Chapter 1- The Dawn of Romanticism

Disclaimer... I am not Goda, nor will I ever come close to his creative ability. I don't own One Piece, sadly.

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"Thoughts"

"Dialogue"

Eleven years before the present...

"There Luffy, good as new," said Makino after finishing stitching together Luffy's face. "Luffy, promise me you won't do something stupid like that again."

"Fine I promise, but I only did it because I wanted to prove to Shanks I'm ready to be a pirate," said Luffy still showing some pain on his face. "I'm a man Shanks, I didn't even cry when it happened. I can handle whatever the seas throw at me, and I'm even a great swimmer.." Luffy said, trying to puff out his chest.

Shanks turned to Luffy with a glass in his hand and said, "Sure Luffy, here drink some juice." Shanks slid the drink over to Luffy who grabbed it with both hands.

"Thanks, Shanks" Luffy replied, before happily drinking half the glass in a couple seconds.

Then the entire bar started to laugh hysterically, "I've never seen a pirate drink juice before, have you guys?" Shanks asked, clearly amused by this boys antics.

Luffy realizing he had been tricked, started screaming at Shanks and the rest of the pirates in the bar, "Hey, that's unfair, you guys tricked me!"

Shanks turned to Luffy still laughing a bit, before his expression turned slightly serious, "Luffy you aren't ready for life on the sea. You are too weak to even punch straight, and you are too young. What are you 6 or 7, even I didn't start pirating until I was 12. Wait and train for a while longer, then follow your dreams."

"Fine I'll wait, but when I arrive in the Grand Line, I will have the best pirate crew in the World, we will be even stronger than you or the Roger pirates, I will find the One Piece, and become the FREEST MAN IN THE WORLD!" Luffy screamed with his entire being, inadvertently creating a potent blast of Haki that brought Makino to her knees.

Every person in the bar froze, not believing what this child just did. Shanks seeing that Makino was still on her knees, moved behind the bar and helped her off the floor. Shanks then moved back to his stool beside Luffy, never taking his eyes off him, then downed half the bottle of sake in his hand. A moment later, a large man kicked open the saloon doors, breaking one of the doors off its hinges. A group of Mountain bandits then crowded the entrance to the bar.

"So, these are the Pirates everyone in this worthless village is talking about. Hah, they don't look so tough." The large Bandit said, while he strolled through the bar to Shanks' side. "Hey, barkeep why don't you give us 10 barrels of sake and a good time, maybe then we won't burn down the place." gaining a few laughs from some in the group of bandits behind him.

After a second, Makino said, " Sorry, they drank the place dry." motioning to the pirates in the Bar. "Huh, So what are they drinking now, Water?" Higuma replied clearly irritated. Makino then calmly answered, "No, that's the last of the booze, just go somewhere else."

" Sorry man, didn't realize how much we drank, here this bottle hasn't been opened yet, it's yours." Shanks then added, while holding out a full bottle of sake.

The bandit grabbed the bottle by the neck then broke it over the counter, holding the jagged remains of the bottle to Shanks' neck." I could kill you and your crew right now if I wanted, I'm a big shot on this island, I got an 8 million Berri bounty on my head. That would be thirsty work though. I suggest you pirates leave before we get back, or there will be trouble." He said, before leaving the bar and taking the group of bandits with him.

After about 30 seconds the entire bar erupted in laughter, while Shanks cleaned the broken glass from the floor and counter. Lucky Roo looked like he was about to die he was laughing so hard. With tears in his eyes, he over to shanks and in between laughs he said, "Oh Capt'n, he got you good, I bet you're shaking in your boots!"

Luffy couldn't take it anymore, he just watched that bandit disrespect his hero and walk away from it like nothing happened, Luffy couldn't process it, so he exploded on Shanks. "WHY THE HELL DO YOU THINK THAT'S FUNNY? HE JUST THREATENED YOU AND YOUR CREW, AND YOU DO NOTHING ABOUT IT!?"

Shanks looked genuinely surprised at his outburst for a moment, but understood Luffy's anger, "Luffy, not every problem should be solved by conflict, if there is a peaceful alternative, it should be explored." Shanks then put a hand on Luffy's shoulders and finished, "Do you understand the meaning behind what I'm saying?"

Benn Beckman added, " He's right Luffy, besides if we got into a fight it would put a damper our fun."

Shanks then yelled, "ANOTHER ROUND!" Which got cheers from his entire crew. Calming down a bit, Luffy didn't completely understand, but as he looked around the bar, Luffy saw a small chest on the counter in between him and Shanks. Curious as a child can be, he decided to open it, just to see the treasure. When Luffy looked inside the chest, he expected to see diamonds, emeralds and other rare and valuable gems, but instead found a strange white apple with flame-like orange accents and a curly blood-red stem. Although it was unlike any apple he had seen in his life, Luffy unconsciously reached for the apple and took it out of the chest. As Luffy picked up the apple, he became enamored by the texture and color, he could feel the apple was pulsating with something powerful. Luffy looked at Shanks, whom was busy polishing off his bottle of sake to notice and decided to eat the thing.

After a couple minutes Shanks noticed Luffy has been incredibly quiet, which was strange especially for Luffy. Looking over at the boy, he noticed the open chest and Luffy eating something. Shanks acted as fast as he could, but when he got to Luffy, it was already too late, the entirety of the fruit was eaten. Shanks, already got the attention of everyone in the bar, held Luffy up by his ears and started shaking him, "LUFFY, YOU DUMBASS! THAT WAS A DEVIL FRUIT!"

Luffy, with a confused look asked, " A devil fruit? What's that, I thought that was just a terrible tasting apple?"

Shanks still shouting, "LUFFY, WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT FRUIT IS, IT COULD BE AS USELESS AS THE JAKE JAKE NO MI FOR ALL WE KNOW."

"The Jake Jake no mi?" A moment later, 2 white wings sprouted from Luffy's back and a flaming halo appeared over his head. Surprising everyone in the bar.

Seeing as it wasn't a totally useless fruit, Shanks let a heavy sigh of relief go, and let Luffy down. He quickly recovered and said "Luffy, a devil fruit is one of the rarest treasures of the sea, but the price you now pay for having those powers is that you will never be able to swim again."

"So I'll have these wings the rest of my life! But how will I wear shirts?" Luffy asked, clearly not understanding the big picture.

"Don't worry Luffy, this seems to be a Zoan of some type. Though I've never heard of, or seen a Zoan like this before. You might have gotten incredibly lucky and ate a Mythical Zoan, the rarest Devil Fruit in the World. Hell, even I only know of three other Mythical Zoan users in the entire world."

"Woah... only three other people in the world... Do they have the same power?" Luffy asked.

"No Luffy, just like every other devil fruit in the world, you are the only person to have this power or specific fruit. Luffy, follow me lets see what else you can do. Lucky, Yasopp, Benn lets see what this legendary fruit can do."

3 months later…

"Alright, Luffy no more using your "Holy Fire" in forests. That was the second fire in 2 months, it took us forever to get control of the last one. So let's not make the same mistakes again. We don't want to lose the entire forest do we?"

"Ok, but I already know change at will and how to fly... Then I just need to work on control for my fire, and different techniques. Shanks, I've been meaning to ask, can you teach me how to use a sword? Yours looks so cool!"

"If it will keep your mind off burning down forests, then sure. I'll even teach you my sword style, which I learned from the Pirate King, Gold Roger himself."

"You knew Gold Roger himself… Shanks knew the Pirate King, wait... how did you know him, were you on his crew?" Luffy asked with stars in his eyes.

"I was, until a couple years before his death, he's also the one who gave me this Straw Hat. That's why I have never let you touch it. It's my most prized possession."

The stars in Luffy's eyes lasted until he passed out later that night from exhaustion, only after hearing countless stories about Gol D. Roger's adventures and his greatest battles, many of them against the Legendary Marine Monkey D. Garp.

That night on Shank's ship

"Hey Benn, I need you to do something for me," Shanks said with hints of exhaustion in his voice.

"Alright Capitan, what do you need?"

"I need you to teach Luffy about Navigation, both outside and inside the Grand Line, at least to a basic level. We don't want him to die just drifting in the seas, do we?"

"No we don't, I'll talk to him tomorrow after his training and see what I can do. "

"Thanks, I think this kid has the potential to be a better pirate than myself or even Roger. I'm actually excited to see what he can do when he's unleashed on the world."

Benn looked out onto the sea with a faraway gaze and replied, "He will flip the world upside down."

6 months later…

"I'm impressed Luffy, not only is your technique nearly flawless, but you are even starting to improve and personalize the style to suit your strengths and maximize your weaknesses. You even incorporated the use of your devil fruit, which is a nice touch. The only way you can get better now is to get stronger and experience more fights." Shanks stated, with an ounce of pride in his voice.

"Well, I have a great teacher so it's pretty easy to learn. Now that I've got swords down pretty well, can you teach me about haki? I've been wanting to learn it since you told me about the different types months ago."

"Well... my crew will be leaving for the Grand Line soon, so I could only teach and train you the basics within these next few months, Which are you most interested in?"

Luffy thought for a moment, before his eyes widened and he answered, "I think Conquerors is the most badass, but I think Observation would be most useful. If I can get to a level where I can predict the future, I'll be unbeatable."

Shanks rubbed his head at the thought. "Predicting the future, dammit Luffy that takes years of training. We don't have that long, but if you want I could teach you both Armament and Observation to a basic level."

"Armament and Observation, alright if you think that's the best course of action I'll do it." Nodding his head as he finished.

"Great, we will start training tomorrow, so get some sleep, it's going to be a very long day."

Ten years before present…

Shanks stood before Luffy one last time and looked him in the eyes before saying, "Goodbye Luffy, you have learned what I could teach during this short time and you have come a very long way, remember to continue to train you haki, and when Garp comes back to ask him about the other types of Haki. He will teach you more."

"Goodbye Shanks, and just so you know… *Deep Breath* I WILL BE THE PIRATE KING!" Luffy screamed at the top of his lungs and unintentionally let loose a stream of Conquerors Haki, that probably reached the nobles of Goa Kingdom.

Shanks took one last long look at the child whom he gave his arm for. The child who he taught mostly everything he knew other than what lies in the Grand Line. (Luffy hates spoilers) It was during these final moments that Shanks decided. "Luffy, I want you to promise me… The next time we meet, you will be a great pirate."

"I won't just be a great pirate Shanks, I'll be the freest man in the world with the best crew who all strive for greatness. My crew will be the second crew ever to reach the end of the Grand Line, and we will do it in record time!" Luffy replied, with his face full of determination.

This caused Shanks, and every pirate on his ship to smirk, everything was ready to go, there was only one last thing he needed to do. "Alright Luffy, then its a promise, here... Give it back to me when you accomplish your dream." Shanks pushed the Straw Hat, his most prized possession onto Luffy's head.

Luffy told himself he wouldn't cry when shanks left, but the faith Shanks put into Luffy was too much… he couldn't stop the tears no matter how hard he tried.

2 months later…

"I can't believe you want to be a pirate Luffy. This is all Red-Hair's fault, if he hadn't corrupted you, you would be the perfect marine." Garp declared while walking down a dirt path in the mountains.

"Don't talk bad about Shanks gramps, he saved my life. Not only that but he helped me learn to use my devil fruit and Haki."

Garp looked down at grandson beside him with wide eyes. He then grabbed his ears, picking him up off the ground and yelled, "HE TAUGHT YOU HAKI?! HOW PROFICIENT ARE YOU? WHAT FORMS CAN YOU USE?"

As Luffy struggled in his grip, he answered, "Shanks taught me about all three forms, but he only taught me a little bit of Armament and Observation." Garp dropped him hearing that and let out a silent sigh of relief. Luffy then continued, "That reminds me, Gramps can you help me get stronger? I want to be the strongest Pirate King ever!"

Garp smacked Luffy on the back of the head, nearly knocking off his Straw Hat, before asking, "Why would I help a kid become a pirate, Luffy? That would only bite me in the ass later in life."

"Well, I'm not just some kid, I'm your grandson. I also thought if you had to have a pirate in the family, he might as well be the strongest Pirate King ever don't you agree?"

"BWAHAHA, you want to be even stronger than Gold Roger himself? Fine Luffy, you will need all the help you can get."

Hearing this, Luffy jumped up and down with joy, before replying, "Really? Thanks you, gramps I promise to be even stronger than the Pirate King!"

"So Luffy, I heard from the mayor in Foosha Village, that your devil fruit is quite destructive. What type is it?"

The question stopped Luffy's jumping and made him catch up to Garp. He then answered, "Shanks told me a Mythical Zoan, the rarest devil fruit in the world! He called it the Tenshi Tenshi no mi. He also taught me how to use a sword and his own personal style!" Luffy finished enthusiastically as he continued to follow Garp through the forest.

Garp had a small smile and scratched his beard as he stated, "A Mythical Zoan, huh, alright I can work with that. Tomorrow we will start training, we will work on your Haki and I'll also teach you some techniques that I think you will enjoy."

"Thanks, gramps with your help finding the One Piece shouldn't be a problem."

8 months later…

On the edge of Dawn Island, two boys sat on a cliff overlooking the East Blue. Although it is a beautiful day in the weakest sea in the world, it's also a dark day for these two brothers, as they are suffering from the loss of their best friend and brother. Someone who changed both of their lives forever, taken away before his time by a so-called "god" of the World Government.

Ace looked over to luffy and declared, "Luffy quit crying, our brother might be gone, but I promise I'll never die. You hear me Luffy? Sabo might not have been able to experience freedom, but that only means we will have to make up for him. We have to live our lives without regret, and live as free as possible, no matter who hates or tries to stop us."

"Uh Huh," A sniffling Luffy replied, still holding back tears from his bloodshot eyes. "I want to get stronger and stronger and stronger and stronger until I'm so strong, I won't lose anyone else again!" Luffy announced, eyes still watery but with a newfound determination.

"That's right Luffy, I'll be leaving in 7 years, but before that, we both need to get stronger. So we can both be free and follow our dreams, without anyone stopping us." Ace said, before pulling Luffy back into the forest.

Ten years later…

"Uhhh, I'm so hungry. If only I kept the Lord of the Coast when I punched him. I'd have some meat!" Luffy said as his stomach roared. Luffy had been drifting for 3 days, and although he knew how to navigate, he forgot to ask what direction the closest island was to Dawn Island. Cursing himself for his short-sightedness, Luffy slumped over the side of his dingy, hoping to see anything to catch and eat.

After a couple of hours (which seemed like an eternity), Luffy smelled something delicious on the air. Seeing as he had not seen a single fish, Luffy deciding to abandon his dingy. He picked up his pipe that Sabo gave him and used Moon Walk to follow the smell to its source. After another 30 minutes or so, Luffy could see 2 ships on the horizon. Quickening his pace, Luffy finally reached the Liner, where the delectable aroma originated from.

Confused as to why the Liner was abandoned, Luffy focused his Observation, only to notice that only pirates remain. Every civilian was fleeing the ship in fear of their life. Not one to pass up a golden opportunity for free food, Luffy rushed to the Ballroom of the ship. Only to find a band of pirates stealing his food.

"Hey assholes, that's my food! If you take a single piece of meat from this ship, I will beat the shit out of all of you!" Luffy announced as he walked towards the pirates.

"He doesn't look like one of the civilians.." One of the pirates said.

"Might as well rob him too." Another one added with a smile on his face...

"If you think you can stop us, you are even dumber than you look." The pirate said looking back at his friends and pulling out their swords.

"Shave..." Luffy whispered and appeared in front of the door the pirates were about to use.

When the pirates looked back at Luffy, they realized he had vanished from sight. Thinking they had scared the kid off, they picked up the goods and started walking towards the door.

"I thought I told you, not to take a single piece of food from this ship," Luffy declared darkly as his straw hat hid his eyes. Faster than the eye could recognize, all the pirates in the room were unconscious, foaming at the mouth and dropping all the goods and gold they were carrying.

"Well, I might as well take out the rest of 'em. I don't want any interruptions during my meal." Luffy said with a smile on his face while pushing open both doors on the port side, where the pirate ship was docked. Only to see a Jolly Roger, with a sideways skull and a heart.

Note- This is my first Story, so any helpful reviews on how to improve would be appreciated. Thanks

Jake Jake no mi- Jacket Jacket Devil Fruit