"P-P-P-PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" Luffy screamed as the red haired man approached. The captain,stopped in stunned silence, burst into laughter. Luffy looked up shocked. It took everything in him not to scream again. The captain was looking down at him with a devious smirk on this face. "Ooooooooooooh, so you don't want to be killed do ya? Ya know, begging for your life from a pirate is the same as asking for death." He said in a menacing tone.

Luffy didn't know what to do. His body was frozen in fear."N-n-n-no! Please! Please! Ple-AHAHAHAHA WHA- HAHAHA- WHAT ARE YOU DOING AHAHA?!?!?!" Luffy gasped as the captain began to mercilessly tickle him.

"What you ask? I'm going to tickle you to death!" The man exclaimed with a huge grin on his face. All around him his crew broke into fits of laughter. After five minutes of relentless tickling and failed escape, Luffy was finally able to break free from the mans grip. " What are you doing?!? Weird pirate! I thought you were going to kill me!" Luffy shouted, confused that things had turned out this way

"you believed me?" the captain said as he sat crossed legged in front of Luffy, looking like a seven year old himself. " I was just teasing you!" He managed to say before he began to laugh again. Luffy just stared at him in shock. Before he could help it, he started to laugh as well.

After finally catching his breath, the captain stood up and looked at Luffy. "Hey kid, does this town have a bar? I wouldn't mind some sake right about now.."

"My names not Kid!" Luffy yelled defiantly. " It's Luffy! Monkey D. Luffy! And what kind of pirates come to such a little village looking for some sake? Aren't you here to raid us and take anything of value?!?!"

"Haha! Not unless you want us to!" the captain said through another round of laughter. " Well Luffy, I'm Shanks! The captain of this crew; And whats wrong with looking for a place to drink?"he said with a questioning look. Luffy just stood there quietly lost in thought as he tried to think of a reply. After several failed attempts to think of anything, Luffy gave up and looked at the pirate. "Fine, follow me and I'll bring you there. But only if you promise not to tickle me again!" He said, proud of himself for making a deal with real pirates.

"Alright Luffy, that sound reasonable. I promise not to tickle you." Shanks said with a smile."For now" he said in a tone too low for Luffy to hear, causing Yassop who was next to him to laugh. Luffy looked up questioningly at the two pirates before he turned around and started to walk in the direction of the Party Bar. Without warning He was lifted off the ground and gave a yelp. The captain smiled at him as he placed the seven year old on his shoulders. "lead the way Luffy!" he exclaimed at he and his crew began to walk.

Makino stared in stunned silence at the scene before her.

The commotion outside had died down so she had assumed that the mayor had handled things. Then all of a sudden Luffy came running into the bar, dragging a tall straw hat wearing, red haired man by the hand. Makino just stood still and thought with fear; P-pirates!

"Makino! This is Shanks!" Luffy said excitedly, practically bouncing off the walls. " hes a pirate but hes a good guy! He even let me ride on his shoulders!" He said as a huge grin appeared on his little face. "they can drink here right? Please say they can!"

"Uh, um, y-yes, I think that would be alright." Makino managed to say, still not recovered from her shock. She was also incredibly confused as to how Luffy had befriended these pirates. Well it is Luffy, hes known for doing the unthinkable.. she though as she shrugged to herself.

"Thank you miss." Shanks said with a smile. "Guys come on in!" he yelled over his shoulder.

Soon the bar was filled to the brim with happy pirates. Makino, fully recovered from her shock and confusion, began to pass around Sake battles.

Suddenly the swinging doors to the Party Bar burst open and Woop ran in, out of breath. "Luffy!" he bellowed. "What were you doing disobeying me like that?!?! You need to learn to li-" he stopped shouting at the seven year old and looked around, noticing the pirates for the first time. "P-P-PIRATES?! Wha-wha-what are you doing here?!"

"Mayor! AHAHA! You look tired! You can't run very well! Hahaha!" Luffy said as he fell to the floor laughing at the panting old man.

"Luffy! Get away from those pirates! You to Makino! Listen you pirates!Leave this village at once!" Woop yelled, turning red from both embarrassment and rage.

"NOO! I'm not leaving and neither are they! HMPH!" Luffy said calmly, planting himself back in his seat with his arms folded across his chest with a serious expression on his face. "These pirates are good! They promised me they'd be nice."

"Luffy! Their pirates! You can't trust the-" Woop was cut of yet again as Shanks stood up to speak. "Mr. Mayor, I'm the captain of this crew. My nakama and I are tired and just looking for a place to rest for a few days and have a few drinks. We have no interest in harming this village or anyone in it. I give you my word that we will be nice. Can we stay? Plllleeeeease!?"" He said with a large grin on his face, mimicking Luffy's voice at the end of his plea. His crew could only sit still and try to muffle their laughter at their childish captain.

"I-I don't know..." Woop murmured more to him self than to Shanks, A skeptical look on his face.

"THEN ITS SETTLED!" Luffy yelled happily, smiling at Shanks. He looked at Woop who was giving him an angered look because he hadn't actually agreed to anything yet. "He gave you his word! Now you have to let them stay!"

"Woop-San, I think it would be alright to let them stay, at least for a little while. They can;t be bad people or Luffy wouldn't like them this muck." Makino said softly, earning an ecstatic smile from Luffy. Woop merely turned around and stomped out of the bar, muttering something about all three generations of that family to be insane.

"Men! Looks like we can stay!" Shanks yelled Raising his class in the air. "Cheers!"

"Cheers!" the men yell in response.

Shanks and his crew stayed in Fuschia Village for while. Every day Luffy would come running into the Party Bar and stay there the whole day talking with The Red-Haired Pirates and listening to Shank's stories. Even though they had only been in the village for about a week, the whole crew began to feel attached to the little seven year old. Then one day Luffy ran into the bar but no one was there. Makino, where is Shanks and the guys?" Luffy asked, wondering why no one was her.

"I'm not sure Luffy, they haven't been here all morning. Go check the harbor." She said sweetly to the little boy, amused at his need to now the pirates ever move.

"Thats a good idea! Thanks Makino!" Luffy yelled over his shoulder as he dashes out the door.

"Wait! Don't you want your breakfast?" Makino yelled after him, but the boy either didn't hear her or just didn't respond.

Luffy dashed through the town, hurrying to the harbor where Shank's ship was docked. When he arrived he noticed that the deck of the ship was filled with noise and that things were being loaded onto it. "SHANKS!" Luffy yelled as loud as he could. A few minutes [passed by before a familiar slaw hat appeared over the side of the ship

"Oh it's you Anchor." Shanks said as he hopped over the side of the ship and landed with a loud clack on the wood below. "Whats up?" He said with a smile.

"You weren't at the bar today so I got worried and came here to see what you were doing" Luffy said Smiling up at the captain.

"oh, sorry about that Anchor I couldn't go today because I had to prepare for our departure. Sorry to make you wor-"

"YOUR LEAVING?!?!?" Luffy yelled as tears began to fill his eyes. "W-WHY? CAN'T YOU STAY HERE?!?"

Shanks sighed, "sorry Anchor. We're pirates, we can't stay in one place for too long or we'll attract attention."

"B-but thats not fair" Luffy said with a quivering lip. "I want you and the guys to stay! It's no fun without you!"

"Come on, cheer up Luffy!" Shanks said softly, using Luffy's real name instead of the crews nickname for him. " Its not like we're going to be gone forever! We'll be back in a few weeks!"

"

R-Really?!?" Luffy said, his tears gone now. "But I though you said you were leaving!

"We are. But only to go to search for treasure and do other pirate like things. Didn't I say that?" He said with a Teasing smile on his face.

"YOU TRICKED ME!" Luffy yelled before he turned his back on the red haired man. But Luffy was unable to stay mad at the man for long, he turned around smiling and said " Im so happy! I thought you were really leaving!"

Shanks could only laugh. " I would never leave a friend for good so suddenly without saying good bye first!" he said, smiling one of his signature smiles.

"Friend?" Luffy said shocked for a moment. "I'm your friend?" Luffy exclaimed, finally realizing what the captain had said.

"O course you are Anchor! Why else would I hang out with you so much?" he asked, amused at the little boys happiness. Then his expression turned to shock. Luffy had flung himself onto his leg and was hugging him. "Geez Anchor, no need to get so excited." he said warmly, patting the little boys head as the memory began to fade.

"What are you doing out here all alone Captain?" a voice startled Shanks from his dream.

"Oh Ben its you," he said calmly, " Just reminiscing about good times." He said, a dreamy hint in his voice.

His first mate just smirked. "Thinking about Anchor?" he said, stating a fact than asking a question.

"Yea. How do you think he's doing?" The red haired man asked absentmindedly.

"We'll know soon enough; it won't be long till we finally meet again. Besides, he's already made quite a name for himself. It's hard to believe that he has a 300,00,000 beli bounty on his head when he has only just begun his adventure." Ben said, leaning against the railing, staring out to sea.

"Hehe, yea.. I just hope that time comes soon." Shanks said, taking another swig drink of sake from the bottle in his hands. Ben only smirked at his captains impatiences.