fortunes that really tick me off, so sorry, but I'm not too fond of jokes period. Enough about me, tell me more about you. King what kind of things do you like?"
Luffy rocked back and forth as he tried to think of some of his favorite things. "Well… I like meat and chocolate! Um… bugs are cool.. I really love the sun and adventures though! I like pirates too, but…"
Basil was about to question Luffy on the sudden change of mood when the door violently slammed open, revealing a tall salmon colored fishman with a black wave tattoo on his forehead.
"Shioyaki…" Basil muttered with a glare, using his body as a barrier between Luffy and the powerful fishman.
"Ahh I see the two of you have gotten close. Let's get the little one more acquainted with us too…" the fishman said, bringing a hand in their general direction.
Hoping to protect Luffy, Basil slapped the scale filled arm away. Shioyaki froze for a moment before punching the teen square in the jaw, bringing him face down to the floor.
Luffy glared at the pink male that hurt his new friend, he was not a fan of this guy. With a shout, Luffy charged towards the six and a half foot tall fishman, and used the strength that Garp said he possessed to punch the attacker.
Luck was not on Luffy's side, with the vast height difference, he ended up punching Shioyaki's kneecap. The punch only made Shioyaki flinch before angrily yanking the boy by his neck and taking him to a room filled with other fishmen pirates.
Basil's desperate pleas to let Luffy go was cut off by the door closing in his face. Still, he relentlessly pounded on the door, just hoping it could make a difference.
If only I wasn't so weak, I'd knock down this door easily… Please be okay, King!
The pirates surrounded the young boy as they each leered at the unassuming boy. Luffy shivered under their gazes and began to panic. "I wanna go home now, ne can you let Basil and I go? I wanna see jii-chan again…"
A chorus of laughter filled the room as the pirate's mocked the boy. Take, the one who captured Luffy spoke up. "You're not leaving here boy-a, but you are gonna answer our questions. Like, why were you on the vice admiral's ship? Are you related to someone there? Do you have a devil fruit power or somethin'?"
For some reason, Luffy's instincts told him not to say anything about his grandpa or himself. That if he said a word, he might not see his grandfather again. Luffy slowly turned his head to the side and whistled in a painfully obvious fashion. "I-I don't know anything…"
There was a long pause before Take fumed red, and punched the kid. "LIAR! You can't lie for shit! Now answer the questions before you get hurt."
Luffy froze in fear, but refused to say a word; instead he stuck out his tongue. The fishman cracked his knuckles and muttered, "the hard way huh?"
xX~OP~Xx
Basil paced back and forth in the cell, horrified by what his capturers could be doing to his King at the moment. A few hours had passed before the door swung open, and thrown in was a bloody, beaten up boy.
"King! King! Are you o- of course you aren't… There's so much blood. We have to get some bandages on you! Oh before that I have to disinfect your injuries.. There's only collections of left over bottles of alcohol, but I guess that'll have to do.."
Looking back at his new little friend, he realized that despite appearances, he was still awake. Despite the pain, he refused to give up.
A wave of respect washed over Basil as he patched up the boy. Over the years he's seen people come and go, most never returning; probably killed or sold, but he's managed to survive this hell for years, and yet despite his card's foretelling, he genuinely felt something towards this human. Respect and a strong desire to protect.
By removing a couple of bricks from the cell wall, revealed a hidden stash of essentials the clairvoyant had secretly collected. Pushing aside a few of the items, the blonde found the bottle he was searching for.
"I apologize King, this might sting a little…" he said as if the words physically pained him as he slowly poured alcohol onto the open wounds.
Luffy's eyes shot open as he hissed in pain, panicking slightly. The teen took charge, and used calming words to sooth the injured boy.
"B-Basil?"
"Yup, I'm right here, you okay?"
"Are you okay Basil? Nothing happened to you right?"
Basil's eyes widened at the question before hardening, "You fool, worry about yourself! You're bleeding!"
"Basil," the boy said with a firm tone that one would never expect to come from a kid of that age. It startled Basil for a moment before he responded.
"I'm fine. I haven't left since this morning, these injuries are from yesterday and are already healing. Now would you please answer the question?"
"That's good… I'm glad, I'm fine though, I just need to sleep a little. Man I wish I had some chocolate right now…" Basil gave a small smile, though he didn't believe the boy was truly fine, but he would do what he could for his little King.
xX~OP~Xx
Days went by in a similar manner. Take or Shioyaki would question Luffy, he wouldn't say a word and would later return blue and bloody in the cell. By this point, Basil was an expert at basic first aid.
"King.. I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to do anything, I'm so sorry if only I was str-"
"That doesn't matter, what matters is that we're both okay. Since I've been stubborn, I'm pretty sure they've given up on all the questions. I overheard them say they might make me into a sorry ant, wait no a servamp. No that's not right. Sir vent? I don't know, but anything's better than being a punching bag," Luffy said with a firm pout.
"You mean servant? I don't know, I don't like the idea… What if-"
"Stop worrying about it Basil, it's not like it'll be forever."
"What makes you so sure?"
The boy paused for a minute, deep in thought before shrugging. "A feeling."
Basil sighed as he laid down, trying to get in a little sleep before he'd have to give fortunes to the damn fish again.
xX~OP~Xx
The next morning, Basil was no longer surprised that the small boy was up before him, it seemed as if whenever the sun rose, as did he.
"Good morning King, you're up early as usual," to that, a small smile was his only response.
The door violently opened, Basil took this as his cue to stand up and get moving. Ghosting over his back pocket to make sure his cards were with him, he lifted himself before his wrist was stopped by a small, yet firm force. Looking back at his cellmate he was met with serious eyes.
"Basil… Be careful." Although the boy said it everytime Basil left, this time felt different. Luffy's gut was sending him danger signs that he just couldn't not act upon. He needed to make sure his friend understood his concern by putting as much feeling as he could to his words.
Basil brushed back the raven hair, and gave a smile before leaving his king alone in the cell.
Sitting at his usual table, the blonde gulped as he took out his pack of cards, and looked wearily at the many fishmen in the room. Flipping over various cards and listening to their words, he gulped knowing that it just wouldn't end well this time.
"The card's say: 'the captors will soon be destroyed by fists who love the king'..." Basil slowly looked up at the confused fishmen, fearful of their next move.
"Who's king?"
"Isn't that what he calls the brat?"
"This is bad we should leave!"
"Told you he was someone important!"
"EVERYONE SHUT THE HELL UP NOW!" Shioyaki's voice sounded throughout the now silent room. Receiving the desired peace, he looked back to the clairvoyant.
"Now look here, you have two options. One, get beat by us and face my little blade here," pulling out a small dagger and pressing it to Basil's neck, drawing a wallop of blood. "Two, you change the fortune into something better. If you're smart, you'd take the second option."
"I'd never lie about my fortunes. Ever."
"Well, I guess humans really are idiots," the fishman said slicing down the blade, earning a loud scream from the teen.
xX~OP~Xx
I knew something wasn't right, he's been gone for too long!
The boy glanced longingly at the lowering sun. While waiting for his friend, the boy was forced to do multiple chores and manual labor, but he never complained, his mind was too filled with worry for his friend.
At one point Luffy's distracted state caused him to accidentally drop and brake a glass, which earned him a heavy beating. Luffy frowned just recalling the event, rubbing the sore bruise on his back.
Only now, he was once again alone in the cell. He hated being alone, the cold creeping up on him, the darkness and silence that come with it, all of it.
Bundling up into a tight ball, a few tears slipped past his eyes.
"Basil…"
The rickety sound of the door was something Luffy should've been used to by now, yet he couldn't help but fear it. Every time it opened, something bad happened, and this time was no exception as the body of his friend was tossed in like trash.
A pool of blood began to form under the body, so the onyx eyed boy made quick to disinfect and bandage the many, many wounds. The 'x'-shape cut on his neck frightened the teen the most.
Just a little deeper and Basil would be…
"K-king? Is that you? It's a little blurry, so I can't tell," the clairvoyant whispered, while gingerly raising an unsteady hand that was quickly grasped by the boy who practically always emanated light.
"You big dummy! Basil you baka! I told you be careful! Why didn't you just do what they wanted? You wouldn't have gotten so injured like this if you just did that.."
Basil closed his eyes and smiled at the youth. "It's not that I wouldn't listen, I just refused to lie. I don't like lying, especially about the future, and I never will unless necessary. Lying is a double edged sword, it can be used for good or for evil, I don't want to have to make that decision, so I don't lie period."
"If it makes you feel better, jii-chan taught me how to bluff, but I'm terrible at lying…"
Basil chuckled at the boy's attempt to lift his spirits. He really is too bright, I should ask the cards how much longer I'll be able to stay by his side...
"These injuries are just another reason I choose not to lie, because it often leads to unnecessary violence in the long run," looking back at the myriad of bandages covering his skin.
The boy only gave a pained smile towards him, as if saying 'I'm glad you're here'.
Suddenly embarrassed by the attention from his king, Basil covered the lower half of his face, effectively hiding the ongoing blush.
After Luffy tired himself out by taking care of Basil's injuries, Basil, who was still awake, pulled out his cards and read his own fortune.
'Growing fond of the king, the injured knight will get stronger to protect his sun' huh.
The blonde closed his and fell asleep with the giddiest smile he's had in a long time.
A/n: Started things off with a long chapter, don't get too used to it. Thanks for reading, 'till next time!
-Ryan Sensei