Chapter Text
“I’m so bored, Mihawk! Nothing exciting is happening these days!” Red-Haired Shanks whined as he flopped down next to his lover of five years on the inn’s bed.
“And what would you have me do? We’ve only just sparred this afternoon,” the World’s Strongest Swordsman replied, sparing the man-child squirming beside him a glance before resuming his book.
“I can think of doing something exciting right now. In fact, we even seem to be in the right place for it,” Shanks purred, fingers trailing up his partner’s inner thigh. Just as he was about to reach his prize, his hand was arrested by a firm grip.
“No.”
“No? No? ” The redhead gasped dramatically, placing a hand on his chest and rearranging his expression into one of pretence outrage. “So you’re just gonna let me die of boredom? How mean! And here I thought you love me.” Shanks stuck his bottom lip out and peered through his lashes at his lover.
Mihawk let out a soft huff, features cracking into a grin. He released Shanks’ hand to flick his nose. “If you want excitement you could always start some yourself, like leaving the Grand Line for instance,” he suggested. “You could travel to the East Blue and pay the Star Clown a visit.”
“Huh.” Shanks hadn’t thought about visiting East Blue again after getting his sniper there. “The Marines are sure to panic if they don’t see me in the Grand Line, won’t they?”
“Obviously. You could also give that sniper of yours some time with his family.”
“Huh, you’re right. Well then, East Blue it is!”
East Blue was...interesting in a mind-numbing way. The weather is always calm and predictable, there were little fights to be had, and Shanks had honestly forgotten how convenient it is to travel from island to island without relying on a log pose. He was also grateful that his name was relatively unknown in this sea, it allowed him to explore places more freely.
Buggy hadn’t been too pleased to see him. In fact, his exact words were: ‘go back to the Grand Line, you flashy bastard! If the Marines catch wind that you’re in East Blue, there won't be peace in here again! And tell that boyfriend of yours that I got a bone to pick with him for sending you here!’
“Captain! Dawn Island’s up ahead!” A shout from one of his crewmates broke through his musings. Shanks got up from where he was lounging beneath a palm tree and walked towards the bow of the ship.
Another peaceful island yet again. Shanks sighed. Two months in East Blue and he was already missing Grand Line’s chaos. If things kept going this way though, he was going to be cutting his trip a lot shorter than he thought.
After docking in a quaint little village called Foosha, Shanks disembarked and set off to explore the area. The locals were nice, if a little wary of him and his crew. He supposed they must not have seen a lot of pirates in the area. The redhead’s plan of visiting the famed Capital of Goa Kingdom was derailed when he spotted a store called Partys Bar. Unable to say no to the prospect of alcohol, he went in.
“Welcome! Please take a seat, I’ll be right with you in a moment.” Behind the bar counter, a young woman wearing a yellow kerchief greeted him with a smile. Shanks thought she looked awfully young to be working in such a place.
As the pirate captain settled down onto one of the many empty tables in the bar, he gave the area a quick scan with his Observation Haki. It was revealed to him that she was the only worker here. How odd.
“Here’s the menu. Please let me know once you’re ready to order,” the young lady said when she passed him a sheet of paper. Shanks thanked her and was pleased to see her flush and return his smile.
Must be dull manning a bar all alone in this town, especially since there doesn’t seem to be many customers, Shanks thought to himself as he perused the menu, reading the neatly handwritten words on them.
Just as he was about to place his first order, a boy with messy raven hair burst through the batwing doors.
“Makino, I’m hungry! Is it lunch yet?” the kid yelled. He turned around and locked eyes with Shanks. The redhead stared back at him unblinkingly, surprised.
The spell broke when the child beamed and scrambled over to his side. “Hey, mister! I haven’t seen you around before, are you new here?”
Shanks relaxed his guard and laughed. “Sure am! I just arrived on my ship today.”
“Are you a fisherman?”
“A fisherman? Dahaha! I’m a pirate, kid!” Shanks detected a spike of alarm from the barmaid before it morphed into wariness.
“Cool!” the boy exclaimed with stars in his eyes. The redhead rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, unused to being praised by a child. Most of them would skitter away and avoid him when they found out he was a pirate.
“That’s enough now, Luffy. Let’s leave the man to his meal ok? I’m terribly sorry about him, sir.” The barmaid tried to usher the child away but he was as firmly rooted to the spot as barnacles are on a ship’s hull.
Shanks waved away her apology. “Oh don’t worry about it! It’s refreshing to see a kid who’s unafraid of me for once.” He was also curious about him.
“Still...”
“Hey, mister, have you been to the Grand Line? Is it true that there are sea kings there?” Luffy butted in.
“Luffy! It’s not polite to interrupt someone’s conversation!” Makino scolded.
“That’s okay, I don’t mind. Tell you what, you serve me some of your best food and alcohol and in exchange, I’ll entertain this kid of yours for a moment. What do you say about that?” Shanks flashed Makino a winning smile. Luffy’s eyes begged for her approval.
The barmaid sighed, shaking her head. “Oh alright then. Luffy doesn’t get to see a lot of people around so I apologise in advance if he’s being too exuberant towards you.”
“It’s nothing I can’t handle. Now, Luffy, wanna hear about that time my crew and I fought a sea king?”
“Yeah!”
Their conversation soon dragged on to the evening. Two more customers came after Shanks but they didn’t stay as long as he did. It was fun entertaining the boy with his stories, though he had to restrict himself to telling the more child-friendly ones. As the man waved goodbye to Makino and Luffy, he was already planning to go back to the bar the next morning. Perhaps he could bring his men along to give the barmaid some business. God knows that just like him, his crew would never turn down the opportunity to drink.
Dawn Island was quickly turning out to be Shanks’ favourite location in East Blue, and it had everything to do with the boy and the barmaid in Partys Bar. However many times he and his crew left to seek out more adventures, the compass in his heart would always point towards Dawn and guide them back. Speaking of his crew, they had come to adore Luffy as much as he did from the moment they met him. How could they not? The kid was adorable with his chubby cheeks and a personality full of vim and vigour. He also had no fear of who they are—though that was concerning—which made interacting with him much easier.
One of his Officers, Lucky Roux, had bonded with Luffy over their shared love of food, especially meat. He had even snuck a few pieces from his plate over to the boy when Makino wasn’t looking, something that Shanks had never seen him do throughout the years of sailing with him. For a chef, he can be rather possessive of his food. The redhead had also witnessed Lucky Roux trading recipes with Makino as well.
Another one of his Officers, Yasopp, was the quickest among his men to warm up to Luffy seeing as he has a son of the same age. The sniper wasted no time bragging to his two new audiences about how Usopp ‘is gonna become the best sniper the world’s ever seen!’.
The crew, all too used to Yasopp’s boasts by now, had mostly tuned him out. Although they were exasperated to hear the same things repeated over and over again, they were happy to know that his family was doing well when they stopped by Syrup Village of Gecko Islands first in East Blue. Shanks had to give it to Luffy though, the kid had listened to a total of fifteen different renditions of Yasopp’s stories about his son until he finally got tired of them. It was much longer than any Red-Hair Pirates had lasted.
What was more surprising was that Luffy had even gotten Benn to warm up to him, and his first mate is the type to shy away from children—so is his lover but Shanks digress. On some days in a quiet corner of the bar, Benn could be seen teaching Luffy how to read and write, which the kid was very behind with. He barely even knew how to write his own name! That was also how they found out that Luffy is dyslexic.
Shanks sighed fondly into his drink, observing the scene of his men teaching Luffy some sea shanties. By the seas, what scary pirates they are going all soft for a boy. If only the Marines could see them now.
Seven-year-old Luffy was having the time of his life. Before Shanks and his crew arrived, his days were absolutely boring. None of the adults or the older village kids had time for him between their chores, and all the younger ones refused to play with him because he was ‘too rough and weird’.
How was Luffy supposed to know that if he was caught by the chaser in the game of Catch, he wasn’t supposed to fight to escape? That was how he and Gramps played the game! Luffy also didn’t understand why hiding on the rooftops was considered cheating in Hide and Seek if climbing trees was allowed.
Makino tried to be there for Luffy, she really did! But she had other jobs to do to supplement her income at the bar, which meant spending lesser time with him. Luffy had only looked forward to the days when his Gramps would visit. He didn’t like the training sessions much but at least there’s someone to hang out with him. Luffy had also observed that on some days, Gramps would disappear up Mount Colubo and come back during the evenings. He assumed that he was there to hunt because he would usually return with the carcass of some animal to roast for dinner.
With Shanks and his men around, Luffy was never bored. There would always be stories of their adventures to listen to, songs to sing, and laughter to be had. Luffy liked the happiness he got being around the Red-Hair Pirates so much that he wanted to experience it forever. So he told Shanks this: “Let me join your crew!”
The entire bar fell silent. As one, the Red-Hair Pirates looked at their captain. Shanks was just as astonished as they were by Luffy’s proclamation. Hadn’t he done the same thing with Roger when he was nine?
The redhead took some time to gather his thoughts before saying, “You’re far too young to be on a pirate ship, Luffy. It’s dangerous and not a place where children should be. Besides, I have no use for weaklings.” Shanks reached over and poked the kid on the chest, unable to resist teasing him.
Luffy reacted exactly as he had expected: puffing up his cheeks and scowling in indignation. “Stupid Shanks! I’m not a kid and I’m not weak! I’ve been training with Gramps so I’m strong!”
“Training?” What the hell is the kid’s grandfather training him for when he should be playing with him? Where is he anyway? Shanks had never seen hair nor hide of the old man.
“Yeah! Gramps showed me how to fight and made me practice it on the monkeys! He also taught me how to survive in the forest and then threw me into a ravine as a test. I took three weeks to get out of there—but Gramps said that I was a lot faster than most of his men!” Luffy happily boasted. Surely Shanks would let him join after hearing how strong he was now?
Said Red-Hair Pirate was struggling to keep the easy-going grin on his face as he listened to Luffy’s description of his ‘training’. He was certain that his crew could pick up on his darkening mood for their hands started drifting towards their weapons and the merriment in the bar slowly died down. Shanks is going to have a talk with the kid’s grandfather about why throwing your child into a ravine is a major no-no. But first, he needed a name.
“Say, Luffy, who’s your grandfather?”
“Oh...” Luffy’s eyes turned downcast. He tucked his bottom lip between his teeth and fiddled with the hem of his shirt. “Monkey D. Garp.”
Stunned silence enveloped the bar. Luffy’s body folded inwards.
Monkey D. Garp? As in Garp the Fist, Garp the Hero of the Marines?! That explains a lot of things, Shanks thought in horror. Oh God, I’ve been putting thoughts of piracy into his grandson’s mind. He’s going to kill me for corrupting Luffy after what happened with his son, Dragon.
See, Monkey D. Dragon was once a Marine before he abandoned his post and went on to establish the Revolutionary Army. The reason behind his betrayal wasn’t clear but Shanks overheard Garp telling Roger that it had something to do with the Celestial Dragons. The knowledge of Dragon’s history with the Marines was only known to a few because all of his records were erased in a bid for the Marines to save face. They had been the ones to brag about how the son was going to become like his father after all.
As the Revolutionary Army grew in notoriety, Dragon the Revolutionary was branded as the ‘World’s Worst Criminal’ and had a bounty to reflect that. Should the public realise that Luffy was his son, Shanks could foresee the horrific events that occurred on Baterilla happening again on Dawn Island. Speaking of which, where the fuck is Dragon if Luffy is here? Why isn’t he the one taking care of his son? Is Luffy even aware of who his father is?
“I shouldn’t have said that. Now you’re going to leave too.” Luffy’s shoulders hunched further. His hands came to grip his arms.
“Leave? Why would I be leaving?” Shanks asked, taken aback.
Luffy pointed to his face. “Everyone looks like that before they stop playing with me. People always run away from me after knowing who my Gramps is. I wish I know why they don’t like Gramps.”
Oh. No wonder why the boy had no fear of strangers. He was so starved for attention that he would seek out anyone to befriend. It wasn’t because people didn’t like Garp that they avoided Luffy; they feared incurring the man’s wrath should anything bad happen to his grandson while he was under their watch. Even Shanks could admit that however powerful he became as a pirate, deep down inside him lives a fear of the man who could go toe to toe with his old captain.
Shanks gave the boy a determined smile. “Well, you’re wrong, Luffy.” When the boy looked up at him in surprise, the pirate continued, “I ain’t gonna run away just because your grandpa is Garp.”
Luffy squinted at him. “Really?”
“Really.”
“...pinky promise?”
Shanks hooked his last finger onto the smaller one held up to him. “I promise.”
The smile that bloomed on Luffy’s face could outshine the sun.
“You’re still too weak to join my crew though.”
“Meanie Shanks!”
After that incident, the Red-Hair Pirates increased their visits to Dawn Island. Shanks got more actively involved with Luffy: helping Benn teach him how to read and write, playing card games with him—kid has the Devil’s luck but not the face for Poker—all in a bid to lessen his loneliness. Makino wasn’t impressed to learn that he had taught the boy how to gamble though. Shanks had even tried teaching the kid how to swim, though their first session ended in failure with how often Luffy tended to sink in the water. He was newly christened with the nickname ‘Anchor’ as a result of that.
In this particular visit, upon hearing that the Red-Hair Pirates were back, Luffy stole one of Makino’s fruit knives and headed to their ship. Staunchly ignoring the greetings he received, the boy climbed up onto the dragon figurehead and loudly proclaimed that he was going to show Shanks just how brave he is. Luffy was tired of being called a weak little kid.
Curious to see what he was up to, the redhead goaded the boy into continuing. Shanks was horrified when Luffy proceeded to stab himself underneath his left eye.
“Hongo!” The pirate captain shouted for his doctor as he jumped up to grab the child who was flailing around in panic at the pain and blood.
It turned out that the wound was deep enough to require two stitches and medical tape to hold it shut. Hongo remarked that had the knife gone any deeper, Luffy would have lost his vision in that eye.
In an effort to console the crying child, Shanks brought him to Partys Bar and offered to pay for everything he wanted instead of adding the bill to his ‘treasure tab’. Upon arriving at the bar, the redhead was greeted by the sight of a frantic Makino pacing by the entrance. She rushed forward upon seeing the duo.
Makino had been checking the stocks at the back of the store when the pirates arrived. When she came back to the front and found Luffy as well as one of her knives missing, she thought of the worst and panicked. Seeing the boy mostly unharmed had brought her relief. She had also berated Shanks for not removing the knife from Luffy and for encouraging his reckless action after hearing how the child had gotten the wound underneath his eye.
After taking advantage of Shanks’ offer to buy him food, Luffy stopped crying—although his eyes were still watery—and smiled broadly, claiming that the cut didn’t hurt at all. Amused at the kid’s attempt at keeping a brave face, Shanks laughed and declared for a party to be had in honour of his bravery.
“Does this mean I get to join your crew now?” Luffy aimed his expectant gaze up at the man who was seated on the bar beside him.
“Sorry kid, but my ship has no use for another anchor!” the pirate captain teased and took a gulp of his beer.
“No fair! I wanna join your crew and go on adventures with you guys!” Luffy crossed his arms and huffed angrily. He twisted away from the redhead, intent on ignoring him.
“C’mon, Captain, why can’t we take Luffy with us? We can just stay in the East Blue; it’s the least dangerous of all the seas!” Lucky Roux came forward to cajole Shanks.
“Yeah, Boss! There aren’t any pirate crews stronger than us here, we can protect him!” Yasopp added, slinging an arm around the other Officer and grinning widely at Luffy.
“Hear! Hear!” several other Red-Hair Pirates chimed in.
“Fine then.” Luffy perked up. “If you guys want Luffy to come on board then one of you switch places with him.”
“Well, would you look at the time—”
“Yes, yes, it’s time for us to leave—”
“We have yet to finish our drinks!”
Luffy watched in dismay as all of the Red-Hair Pirates went back to their activities. “I thought you guys were on my side!”
“Now, now, Luffy, don’t get mad. How about we get some juice for you?” Shanks looked at Makino. The barmaid got his signal and poured a glass of orange juice for the boy.
“Yay! Thank you!” Luffy eagerly gulped down the proffered drink. It was only when he heard Shanks’ attempt to stifle his laughter that he knew he had been played.
“Pft, what kind of pirate drinks juice? Dahahaha!” the redhead chortled whilst holding his stomach.
“Stupid Shanks! I don’t wanna be your friend anymore!” Luffy shouted, cheeks red and frowning furiously.
The boy slipped off his barstool and just as he was about to storm off, he spied the funny-looking fruit Shanks had brought at a corner of the bar counter. Luffy glanced around the room. No one was looking in his direction. He quietly picked up the fruit and took a bite.
Instant repugnance.
Luffy's expression twisted. His body shuddered and heaved. But however much his tongue rebelled at the revolting taste, the boy couldn’t bring himself to spit out the fruit. He felt compelled to swallow it. The mouthful entered his stomach with difficulty. Luffy stared at the remainder of the fruit in hesitation, reluctant. But a mixture of spite and being raised to not waste food by his Gramps steeled his resolve and drove him to take a second bite. Then another, and another.
A loud bang resounded through the bar. One of the batwing doors clattered on the floor, kicked off its hinges. The sudden noise silenced all activities inside the store.
“Excuse me.” A group of men swaggered in. Shanks cast a cursory glance at them before going back to his meal. His crew, however, were on high alert. Luffy had turned to watch the new arrivals as well.
“So these are the pirates, huh? They look like idiots to me,” one of them sneered.
The owner of the voice stalked forward and placed a hand on the counter. Shanks was forced to lean to the side when his personal space was invaded lest he gets knocked over by the newcomer.
“Welcome,” Makino greeted, putting down the glasses she had been cleaning and walking towards her new customers.
“We are bandits,” the leader of the group said. He had a cross-shaped scar on a corner of his forehead. “We’re not here to cause trouble. We just want ten barrels of sake.”
“I’m very sorry, sir, we’re out of sake at the moment.” Makino gave the man an apologetic smile. Underneath the bar and out of the sight, she squeezed the fabric of her skirt in her hands.
“Oh? What is it that the pirates are drinking then? Water?”
“It’s all of the alcohol in the shop, sir.”
Sensing troubled waters ahead, Shanks interrupted their conversation. “Well, that’s not good. Sorry about that, my men and I have finished everything. I do have one unopened bottle with me here if you’d like?” The redhead smiled genially and held up the aforementioned bottle.
The head of the bandits stared at him for a moment. Then quick as lightning, he swung his fist out and smashed the bottle in Shanks’ grip, dousing the pirate in its alcoholic contents as well as broken glass. It was only through Observation Haki that the redhead managed to shield his face from the flying glass with his hat. The sake, however, soaked the front of his shirt.
Makino gasped and covered her mouth in horror. Luffy stared gobsmacked. The Red-Hair Pirates looked on without a change in their expressions while the bandits smirked.
“Don’t insult me—do you know who I am?” Seeing no forthcoming response from the redhead, the bandit reached into his coat and took out a bounty poster. It unfolded to reveal a picture of his face as well as his name and a string of numbers below it.
“I’m Higuma, Chief of the Higuma Bandits and I’m worth eight million Beri. I’ve killed fifty-six people before so don’t try to mess with me.”
Instead of replying to the bandit, Shanks squatted down on the floor and started picking up the pieces of broken glass. “Sorry about the mess, Makino-san. Do you have a mop I can use?”
“Ah! It’s alright, I can clean it up!” Makino rushed to the end of the counter with a tablecloth in hand.
Unsatisfied that he wasn’t getting his desired reaction, Higuma unsheathed his sword and swept everything off of the bar top. This time, Shanks was showered by the rice of his meal, the sake he had been drinking and more pieces of broken glass.
“Since you enjoy cleaning so much, I thought I’d help you with it,” Higuma sneered down at the pirate. “Let’s go, boys. There’s no point staying here when there’s no alcohol.”
The bandit chief stalked out of the bar. “See you later, cowards.” The men following behind him sniggered and jeered.
Once the bandits had left, Makino hurried over to assess if Shanks was hurt. The redhead assured her that he was fine and cracked a grin. His crew burst into raucous laughter upon seeing it and ragged at him for getting struck by Higuma.
“Why are you laughing?!” Luffy exclaimed, stomping up to Shanks. “That wasn’t cool at all! No matter how many there are or how strong they look, you’re a coward if you don’t fight back!”
Shanks blinked at the intensity of the child’s anger.
“Look, I know how you feel”—the redhead removed his hat and dusted off the debris before replacing it on his head—“but it’s just a bottle of sake. There’s no need to be so worked up about it.”
“Stupid Shanks! I don’t wanna see you anymore!”
“Aw c’mon now, don’t go.” Shanks grabbed onto Luffy’s arm as he stormed off. He had expected the kid to either shrug off his touch or to stop walking when he couldn’t go any further. What he hadn’t anticipated was for¹ Luffy’s arm to stretch as he stubbornly continued walking. His men spat out their drinks in surprise at the sight.
Luffy turned around upon sensing that something was amiss and noticed his extremely long arm.
Pandemonium ensued.
“What in the seas?!”
“His arm! It’s stretching!”
“What’s happening to me?!” Luffy shouted in terror.
“Captain! The fruit we stole is gone!” Lucky Roux waved the empty chest at Shanks.
“Luffy!” Shanks clutched at the boy’s shoulders. “Did you eat the purple fruit in the box?!”
“Huh? Y-yeah, it tastes bad though.”
“Of course it does—it’s a devil fruit! Anyone who eats them can never swim again!” the redhead explained hysterically.
Luffy’s jaw hit the floor. “Whaaat?! You’re kidding right?”
“You idiot!”
Though he was devastated at losing his ability to swim, Luffy had come to accept his newfound power at the end of the day. Shanks watched in amusement as the kid roped his men into playing a game of how far they could stretch his body. During the entirety of his stay, the redhead had been fervently hoping that Garp wouldn’t be making one of his unannounced visits to Dawn Island. The Marine Hero is going to have his head for turning his grandson into a hammer.
The Red-Hair Pirates departed after spending a few days on Dawn Island, promising to drop by again some other time.
“Hey, Captain, isn’t this the second time you’ve indirectly caused someone to eat a devil fruit?”
“No one tells Buggy about this!”
Chapter Text
It had been two months since the Red-Hair Pirates’ last visit. The citizens of Foosha Village had grown used to Luffy’s new powers by then. Initially, they had either chased off the boy or ran away from him in fear of catching whatever disease had caused his body to behave inhumanly. But a few stern words from Makino made them see sense and calm down.
Having never seen a devil fruit much less their powers before, all of the villagers flocked towards Luffy to see his ability, turning the child into a local celebrity. Upon hearing about his weakness to large bodies of water, they cautioned him to stay away from any rivers and the dock lest he fell in and drowned.
Luffy was ecstatic about the attention he was receiving and soaked up every drop of it. It slowed the creep of loneliness the absence of the Red-Hair Pirates had brought—not that Luffy would ever admit to missing Shanks that much, he’s still mad at him about the bandit incident.
Makino and Luffy were reminiscing about the redhead and his crew when the newly repaired saloon door opened. As the barmaid went to greet her new customers, the words on her tongue died.
It was Higuma and his bandits.
“It sure is quiet here, guess the pirates aren’t in today,” Higuma remarked as he and his men proceeded to occupy every seat in the store.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Bring out all of the sake!” he barked at Makino.
“Y-yes, sir, right away.” Makino gave Luffy a look before going to tend to her customer’s needs.
It was obvious that the boy wasn’t pleased to see the bandits at Partys Bar again. As opposed to how he would flit around and chat with her customers, Luffy stayed silent and glued to his seat at the bar counter, staring at Higuma and his men intently with a frown. His drink lay abandoned at the counter.
“Oi barmaid, where’s my drink?”
“What the hell? This beer isn’t cold enough! Get me another!”
“Hey lady, wanna head to my place after this? I can show you a good time.” One of the bandits leered at Makino. Luffy didn’t miss how uncomfortable she looked as she hurried past him.
“Ha! Why on earth would she want your ugly mug, Rotti!” A chorus of boisterous laughter broke out after the speaker had spoken.
Luffy leapt onto his seat, vibrating in anger. “Shut up! Stop being mean to Makino you stupid bandits!” he shouted, unable to hold his tongue any longer.
“Ah? Who are you calling stupid?” Higuma turned to see the same kid who was with the pirates that day. He reclined back on his chair and smirked. “Oi Shun, why don’t you show this kid what the consequences are for mouthing us off?”
His youngest underling got up with a cocky grin and stalked towards the boy.
Luffy climbed down from his stool and dropped into a fighting stance. He brought his balled fists in front of his face and shifted his left foot forward, bending his knees slightly. His heart thumped to the rhythm of a downpour, palms beading with the lightest sheen of sweat like dew on a leaf.
The boy took a deep breath in and exhaled through his mouth, relaxing his tense posture in the process. His eyes scanned the bandit in front of him.
No sharp weapons.
Good. His new rubber body is impervious to blunt force.
When the arrogant bandit bent over to sneer in his face, Luffy remained unperturbed. His Gramps is much bigger. The boy clenched the muscles in his right arm in preparation.
“Listen up, Luffy! Whenever you’re up against someone bigger and stronger than you, always aim for their weak spots first. Strike fast, strike hard, and make sure your hits count.” A five-year-old Luffy stared up at his grandfather, suffering from yet another defeat during their latest training session.
“Look, Boss,” Shun turned his eyes away from the boy. “Kid thinks he can fight—” Stars exploded in his vision. Disorientated by the pain radiating from his nose, Shun never saw the second fist aiming for his temple.
The bandit collapsed onto the floor. One could almost hear the bubbles fizzing in their beer.
Emboldened by his victory, Luffy tilted his chin upwards and stared into the eyes of the bandit chief. “Why don’t you fight me yourself, you wimp!”
Infuriated at being mocked by a child, Higuma got up from his seat and beckoned his second-in-command to follow. They prowled towards the boy, a pack of wolves encircling their prey. Keeping both men in his field of vision, Luffy gritted his teeth and mentally prepared himself. The element of surprise he had in his first fight was gone, now comes a true test of his skills.
“Wait—stop, please!” Makino clutched onto Higuma’s arm. “He’s just a child!”
The bandit leader shoved her aside with nary a glance. The force of the push caused the barmaid to lose her balance and fall to the ground with a sharp cry.
“Makino!” Luffy made to move towards his guardian but the bandits were swiftly onto him.
Gramps might have equipped him with fighting skills, but Luffy is a child and thus, no match against the superior speed and strength of two fully grown adults. It didn’t help that he was also outnumbered. After dodging a punch from Higuma, Luffy succumbed to a powerful kick from his second-in-command.
“Luffy!” Makino cried in terror when he bounced across the floor and slammed onto the wall by the doors. Luffy coughed and struggled to stand. His body quivered, weak from the rough tumble.
A gleam emerged in Higuma’s eyes. He strode over to the wheezing boy and picked him up by the back of his shirt, carrying him out of the bar. His men, laughing and jeering at Luffy, filed after him.
Worried about the child’s safety, Makino left the bar through the back door and rushed to Mayor Woop Slap’s home. After hurriedly explaining to him about the situation, the two raced back to Partys Bar, hoping that the worst had not happened to Luffy.
“What a freaky kid,” one of his men, Zeki, remarked when Higuma pinched the boy’s cheek and pulled, stretching it to an inhuman length.
“Yeah, all of our kicks and punches did nothing to him.” Another pointed out the lack of bruises on the child’s body regardless of how hard they had hit him.
“You bastards! Apologise to Makino!” Luffy aimed a punch at the bandit chief who dodged it with a tilt of his head.
“What a strong brat,” Higuma mused before tossing the boy onto the ground. Upon seeing him trying to get up, the bandit leader placed a foot on the side of his head and applied pressure.
Although Luffy knew that his rubber powers made it impossible for his head to be crushed, instinct told him that he was in danger so he thrashed about in an attempt to escape.
“I bet I can get lots of money from selling him to the circus, then we can buy lots of sake using that. What do you say, boys?” His men cheered around him. Luffy glared hatefully at Higuma from underneath his shoe.
“Stop, please!” The bandits turned around to see the same barmaid from before accompanied by an older man. Both were panting.
Woop Slap collapsed onto his knees in front of Higuma, dismissing the sharp ache in them. He pressed his forehead onto the rough dirt. “Please, let the child go! I apologise if he has angered you and I’m willing to pay however much you want to release him.”
Just as the bandit chief was about to speak, a shout interrupted him. “No! You should apologise you big ugly baboon! You’re the one who’s mean to Shanks and Makino!” Luffy gripped the man’s ankle and tried pushing his foot off his head.
“You know...I was going to let you go brat, but now you’ve made me angry.” Higuma drew his sword and raised it up. Luffy’s eyes widened and his breathing hitched. “Let’s see if your body is as impervious to a blade as it is to punches and kicks!”
The sword swung downwards. Makino covered her eyes while Mayor Woop Slap took a step forward, hands outstretched.
Then came a pulse. An order.
Stop.
The weapon halted in its trajectory. Cold sweat broke out of Higuma’s brow. His hackles raised.
What was that?
“So this is why no one was there to welcome us at the port.” Makino and Woop Slap jolted at the unexpected voice beside them and jerked to the side. The bandits faced the newcomer.
It was Shanks.
“Cap-Captain!” Makino gasped. How could someone so boisterous move so silently?
The man glanced at her before stepping forward. His expression sent the hairs on the back of Makino’s neck to stand.
The shape of Shanks’ usual jovial grin held a menacing curl to it. In his hazel eyes, the sparkle that was commonly associated with mirth was now the glint of a knife’s edge. The three vertical scars that cut across his left eye seemed to stand out in sharper relief to the rest of his unmarred face today. It reminded Makino of what she had forgotten: as laid-back and friendly as Shanks is, he wouldn’t survive the lifestyle he leads if he isn’t the least bit vicious.
Her instincts begged her to flee from this situation.
“Hey, you guys were the bandits from the other day.” Shanks looked at the boy held in place beneath the bandit leader’s foot. “Luffy! Didn’t you say that your punches are as strong as pistols?”
“Shut up, Shanks!”
Higuma gulped. While the pirate’s voice had been light and teasing, the aura he was giving off did not reflect that. But wait—why does Higuma have to be afraid? He has a bounty of eight million Beri and fifty-six kills under his belt. If anything, this pirate should fear him!
The bandit leader straightened his shoulders and puffed out his chest. “What are you still doing here, coward? Plan on cleaning the whole town this time?”
The pirate’s only response was to start walking towards him.
Higuma tensed. He caught himself before he took a step backwards. “I-I suggest you leave right now. If you come any closer my men will shoot.” He prayed no one else had heard the tremble in his voice.
The pirate continued his steady tread. The soft crunch of the soil underneath his sandals went off like bombs to Higuma’s ears. He felt paralysed underneath that stare.
“Hey, didn’t you hear? The boss told you not to come any closer!” Zeki raised his pistol with a smirk and pointed it at the pirate.
The redhead paused. He eyed the barrel of the gun aimed at his head. Feeling emboldened by his hesitation, the bandits chortled. Confident that the pirate wouldn’t be able to try anything without risking a bullet to his head, Higuma joined in.
“Now that you’ve drawn your pistol, you should be ready to stake your life on the line.”
Laughter ceased. The bandits stared at the pirate. Seeing the puzzlement on the face of the one holding a gun to his head, Shanks pointed to it and explained, “This isn’t a toy you can simply wave around to threaten people you know.”
Thinking that the redhead was mocking him, Zeki cocked the hammer of his pistol. His finger tightened on the trigger.
Gunfire rang through the air.
A body crumbled onto the ground. Crimson oozed from the hole in its head and puddled around the fallen figure. Shock reverberated through the bandits.
Yasopp shouldered his rifle and joined the rest of his crew to stand behind their captain.
“That—that was dirty you bastards!” one of the bandits shouted.
“Dirty?” Benn scoffed. He took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled. “Don’t make me laugh. We’re pirates, not saints.”
“Why do you care about that kid?! He ain’t none of your business!” Higuma spat.
A frown replaced the smile on Shanks’ face. His eyes narrowed. “Listen up bandits, I don’t care if you throw alcohol or food or even spit on me. Most of the time I’ll just laugh it off and forget about it. But if I see that my friends are harmed instead, I offer no such mercy .”
Luffy stared in complete awe at Shanks. He thinks I’m his friend...?
“Ha! Mercy? You’re challenging us on our turf, pirates. If there’s anyone who’ll be begging for mercy, it’s you. Men, kill them all!” Higuma ordered, incensed at being challenged and frustrated at his fear of a no-name pirate. With a synchronous roar, his men charged forward with their weapons drawn.
“I’ll handle this, Captain,” Benn said as he stepped forward confidently.
The first bandit went down, clutching his forehead at the spot where Benn had snuffed his cigarette out on. Benn ended his cries of pain by knocking him unconscious. The first mate then proceeded to duck and weave in between the other attacking bandits, using his rifle as a club to knock them out after disarming them of their weapons.
Needless to say, it was an entirely one-sided fight.
“You overestimated yourselves, bandits .” Benn directed the barrel of his rifle at Higuma as he lit up a new cigarette. “If you wanted to fight us you should have gotten a fleet of Marines to back you up.”
Makino, Woop Slap and Luffy couldn’t hold back their exclamations of amazement.
“Now it’s just you left, Mr eight-million-bounty.” Shanks peeled back his lips and gave the bandit chief a shark’s smile.
No. No! I will not be defeated! Higuma gritted his teeth as the pirates closed in on him. In one quick movement, he reached for the smoke bomb in his pocket and hurled it onto the ground. There was a loud bang and smoke engulfed the area. Seizing the opportunity when the pirates were preoccupied with the smoke, Higuma grabbed the child and escape.
With eyes stinging and throat itching from the smoke, Shanks and his men were unable to give chase. They had not anticipated this attack. It tore their hearts to hear Luffy’s cries and be unable to help. When the air cleared, the redhead frantically scanned his surroundings for any signs of the bandit and the child.
There were none.
“What do we do now? They could be anywhere!” Shanks exclaimed, clutching at the strands of his hair. He cursed his carelessness; East Blue had made him arrogant of his strength. To add insult to injury, they had been unable to use Observation Haki to locate Luffy because they never saw the need to learn his Voice.
“Calm down, Captain! It’s not too late, we can still split up and find them!” Lucky Roux reassured.
And the Red-Hair Pirates did just that. Since Higuma was a mountain bandit, Shanks had a few of his men scour Mount Colubo, the mountain behind Foosha Village, for him and Luffy before moving on to the other mountains. Another group was sent to comb through the Midway Forest located between the mountain range and Grey Terminal.
Shanks and the remainder of his crew stayed in Foosha to conduct their search. It was unlikely that Higuma would be able to enter the Capital, so they avoided it. Pirates and nobles do not mix well. The plan was to gradually move their search towards the direction of the sea, hoping to entrap Higuma between them and the waters.
The villagers of Foosha had pitched in to help after hearing about the situation. No one knows their village like they do after all. It was fortunate that they had offered their aid; none of the Red-Hair Pirates thought to visit the harbour first.
One of the fishmongers, Gyoru, spotted Higuma’s figure on a boat in the distance and hurried off to inform Shanks. The man prayed that Luffy would still be alive by the time the pirates reached them. The bandit was sailing towards the territory where the Lord of the Coast lives and it does not take kindly to trespassers.
On the seat of the stolen rowboat, Luffy finally managed to dislodge the gag tied around his mouth. Higuma wasn’t happy to have his hand bitten when was stifling the boy’s calls for help.
“You’re the big coward you asshole! You ran away without fighting Shanks!” Luffy glared at the bandit as he struggled and squirmed, hoping to loosen the ropes tied around him.
“Tch, what a mouthy brat. I was going to use you as a hostage but I changed my mind. You’re too annoying to me alive.” Luffy froze when Higuma picked him up and dangled him over the edge of the boat, above his deadly weakness.
“So long kiddo!” With a nasty smirk, the bandit retracted his arm and threw the boy into the sea.
Luffy barely had time to suck in a breath before his body was enclosed by water. Surfacing was impossible now; his arms wouldn’t paddle and his legs refused to kick. As Luffy started sinking, he offered a prayer to anyone who would listen.
Help me... Please.
(1 second. 2. 3. 4...)
“Good riddance.” Just as Higuma was about to sit down and start rowing, he was startled when a figure burst out of the water behind him.
It was the Lord of the Coast, drawn by the commotion in its territory. Its red-slitted eyes zeroed in on the human on a floating vessel.
“N-no... No—aaah!” The last thing Higuma saw was the wide cavernous yawning of the sea king’s mouth. There was pain, and then no more. The boat splintered from the creature’s bite.
(21. 22. 23...)
Luffy’s lungs burned and ached. He fought against the urge to inhale.
Just a little longer. Just a little longer...
(27. 28. 29...)
Unsatisfied with its meagre meal, the sea king dove back underwater in search of the smaller human it had seen being tossed into the water by the bigger one.
And there they were, slowly sinking into the deep blue depths.
The creature found it odd that the little human wasn’t flailing around on the surface like it had seen many of their kind do. But an easy meal is an easy meal.
The Lord of the Coast surged towards the boy.
As the tsunami of fear charged at Luffy, his limbs instinctively tried to move, to preserve his life by getting out of the path of danger. But when twitching a finger took more energy and concentration than he could muster, Luffy closed his eyes and resigned himself to his early demise.
Fate, however, disagreed.
A force yanked Luffy away from the sea king before it could close its jaws around him. Then Luffy felt himself moving somewhere at a rapid speed.
Confused when its mouth turned up empty, the creature swivelled its head around in search of its missing prey. It had rolled its eyes back to protect them before it struck so it didn’t see where its prey went.
A shadow fell on top of its eyes. The sea king looked up. And there was its fleeing prey, escaping with another human. No matter, two is better than one.
The Lord of the Coast gave chase.
When Luffy’s head broke through the surface, he immediately started gulping down air into his oxygen-deprived lungs. He opened his eyes to see who his saviour was.
Red hair—Shanks.
Before Luffy could thank him, Shanks let out a curse and swiftly spun around. The arm around Luffy’s body tightened its hold. Something hard impacted against them and sent water crashing above their heads. A whimper bubbled up in Luffy’s throat. When the two resurfaced again, he buried his face into the crook of Shanks’ neck and shuddered. He felt a rumble against his cheek.
When the sea king turned to look at its prey, angry that it had escaped twice, the pirate met its gaze head-on with a glare.
Get lost.
The Lord of the Coast froze. Its brain told it to obey. Its instincts screamed for it to flee.
Get away, get away. This red-head-land-walker is dangerous. Go away, go away, and I may live to see another day.
Trembling, the Lord of the Coast bowed its head and dove back into the water, swiftly putting distance between them. It is the biggest creature in the area, the top predator. It should feel insulted for being scared of something the size of its prey. But the look in the land-walker’s eyes told the Lord of the Coast that it didn’t want to find out what happens if it stayed. So it listened and swam far far away.
“S-Shanks, you’re bleeding...” Luffy croaked as the blue waters around them steadily turned red.
“You’re safe now, that’s all that matters.” Upon seeing the man’s warm smile, the child finally burst into tears, overwhelmed by the series of events that had occurred.
Luffy couldn’t recall what happened after that clearly. He knew that they had gotten out of the water—Benn, it was Benn who had helped them out—and he remembered screaming and shouting when Shanks was separated from him. After that, nothing else.
The boy found himself waking up on a bed. Judging by the appearance of his surroundings, he was in the Tide Chaser's med bay.
The Tide Chaser... Shanks!
Luffy jolted out of bed. He paid no mind to the other occupant in the room he had startled; his attention was solely on looking for the man who saved him. Hands reached out for him and the boy slapped them away. There were things stuck to his chest and a tube in his arm. It was impeding him, so he tried to remove it.
“-uffy! Luffy, stop!” Luffy froze when Makino’s voice came into recognition.
“Makino?” When he faced her, he noticed that she had tears in her eyes. Makino gathered him into a tight hug.
“You’re safe now. You’re safe,” she muttered beside his ear. Luffy wasn’t sure if she was reassuring him or herself.
“Where’s Shanks?” the boy asked.
“He’s recovering.” The two turned to the source of the new voice. It was Dr Morti Cian, the surgeon of the Red-Haired Pirates. “His left arm is mangled from the elbow up where the sea king’s teeth had torn into it. It’s going to take some time for him to fully recover but he’ll get there.”
“Can I see him?” Luffy peered hopefully at him.
“He should be awake enough to receive visitors,” Cian replied. After detaching the child from the heart monitor and the IV, he guided him to where the redhead was. Makino trailed behind them.
Shanks lifted his right hand in greeting when Luffy came into sight. Upon spotting him, the child sprinted across the rest of the distance to his bedside.
“Shanks!”
“Hey, Anchor, how are you feeling?” His voice was low and his words sounded groggy.
Luffy eyed his heavily bandaged arm. “I should be asking you that.”
Shanks chuckled which quickly morphed into a wince at the sharp spike of pain from his arm. “I’m fine, Luffy. I can’t even feel the pain at all after what Cian had given me!”
“Liar,” Luffy muttered, shifting his weight from one foot to another. He could sense the discomfort radiating from the man and the tilt of his mouth was not quite as full as his usual grin.
Shanks dropped his cheerful facade. He studied him silently before resting his hand on the boy’s shoulder. Under his touch, Luffy stopped shuffling and peered up at him. “I don’t regret it.”
At his look of confusion, the redhead explained, “There are a few things that I had regretted, like not getting there fast enough to save you before you were thrown into the water. Or that maybe I should have permanently dealt with Higuma that day so this whole incident wouldn’t have happened. But I don’t regret getting this injury if it meant saving you—heck, I’ll even do it all over again!”
Shanks stopped to ruffle the boy’s short black hair. “So chin up, Anchor! If I don’t regret my actions, you don’t get to do it for me either.”
As Luffy’s eyes roamed across his face, he willed the child to see that he was genuine. At last, after a long moment of doubtful silence, Luffy allowed his lips to curl.
“I hope you have an explanation ready for Hawkeyes, Captain,” Cian said as he performed a routine check on Shanks’ wound. “He would have wanted to know why your vivre card burned.”
The redhead groaned and covered his face with his right hand. Shit, he had forgotten about that. “Mihawk is gonna kill me.”
“Mr Hawk?” Luffy wasn’t able to properly hear what Shanks had been saying with the way his mouth was muffled.
The pirate removed his hand and smiled down at the boy who had burrowed into the right side of his body. “He’s a very special friend of mine. He has these really unique eyes where there is a ring of black around each pupil—like a target board!”
And just like that, Shanks’ attention was brought to the ache in his heart. Its intensity grew with each passing week in Mihawk’s absence, pulling him towards the direction of his lover not unlike the other half of his vivre card.
This was the longest time the two of them had been apart. While they had written to each other frequently since their transponder snails were out of range, it didn’t hold the same feeling as conversing face-to-face. The letters couldn’t replicate the tone of affection in Mihawk’s voice, the shine of it dancing in his eyes—and give Shanks the pleasure of pestering his lover for more attention.
“He sounds like a good friend,” Makino said from his bedside. The glint in her eyes and the tilt of her mouth revealed that she had caught on to his subtle implication.
Shanks winked at her. “He’s my equal in life. And he is gonna make me wish I had been eaten by that sea king when he finds out about this.”
Shanks extended his stay in Foosha for a few more days to recover from his injury. While East Blue had been a good vacation spot, it was time to return home to the Grand Line and all her unpredictable chaos.
The air was sombre on the day of their departure.
Luffy and Makino stood shoulder to shoulder at the harbour, observing the organised chaos that was the Red-Hair Pirates hauling provisions onto their ship for the voyage ahead. Some of the villagers had provided it to them for free as thanks for saving Luffy.
Shanks came up to the duo after finishing his duties.
“Well, Anchor, it’s time for us to leave. Who knows, maybe we’ll come back after a few years and you can join my crew as a cabin boy then,” he teased. Luffy had been uncharacteristically quiet as he watched the proceedings around him. He would have normally been chattering a mile in a minute underfoot.
“No.”
“Hm?”
Luffy turned to him with the most solemn expression he had seen. The redhead felt his smile drop.
“I can’t join your crew anymore, Shanks.”
Something—be it the shine in the boy’s eyes, a change in the atmosphere or even his own Observation Haki—told Shanks to listen close to the next words coming out of the boy’s mouth. Excitement buzzed in his ear and anticipation pricked his skin with goosebumps. He could sense it. The weight of something world-changing hovering at the precipice.
“You said that being a pirate means to be free. So someday, I’m gonna set out with my own crew and become the freest of them all! I’m gonna become the King of Pirates!” Luffy proclaimed with a proud grin.
Oh.
Shanks’ next breath lodged in his throat. All activity around them ceased. Everyone boggled at Luffy.
Peering into the eyes of the seven-year-old before him, the Red-Hair Pirate saw the strength and determination behind his words, the power that would come to be his, and he believed.
“The Pirate King huh...”
He looks just like Captain Roger.
Shanks lifted his hand and rested it on his beloved straw hat. In one swift movement, he took it off and placed it onto Luffy’s head, ignoring his crew’s stares of disbelief boring into his back. It was oversized on the child now but the redhead had no doubts that he would grow into it.
“This hat is my treasure, so be sure to return it after you’ve become the King, alright?”
“I-I will!”
Shanks ruffled Luffy’s head, choosing not to comment on his sniffling. He himself was rapidly blinking back his tears and trying to breathe with the tightness in his chest.
Shanks hurried away from the child. They had to leave quickly before their emotions get the better of them.
Activity around them resumed. Soon afterwards, all of the supplies were loaded and the Red-Hair Pirates were ready to leave.
“Be sure to write to me, okay?” Shanks embraced Luffy with one last hug before boarding his ship.
The Tide Chaser cast off her anchor and departed from Dawn Island.
Luffy and Makino stood watching the ship until it disappeared into the horizon. The boy sniffed and wiped away the tears on his face.
It was time for him to train and get stronger. He had a promise to keep.
Chapter Text
Before returning to the Grand Line, the Red-Hair Pirates stopped by Syrup Village again. Yasopp’s next visit could be months or possibly years away so this was his last chance to see his family. They had then paid Buggy a final visit—because Shanks wanted to be a pest—before riding up the Reverse Mountain into Paradise.
Shanks had taken out his transponder snail and dialled Mihawk’s number the moment they arrived. The call connected two days later. Part of Shanks wished it hadn’t. The following conversation they had was short to reduce the chances of being overheard by the Marines, and tense.
With Shanks’ own vivre card in his possession, it didn’t take Mihawk long to find him. With every inch of distance Hitsugibune gained towards the deserted island he and his men had docked on, the knot in Shanks’ stomach wound tighter and tighter. A hundred different scenarios of how Mihawk would react to his injury played across his mind.
Shanks swallowed. What meagre saliva he had in his mouth was hardly enough for his parched throat. His tongue was a heavy, awkward weight in his mouth. The hand resting on the pommel of his sabre clenched and unclenched. In Shanks’ humble opinion, facing off an irate Mihawk is more frightening than that sea king.
Mihawk brought his ship to dock on the island. He turned to look at him.
Shanks gulped. He could still feel his lover’s piercing stare even from this distance. Benn gave him a consoling pat on the shoulder before ushing his crew away.
Mihawk disembarked and walked towards him. He stopped an arm’s length away to appraise him.
“Hi, Mihawk,” Shanks nervously greeted.
Golden eyes narrowed. “Shanks.”
Neither man said a word next. Shanks felt Mihawk’s stare drilling into the side of his head as he avoided his gaze. He surreptitiously wiped the sweat of his right palm onto his pants.
His hat is missing, Mihawk noted. Then his eyes dropped to his cape. It enfolded around his left side more than usual as though covering something. Highly suspicious. “What are you hiding, Shanks?”
The redhead in question winced. Slowly, he shifted his cape aside, baring his injured left arm for his lover to see.
A sharp inhale was his reply.
Footsteps came towards him. There was a gentle touch on his arm.
“Who did this to you?” Mihawk hissed.
“Heh, funny you should ask.” Shanks chuckled awkwardly while scratching his cheek. Mihawk’s sharp eyes darted back to his face.
“Red-Hair.”
“It was my fault in the first place!” Shanks blurted out, holding his good hand up in surrender. “I was the one who had left things unfinished with the bandits and they beat up a kid for defending the barmaid!”
“Start from the beginning.”
Shanks took a deep breath. “Remember Luffy? The boy on Dawn Island?”
“The one who accidentally ate the devil fruit you stole?”
Shanks winced at his lover’s tone but did not refute his words. “Yes. A few weeks ago, the Higuma Bandits came back to the bar and started harassing Makino-san. Luffy didn’t like how they were treating her and called them out. He even had the guts to pick a fight with them!”
Shanks let out a huff of laughter before his expression darkened, lips curling into a sneer. “I guess the bandits didn’t like how a kid humiliated one of them, so they decided to beat him up. I managed to step in before Higuma could kill him. Benn dealt with his men. I should have put my blade into the chief first. Fucker gave us the slip by throwing a smoke bomb and kidnapped Luffy too. The next thing I knew, he was on a boat and had tossed the boy into the water.”
Shanks stared into Mihawk’s eyes. “You know as well as I do that devil fruit users can’t swim, so Luffy stood no chance of escaping the sea king looking to devour him after it had eaten Higuma. I managed to pull the kid away at the last second but its teeth managed to graze my arm. That’s how I got this injury.” Shanks gestured to it, drawing Mihawk’s gaze back to it.
“Benn helped us to shore after I scared the creature off with my Conqueror’s. Got this looked at by Cian; was cussed out by him too.” Shanks was pleased to see a small wry smile on his lover’s face. “Now you know the entire story.”
Mihawk was quiet for a moment. Then he lifted his hand and traced the three parallel scars cutting across Shanks’ left eye at an angle. “The last time we were separated for more than six months, you returned nearly having lost an eye. Now history repeats itself again with your arm.”
Shanks captured Mihawk’s hand and nuzzled his palm, feeling the rough calluses born from a lifetime of sword work and sailing scrape his cheek. He smiled reassuringly at his lover. “I’m fine , Mihawk. Cian even said that my arm is healing well!”
“I’m not.”
Shanks’ smile dropped.
“If the wound had been any deeper you could have lost the use of your entire arm. Had Beckman not been there, you could have bled out in the water, drowned and died .” Mihawk glared at him.
Shanks lowered his gaze, rubbing the back of his neck in shame. Just as he was about to apologise, Mihawk fisted the collar of his shirt and dragged him into a hard kiss. The hand that was once on his cheek entangled itself in his hair. Though initially startled, Shanks quickly adjusted and surrendered himself to his lover, ignoring the awkward bend of his neck to accommodate for the hat in the way.
Mihawk tasted of desperation and relief. Shanks let out a soft hiss at the scolding bite of teeth on his lips and a punishing tug of his hair before gentle fingers and tongue soothed the stinging pain away.
The pair separated when the need to breathe couldn’t be ignored any longer. As Mihawk panted for air, his eyes trailed to the arm in the sling. Faced with the reminder of his partner’s near loss, he was struck by a sudden need for reassurance and released his grip on Shanks’ shirt. Mihawk entwined their hands together and inhaled a stuttered breath when his lover gave it a squeeze. Something within him unclenched at that action.
Lowering his head until the brim of the hat shielded his face, Mihawk exhaled, whispering the words festering inside his heart for the past two years, “Your death would devastate me.”
Shanks stiffened. His eyes doubled in size.
What?
Shanks knew he could be rather reckless. He’s the type who would leap into the fray of things without much prior planning, which meant at times he would arrive at their meetings sporting new scrapes and bruises. Mihawk would often chide him for those, believing him to be skilful enough to avoid getting most of it. He was usually right too.
In response to the scolding, Shanks would try to lighten up the mood by telling jokes and getting his lover to laugh, a way to show that he was alright.
It was an old song-and-dance that they did, long enough for Shanks to think that Mihawk had grown accepting of his recklessness, seeing as he’d never told him to change his behaviour. It wasn’t until Shanks had tried to play off a serious injury—the one that had given him his iconic scars—that he realised he misunderstood.
When Mihawk first saw the medical eye patch, he reacted in alarm and fretted over it. Just like how he had assuaged his lover’s worries before, Shanks tried to make light of the situation by telling jokes. Instead of laughing, however, Mihawk grew frustrated with him and demanded to know who had inflicted the wound.
Shanks was hesitant to share the answer; he was right to be. Mihawk was ready to wage war with Whitebeard after hearing his response.
“A small injury? You could have lost the use of your eye had the cut been deeper!” Mihawk had snarled at him.
“But it didn’t! I’m fine.” Shanks’ smile was growing strained. His head was starting to pound in sync with the throbbing of his injured eye. Why can’t Mihawk just drop the subject already?
“So you’re just going to brush this issue aside? Act like one of Whitebeard’s own hasn’t attacked you?”
“I’m not going to fight an Emperor, Mihawk.”
“I can help—”
“Enough! This doesn’t concern you—you’re not a Red-Hair Pirate!” Shanks had snapped. Unbiddened, his Conqueror’s Haki burst forth and struck his lover.
Mihawk had stumbled back, eyes bright with astonishment and hurt. Shanks had been just as taken aback by his action. But before he could come up with an apology, frost had crept over his lover’s features. Mihawk had stalked away with lips drawn into a thin line and hands tightly fisted by his sides.
After their tempers had cooled later that day, Shanks had gone after his lover to apologise. Mihawk, solemn and resigned, had agreed not to go after Whitebeard in turn.
Life carried on as usual after that. But as Shanks sifted through his memories, he came to realise that was only true from his perspective.
Where he would once demand explanations and nag at him to be more careful, the Mihawk after their dispute had stopped enquiring about his injuries entirely. He would do nothing more than sigh upon seeing the new cuts and bruises decorating Shanks’ body and say nothing else.
Until today, two years later.
All this time while Shanks had taken Mihawk’s silence as his effort to become less overbearing, the reality was that Mihawk had chosen to bottle away his concerns instead of voicing them.
Shanks frowned.
How could he have missed this for so long? Why did Mihawk stop asking about his wounds? What had he done to make Mihawk feel he should stop—
A sentence shunted itself to the forefront of his mind: ‘This doesn’t concern you—you’re not a Red-Hair Pirate!’
Then Mihawk’s naked expression of hurtful disbelief. And Shanks finally pinpointed where it had all gone wrong.
Two years... How could I have been so blind to Mihawk’s feelings? the redhead berated himself. Guilt gnawed in his stomach. If Shanks had the power to go back in time, he’d like to return to that day and punch himself for saying those words.
Spurred by a desire to see his lover’s face, the redhead reached out and lifted the brim of the hat. He wasn’t surprised when Mihawk stubbornly kept his gaze away.
“I’m sorry.” Golden eyes darted to him in question.
Shanks gave Mihawk a rueful smile. “I know I said it before but I didn’t realise I wasn’t apologising for the right thing after the fight we had about my eye. So”—he took a step back before bending at his waist—“I’m sorry. I realise now that I sounded like I was telling you off for overstepping your boundaries. You may not be a Red-Haired Pirate but as my partner, you hold the same privileges as one. I am so sorry I made you think otherwise. I understand if it's too late for you to forgive me now.”
Shanks remained in his bow at the end of his speech, waiting for Mihawk to respond. Anxiety crept in from the edges of his mind when seconds ticked by and silence continued to reign. He locked his limbs in place and bit his lip to keep himself from clutching at Mihawk’s legs and pleading for forgiveness. This would only succeed in turning him away and Shanks wasn’t sure he’d survive the tear of his soul and the shattered remains of his love should Mihawk leave.
Mihawk stared at his partner, surprised by his perceptiveness. He hadn’t expected Shanks to deduce that the unspoken hurt he had carried from their argument two years ago had been the reason why he was upset with Shanks’ nonchalant attitude about his current injury. Mihawk certainly didn’t anticipate his partner to apologise for it either.
Mihawk had been prepared to be the one to sit Shanks down and bring up the topic of their dispute again. But while he was contemplating on how to broach this subject and word his slighted feelings—aside from speaking about his emotions, his hesitancy to anger his partner was the reason why he held his tongue for the last two years—Shanks had beaten him to it first with his apology. And after hearing how genuine he is about it, perhaps it was time to pull Shanks out of his misery before he could dig himself deeper into it.
There is one thing Mihawk had to ensure first, however.
“Shanks, look at me.” His partner obliged. Mihawk’s expression softened when he noticed the sheen in his eyes, the inward curl of his shoulders and his meek gaze. At the back of his mind, the chattering voice casting doubt on Shanks’ sincerity died down.
Mihawk cupped his partner’s cheek and stroked the ends of his famous scar. “I place a greater value on your life than my own,” he murmured. Mihawk quickly placed a finger on Shanks’ lips when he made to speak. His gaze sharpened and his features grew stern. “Should you die, there is nothing stopping me from storming Marie Geoise alone.”
Though stricken, Shanks understood his lover’s words. Peering deep into Mihawk’s eyes, he reached up to cover his hand with his own. “I swear in the name of Davy Jones’ that I will be less reckless in the future.”
Mihawk held his partner’s gaze, probing his mind for any falsities with his Observation Haki. When there was none, he sighed, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead against Shanks’. “Good.”
Shanks closed his eyes and did the same. Tension was released from his shoulders. He and Mihawk had reconciled. All was not lost in their relationship.
The two basked in each other’s company for a few moments. They broke apart when Shanks’ stomach growled.
“Shall we have dinner now? I have the ingredients for a lobster bisque.” Mihawk took his lover by his uninjured hand and guided him toward his ship. Shanks beamed at the idea of eating one of his favourite foods and hurried his pace.
Shanks purred in delight at the feel of his lover’s fingers messaging his scalp.
A few minutes ago, he had been awkwardly undressing for his shower when a knock came on the bathroom door. Confused, he replied, “It’s occupied!”
“It’s me.”
Mihawk? Shanks went to unlock the door. “What’s up?”
His lover stepped in before closing the door and locking it behind him. “I thought you could use some help.”
Shanks perked up. A smile stretched his cheeks. There was going to be pampering ahead. With nerves buzzing with eagerness, Shanks allowed Mihawk to remove his arm from the sling carefully. He was then freed from the confines of his clothes which were folded and set aside on the sink countertop. If Mihawk noticed the bandages on his thighs, he said nothing. Cian had to obtain the skin needed to cover the wounds on his arm from somewhere after all.
Mihawk held out a hand. “Sit inside.”
Shanks took the proffered hand as he stepped over the high lip of the bathtub. Its grip was firm when he wobbled and didn’t let go until he settled into a sitting position. Shanks watched as his lover rolled up his sleeves and gathered the necessary items for a sponge bath. He placed them beside the tub.
“Lean your head back,” Mihawk said as he detached the showerhead and turned on the tap.
Shanks rested his head on the rim of the bathtub and closed his eyes. He tensed upon feeling the first touch of water on his forehead but quickly relaxed afterwards.
After thoroughly wetting Shanks’ hair, Mihawk shut off the water and lathered shampoo in his palms. Then he brought his soapy hands to Shanks’ head and messaged the white froth into his hair.
Shanks purred, spine tingling at the pleasurable ministrations on his scalp. His lover has really talented hands. He was disappointed when it stopped all too soon. Shanks opened his eyes, studying Mihawk’s face as he rinsed off the shampoo. His expression, paired with his gentle touch, all radiated quiet concern. Affection swelled in Shanks’ chest.
By the Blues, I’m so lucky to have him.
Shanks lifted his good hand and brushed it lightly against his lover’s cheek. Once those ringed irises fell onto him, Shanks smiled and tilted his chin further upwards, hoping Mihawk would catch the hint.
He did.
The kiss was brief but no less affectionate. Now it was time to clean his body.
Shanks sat up properly when Mihawk went to fill two basin tubs, adding soap into the water for one. He soaked a washcloth in soapy water and wrung it dry before gently rubbing it on the front of Shanks’ body, careful to avoid the dressings on his arm and thighs. Then he repeated his actions again using a separate cloth dipped in clean water.
As Mihawk moved to clean his back, Shanks’ mind drifted to the sea king’s attack.
Shanks is intimately familiar with the dangers of his lifestyle. He has long accepted there is no guarantee of his life whether he’s out at sea or on land. Any day could be his last. However, to be reminded of one’s mortality is one thing, facing someone else’s is another.
Mihawk is a powerful man. He is fully capable of handling threats from Marines to rival pirates to the sea itself alone. So Shanks feels he has little need to be concerned about Mihawk’s safety. But how long would that last? Skills have nothing against luck. One lucky shot, one lucky disease and Mihawk would... Mihawk would...
Shanks would never get to grow old with him.
He would never get to compare grey hairs on their heads (Shanks strongly suspects he would be the first to get them. He would have accused Mihawk of being a vampire with how he never appears to age if he hasn’t seen him eat three square meals).
He would never get to retire on some island with Mihawk and be crotchety old men complaining about their aches and pains and poking fun at the new generation of seafarers.
He would never experience the joy of waking up to his lover nor would he fall asleep next to his warmth again.
He would never eat meals with their feet entwined under the table, never trade bites of their food, never share the taste of liquor on their lips, and birthdays—
Oh God, birthdays .
Shanks squeezed his eyes shut. At the centre of his chest, a knot starts to twist.
Birthdays would be adding one to his age and never again for Mihawk. Birthdays would be counting down four fucking years until he started outliving his lover. Birthdays would mark the beginning and the end of another three-hundred-and-sixty-five-day cycle of misery and hatred towards the ninth of March, after another year of being denied death.
But who’s to say Shanks would find Mihawk in the afterlife in the first place? Who’s to say Mihawk wouldn’t grow tired of waiting and decide to enter reincarnation without him?
Shanks clenched his teeth as the pressure in his chest continued to build past the point of excruciating, impeding on his ability to breathe. With nowhere to escape, it broke out of his body in a shudder. Shanks stiffened when movement on his back stopped.
“Shanks?” Mihawk came around to look at him. Shanks tried to school his expression but it proved to be futile when his lover’s brow furrowed. “What’s wrong? Is your arm hurting?”
Shanks shook his head. “No, no. Just some bad thoughts, nothing to worry about.” He gave Mihawk what he hoped was a convincing smile. It was just a simple revelation, an eye-opening one. There’s really nothing for him to fret about.
But Mihawk wouldn’t be the man Shanks loves if he took everything he said at face value. After all, one of Shanks’ bad traits is pretending that everything was alright with himself even when he could be bleeding out. Case in point: his injured arm.
Mihawk scanned the entirety of his body and when he could spot no afflictions, returned his gaze back to Shanks’ face, peering, studying. Shanks kept himself calm and tried to project I’m not hurt, please don’t worry to his lover. He knew he was successful when Mihawk’s expression softened.
“I trust you,” he said. “But please understand that I will not judge your should you decide to share them with me.”
This time, the smile that curled Shanks’ lips was genuine. “I know, thank you.” He could tell Mihawk was still curious but he trusted Shanks enough to not pry.
Mihawk brushed his damp hair away from his forehead and pressed his lips there. “Let’s finish up here and get you out of the shower,” he murmured.
Shanks hummed in affirmation. Mihawk was quick to clean the rest of his back and help him out of the bathtub. Then he was petted dry and dressed in clean clothes with his arm carefully tucked back into its sling. Now as Shanks waited patiently by the bathroom door for Mihawk to put away the items he had used, his eyes unconsciously drifted to his lover’s hands. A light bulb went off in his mind.
Yes, this could be it. This could be the answer to his concerns about being apart. He could invoke Life and Death’s name in his vow and bind them together till eternity ends.
And what makes you think he’ll agree to this? Doubt hissed from the back of his mind. You haven’t talked about taking your relationship to the next level yet and here you are assuming Mihawk will want to spend forever with you? You’ve heard stories of how couples grew to hate each other after spending decades together, what makes you think the two of you are immune to that? What makes you think Mihawk wouldn’t want to find other lovers—better partners—in his next life? Who are you to stop him from doing that?
Shanks watched as his lover put the last item back into place, then turned around and walked towards him.
Because I am a selfish person, I have to try at least. Even if Mihawk isn’t going to say yes to a forever, a lifetime with him would be enough for me—it will be enough. I hope. Even if Mihawk were to grow to hate me during this lifetime, I will still and always love him.
When Mihawk ventured close, Shanks reached out with a courage he did not feel and captured his left hand.
His lover cocked his head to the side. “Do you need something, Shanks?”
In response, Shanks lifted the appendage in his grasp. “I know we haven’t talked about this yet but”—and here, he pressed a feather-light kiss onto the fourth finger before meeting his lover’s gaze—“will you marry me?”
Mihawk’s sharp inhale bounced off the walls of the room. His pupils were pinpricks as they stared at him and if it weren’t for the occasional blink of his eyes, Shanks would have thought Mihawk had turned into a statue.
If this were any other occasion, Shanks would have been delighted to have surprised his normally imperturbable lover. But as the silence stretches on, Shanks dropped his gaze and shifted his weight from foot to foot.
This is a mistake, this is a mistake, this is a mistake, Panic chanted, racing around his mind with the same grace as a sailor’s first experience with Grand Line weather.
And Shanks agreed with it. When he opened his mouth to correct his mistake, however, Mihawk spoke.
“Marriage is a union between two individuals who agree to have and to hold each other, in sickness and in health. Apart from death, there is no other method to break this unification,” he said slowly as though weighing each word in his mouth.
Shanks frowned. He didn’t understand why he was being told what he already knew. But there was something he needed his lover to know before agreeing to this marriage. “I don’t just want a life with you, Mihawk. I want to be by your side forever.” He gave the hand in his a squeeze.
The skin between Mihawk’s brows wrinkled. He looked down at their entwined hands. “Forever is a long time to spend with someone. You might eventually grow tired of them,” he replied in a soft voice.
And wasn’t it a wonder that that was the exact worry Shanks had just now?
“My love,” he purred, stepping closer to Mihawk. He dropped his hand in favour of cupping his cheek. “All the stars would fall from the sky before I ever stopped loving you.” He was pleased to see a dusting of red on his lover’s face.
“Flatterer.”
“It’s not flattery if it’s the truth,” Shanks sang gleefully.
“I rue the day you learned that phrase.” Mihawk shook his head but the corners of his lips were curling up so Shanks took that as a win.
Mihawk’s expression suddenly turned sombre. He looked to the side. “You should have the option to remarry again in the event I’m first to greet Death, however.” One of his hands rose up to press against the one Shanks had on his cheek. “Taking a vow to stay permanently bound to me will negate that.”
Remarry? Why in the Blues would Shanks do that when he’d already made it clear he wants a forever with Mihawk?
“What if I chose to stay a widow for the rest of my life?” Shanks tilted his chin up in challenge.
Mihawk swallowed. He turned his head to press a kiss onto the palm of Shanks’ hand. “You deserve to be happy again,” he murmured.
And Shanks nearly crumbled under the intensity of the grief, affection and love, love, love that consumed his heart.
He didn’t deserve this man.
How could Mihawk still question Shanks for wanting to pull stars from the sky and lay them by his feet? How could he still doubt that Shanks would willingly follow him to the ends of the world, that Shanks would fight his monsters and remain by his side when the world had forsaken him, when he would say things like this? When he showed he is willing to push aside his needs and wants in favour of Shanks’ happiness?
Shanks’ next breath of air was deep and shuddered in his lungs. The quarrel they had about his eye injury must have set back their trust a lot more than he thought if his lover was still holding doubts about the merits of their relationship.
Shanks gently rests his forehead against Mihawk’s. He waited until his lover looked at him before speaking. “Will you let me prove it to you then?” Shanks asked.
Mihawk blinked. He opened his mouth and closed it when no words came forth. His forehead creased. A storm of thoughts whirled behind his eyes.
Shanks waited patiently. This was not a decision he could rush.
At last, Mihawk nodded, a minute bob of his head only detectable by the press of their foreheads.
Smiling widely, Shanks drew his lover into an embrace, squeezing his good arm tight around his neck. “I promise you won’t regret it!” And Shanks had carved that vow into his heart to ensure it.
His lover’s arms came up to wrap around him. “I trust you.”
“In fact...” An idea unfurled in Shanks’ head. “Why don’t we do it now? Let’s go get married!”
“Now?” Mihawk stared at him incredulously if a little amused. “A marriage is usually accompanied by a party. You won’t be able to drink in your current condition should you decide to marry now. Not to mention we don’t even have our rings yet.”
“It’s fine. We can just marry again once I’m recovered and exchange the rings then,” Shanks replied.
“I believe it is called renewing our vows by then?” Mihawk cocks an eyebrow.
“Is there any real difference between the two? We’ll still be standing before an officiant and declare our promises to each other.” Shanks mirrored Mihawk’s expression with a cheeky grin.
“I suppose when you put it that way there are little dissimilarities between the two,” Mihawk sighed but Shanks could see he was holding back a smile.
“So...” Shanks pressed his forehead against his lover’s again and stared hopefully into his captivating eyes. “Is that a yes?”
Mihawk closed the distance between their lips.
Two men stood on the main deck of the Tide Chaser, facing each other with their hands entwined. A taller male stood in front of them with a cigarette hanging out of his grinning mouth. The rest of the motley crew of Red-Hair Pirates gathered behind the trio.
“You do realise that you won’t be able to drink if we are to have our wedding now?” Mihawk asked his partner.
“What’s a day without alcohol compared to the start of forever with you?” Shanks winked at him. His mouth was split open into a wide smile and his eyes twinkled with joy. He was visibly vibrating with excitement.
“Very well then. I hope you don’t come to regret your decision.”
“I won’t. Now then, Benn, marry us!”
Their wedding might have been a simple ceremony, but the afterparty was conducted in true Red-Hair Pirate fashion: loud music, an abundance of food and a never-ending flow of alcohol.
True to his word, Shanks didn’t complain about being unable to drink. He had even laughed in good cheer when Lucky Roux brought him grape juice in substitute, calling it his karma for all those times he had made fun of Luffy.
Mihawk had escaped into the quiet of Shanks’ cabin a few hours into the party. He had intended to spend some time in solitude to recharge his social batteries before going back to the party again. Or at least, that was the plan until his husband came in with his expression set into a pout and firmly attached himself to his side.
“Mihaaawk, I’m horny!”
“I fail to see how that is my problem.” Mihawk flipped to the next page of his book.
The pest beside him whined.
“But I wanna have sex! We haven’t done it for over a year now!”
“If you wish to roleplay as a cadaver for Dr Morti then be my guest.”
“You’re so mean to me! What did I ever do to deserve such treatment,” Shanks complained, burrowing his face into the crook of his lover’s neck. Mihawk cracked a grin in response.
He started feeling a pair of lips sucking and nipping at his skin. Mihawk shivered at the pleasurable sensations but held firm onto his resolve. He just needed to finish this chapter—
Mihawk jolted at the soft press of teeth to the pulse point behind his ear. Simultaneously, a hand palmed at his crotch.
That’s it.
In one swift movement, the hawk-eyed man dropped his book, turned around and pinned the redhead down onto the bed with one hand on his throat and the other on his wrist. Shanks, the rascal, grinned unrepentantly up at him and waggled his eyebrows.
Mihawk narrowed his eyes at him. His partner’s smirk widened.
A beat of silence. Two.
“If you behave yourself and let me finish this chapter, I will suck you off.”
Hazel eyes lit up with glee. “Deal!”
It took a few months for Shanks’ arm to fully heal. Mihawk had stayed close by throughout his ordeal, keeping his sword skills sharp by sparring with him. Those light matches might not carry the same heat as their usual duels but they did serve to keep him in shape. Shanks thanked the Gods he listened to Rayleigh when he insisted on teaching him how to wield a sword in both hands. It certainly beats having to learn how to swing a sword again.
The first thing Shanks had done when Cian cleared him for all activities was to drag his husband into his cabin for some long-overdue lovemaking. The redhead had emerged on the fourth day of his disappearance with a visible limp in his walk, a dopey smile and a smattering of hickeys on his neck and chest. Mihawk on the other hand had looked as though he had been mauled by an animal, and he wore the marks on his skin with pride. The rest of the Red-Hair Pirates were just happy that they could stop wearing earplugs all day.
The second thing the redhead had set out to do after he had fully recovered—and after their sex marathon—was to throw a celebration for the sole purpose of getting roaringly drunk on alcohol. Like the other parties the Red-Hair Pirates had in the past, this one lasted for days until Cian threatened to tranquilise Shanks so that the crew could have a break. Mihawk, well aware of his husband’s partying habits, had sailed off for some peace and quiet after the first night. Benn, similarly an introvert as well, was tempted to join him.
The last thing Shanks had accomplished was to get matching ring tattoos with Mihawk: two thin lines of red and black encircling the second segment of their ring fingers. It would have been unwise to wear conventional wedding rings when they are trying to keep their relationship inconspicuous. Mihawk’s wanted poster might have stated that he is wanted dead or alive by the World Government, but Shanks knew that only the former is true. His husband would never be sent to Impel Down if he was captured.
Things were pleasant for a while. Occasionally, Shanks would receive letters from Luffy as the boy made good on his promise to practice his writing. Through the letters, the redhead learned that Luffy’s dream of becoming the Pirate King had vexed his grandfather so much that he was sent to live with a group of mountain bandits in hopes that that would shape him into a Marine. Shanks couldn’t wrap his head around how that was supposed to work. Garp really needed to learn about the proper ways of parenting. Is this why Dragon had turned out the way he did?
Luffy also mentioned that while living with the bandits, he befriended two older boys who eventually became his sworn brothers. This greatly pleased Shanks. He had been worried about how lonely the kid would be after he left. Seeing as Luffy’s brothers had expressed a desire to be pirates as well, Shanks made a note to thank them for looking after his Anchor when they set out to sea in the future.
Things continued to be pleasant for a little over a year until he received a letter from Buggy which preceded a visit from the Marine Hero.
Monkey D. Luffy, as well as his two older brothers, had disappeared from Dawn Island.
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