Chapter 1: Act 1 - Prologue

"Inherited Will, The Destiny of the Age, and The Dreams of the People. As long as people continue to pursue the meaning of Freedom, these things will never cease to be!" - Gol D. Roger"

― Eiichiro Oda

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Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters except for the OCs.

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Chapter 1: Fated Meeting

~Somewhere~

A young boy yawned as he woke up from his 'nap'. He quite easily loses track of time given how much he loves sleeping. He got off his bed and hobbled a bit as the room seemingly jerked around, intending on making the boy fall. The boy looked around to find that he was now alone which brought a little frown on his face. It was always like this!

He quickly got up and walked out of the room and up the stairs, intending on getting some fresh air and finding 'his' whereabouts. The moment he was out in the open, the color hit him with the full force of a sledgehammer as his eyes immediately glued onto the vast expanse of blue all around him. The sound of men grunting and shouts were nothing but background noise to him as he gazed at nothing yet everything. The fresh breeze against his face and the sound of the waves reverberated through his ears, adding to this surreal experience.

The sea opened its arms to him as though a lover welcoming his/her companion who had been gone for long. It pulled him into its depths to explore the unknown, to explore places no one had ever been to. It promised to give him more than it took as long as it was treated right. The freedom, to be anything, to do anything. This freedom to be away from everything…. only to be interrupted from his thoughts as a fist came crashing down on his head.

*BAM*

The boy cried out in anger as he whirled around and glared at the person who dared to interrupt his thoughts.

"What are you glaring at, boy?" the man asked whilst he looked at the boy menacingly. The boy, to his credit, didn't flinch or back down and instead reciprocated with a glare of his own.

"What's your problem, ossan?"

"Damn brat, I should teach you some manners on how to talk to your elders," the man replied as he smashed the boy's head yet again making him hold onto it in pain.

The boy didn't want to admit it but the man's strikes hurt a lot and he could take only so many at a go. So he settled on glaring daggers at the man who ignored the little boy and looked at the other people on the ship with a hint of pride.

"Look at these people Luffy. Doesn't it make you want to join the marines to explore the seas and bring people to justice? Live the life of righteousness?" Garp asked as he stared ahead in a rare display of seriousness from his usual laid-back attitude.

"But all they do is follow orders," Luffy said with a little distaste in his words, making Garp frown. The vice-admiral turned towards his grandson and looked him in the eye.

"This world is filled with pirates who take advantage of the weak. They loot, they murder, and cause mayhem everywhere they go. It is our job to right this wrong and to bring them all to justice. Justice requires a strong moral compass which builds from having a strong character. A strong character comes from a strong routine and habits. Finally, strong habits can be built with proper guidance which we give. That is how everyone is trained."

Luffy just stared blankly at his grandfather apparently zoned out as he lost interest in the conversation, making Garp's eyebrows twitch. The marine just bonked the younger boy on his head, getting his attention.

"What was that for, ossan?" Luffy cried indignantly.

"I am your jiji, brat, not any ossan. And you better pay attention when I talk."

"Cut that out," Luffy yelled.

Garp turned out and stared ahead, once again lost in thought. Dragon had given Luffy to him to take care of since he knew that his son would be far safer with Garp and the marines than with the Revolutionary Army. Garp could see how torn his son was as he handed his own son to Garp when he was hardly a year or two old. Luffy was now 5 and as expected, hardly had any recollection of his father for which Garp was glad. He knew that the time was not right for Luffy to know about his father. Maybe someday when he was stronger. Thus, Garp had decided to take Luffy with him on his travels to get him familiar with the world. The earlier he learned how the world worked, the better it would be for him. The marine knew that Luffy was destined for something great, call it hubris but the Monkey family was far from normal. Each individual in the family was beloved by fate itself as they experienced the most unqiue events. He did not know what was in store for his grandson but he would be damned if he did not make Luffy ready to face the world.

They were currently on the calm belt, atop his ship as he sailed towards a certain blue where he was required. Some unconfirmed yet interesting reports had reached the marine headquarters and naturally, Sengoku asked him to look into them. After all, they were quite sensitive and if the word got out, it would spell trouble for the World Government. The only reason why he was doing it was so that he could avoid this headache in the future. He preferred to sail as he pleased and if this became a big issue, it would impede his travels, something he did not like. On the bright side, he could beat up some pirates along the way as well as show Luffy some real action. The boy had been stowed in the room each time there was any combat. Now that he was five, Garp felt that it was an appropriate time to get Luffy acquainted with this side of the world.

~A few days later~

His ship was currently docked at the island which the Headquarters was interested in. A normal person would've exercised discretion, undertaking such a mission but the Monkey family had always been known for its straightforward way of thinking. If there's a problem, face it head-on and beat it into submission. Simple. Garp was no exception as he swaggered into town with no caution whatsoever, ignoring the stares thrown his way. Luffy trailed along with him as the young boy ran around the place, looking at things that caught his interest which was practically everything. His eyes were shining brightly and a huge grin adorned his face as he laughed happily at almost every other thing.

"Luffy, you'd better not get lost. Stay nearby," Garp said as he kept walking forward. Regardless of how much Garp beat up Luffy, he would always love his grandson with all his heart and not let anyone else harm even a single strand of hair on the boy.

"Hai hai," Luffy said disinterestedly. He then turned and ran off towards the forest where he thought he'd find some new animals or fruits to eat. His grandfather could only sigh knowing that there was bound to be some trouble knowing their luck. He wasn't too worried about Luffy since he could observe him throughout the time and immediately know if some danger befell him. Unless the brat was close to dying, he wouldn't interfere.

~Luffy~

Luffy was currently running around the jungle, trying to find anything that was interesting but so far, he only found trees and more trees. He kept running, often changing his direction until he stopped and looked around. He was now lost and didn't know where to go. He scratched his head and then closed his eyes, deep in thought as he tried to recall his steps. Fortunately, he was saved from the trouble as a voice made its way to his ears through the silent forest. It was soft and barely noticeable but Luffy could hear it well somehow. Not thinking twice, he took off towards the source of the sound, oblivious to his surroundings once again.

After a minute or two, he was finally able to locate the source and was surprised to find a girl sitting on a rock in front of him. She had long black hair that cascaded down her back but he could not make out her features since her face was buried in her hands and the sound of her crying filled the air. Feeling like he had to do something, Luffy made his way towards her loudly to not startle her.

The girl for her part immediately stopped and held her breath as soon as she heard footsteps behind her. She took her hands off her face and slowly and cautiously turned around, fearing the worst. However, she was a little surprised when she saw a person whom she had never seen before. The island was a relatively small place with a low population so everyone knew each other and given how good her memory was, she knew that this person was someone new. The girl quickly wiped her face and turned around, keeping an impassive and guarded expression in front of the boy, not wanting to show any weakness whatsoever. He had large eyes and dark hair like her with a full set of white teeth that were visible due to his panting. He had a scrawny frame and was easily shorter than her. He was nothing impressive if she was being honest with herself.

Luffy on his part was frozen still as soon as the girl turned around and showed her face. The girl had brilliant blue eyes that glimmered with her tears. She had tanned skin that glowed in the morning sun which indicated that she spent a lot of time outdoors. Her slender frame and maroon dress only added to her charm.

"What do you want?" the girl asked somewhat coldly, snapping the boy out of his thoughts.

"I heard you crying so I came here. Are you okay?" the boy asked, completely ignoring her tone or the glare she shot at him.

"It does not concern you. Go away," the girl said as she got up, dusted her clothes, and turned, intending to go somewhere else where she could be alone.

"But you are unhappy," the boy pointed out as he started following her. Normally, Luffy would not do anything and leave the person alone but whenever he looked at the girl's eyes for some reason, he felt something inside him ache which felt weird since it had never happened before. He had deduced that it was because of the girl in front of him since it only began as soon as he looked at her. Being a curious person, he wanted to know why this was happening and thus decided to follow her.

"So? Why does it matter to you? You do not even know me," the girl said as she kept walking ahead.

"I do not want to see you sad," the boy said cluelessly, making the girl gasp and stop abruptly. However, the girl reigned in her emotions as soon as she let them out and continued walking as though nothing had happened.

"Wait," Luffy called once again.

"What?" the girl hissed as she stopped and turned towards the boy with annoyance written all over her face. Didn't he understand that she needed some time alone and chose to ignore it or was too dumb to even notice it? The girl reckoned it was the latter.

"Will you be my friend?" the boy asked with his eyes glittering with hope.

For the second time of the day, the girl became shell shocked, her mask vanishing as a look of complete astonishment and disbelief crossed her face.

"What did you just say?" she asked to make sure that she heard it right.

'Will you be my friend?" the boy asked once again with a wide smile, showing off his teeth.

"Why do you want to be my friend?" the girl asked since she still could not believe her ears. This ought to be some dream she thought. She pinched herself to make sure but nothing happened. Yep, it was real.

The boy, on the other hand, looked down with a sad smile and said, "I never had any friends. I have been with jiji only."

The girl's eyes softened considerably hearing his confession, after all, she had had the same experience as him and thus knew how he must've felt.

"But why me? There are lots of other kids here," the girl asked with a hint of sadness in her voice which of course the boy failed to notice.

"Because you're the only one who talked to me," the boy replied with a sincere smile making the girl look at him in shock.

"Why didn't anyone ever talk to you?"

"I don't know. They always ran away from me whenever I tried to talk with them," the boy replied sadly once again. The girl couldn't help but feel sad as well. It felt as though his mood affected hers to a large extent which shocked the girl. This had never happened!

She then calmed herself down and thought about it. Several things ran through the girl's mind as she processed whatever he had just said. She had been tricked several times in the past and been taken advantage of at the pretext of being friends which had led to her developing trust issues at such a young age. Moreover, she had slowly and steadily locked her feelings deep within herself believing that she was truly alone and that no one would ever be her friend. Not to forget, the special ability she had was the main reason people avoided her at all costs. When she looked at the boy, she could not see any deceit instead, all she saw was hopefulness and sincerity and for some reason, she felt like she could trust him.

She then took a deep breath and decided to show him the very thing that had led her to lead a life like this. If he shunned her as all others did, she would know that he was just like them. She dared not to think about anything else since whenever she got her hopes up, they would come crashing down quickly.

"But are you fine with being friends with a monster like me?"

"What?" Luffy asked, visibly confused.

Robin then closed her eyes, took a shaky breath in, and activated her powers, growing two more hands just below her natural ones. She kept her eyes closed, waiting for the jeers to come. No matter how many times it happened, it always hurt. But what surprised her was the gasp that came followed by a shrill shriek of amazement.

"AWESOME!" Luffy screamed as he ran towards the girl and started looking at her additional appendages from all angles.

"Are these real?" he asked with excitement brimming in each word.

The girl, on the other hand, was frozen stiff with the reaction the boy had just demonstrated. Was this really happening? She certainly refused to believe it. Was someone… happy seeing her? She once again looked at the boy, desperately trying to look for any signs of trickery but to no avail. His entire being seemed to emit profound happiness as he danced around her trying to figure it out whilst occasionally touching her arms. Looks like her decision to trust him was correct. She had trusted her gut and she did not regret it. He had unknowingly passed the biggest test in the girl's eyes. Just by this small gesture, he had gained her undivided loyalty as a friend throughout life because for her, if someone accepted her for who she was, that person would be worthy of being called a friend. Friends always helped each other and Luffy was now a friend.

The girl then coughed into her first getting the boy's attention and said, "I will be your friend," with a wide smile.

Before she knew it, she felt the air leave her lungs as she was crushed in an absolutely tight hug which was saying something considering how scrawny the boy was. The boy kept shouting out in glee and laughing after finally making a friend affecting her mood as well. She couldn't help but giggle and smile at the boy's antics as she too wrapped her arms around the boy and brought him closer. At that moment, she knew that she could trust this boy with her everything. Her darkest thoughts, her dreams, everything. She knew that she would never be betrayed by him. Never. Call it stupid but this was a feeling that reverberated within her soul and she knew she was right.

The boy then abruptly pulled away and put on a serious expression on his face, making the girl a little wary.

"I completely forgot to introduce myself. Jiji will beat me up if he finds out," he said as he rubbed the back of his head, making the girl laugh yet again. Her fears were unnecessary with him.

"Ore wa Monkey D. Luffy," Luffy introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you. I am Nico Robin," the now-named Robin said with a dazzling smile adorning her face.