The Return Of Joyboy!

Garp and Luffy were at the beach where Luffy was playing with the sand and making sand castles. He looked happy and Garp observed the kid with keen and fond eyes.

"Grandpa?" Luffy asked as he lifted his head from the so-called castle that he had made. He looked towards Garp with a gummy smile. Garp hummed as he asked him to continue.

"I want to be strong," Luffy said with determination in his eyes. Garp could see the sparkles of wonder. He could see the same resolution which he saw in Dragon all those years ago.

"And why do you want to be?" Garp asked as approached the grinning kid.

He saw Luffy thinking hard, with his face scrunched, and his face turning red. Garp laughed. "Do you want to be a marine?" Garp's eyes lit up at the possibility. His mind racing thousands kilometres per second about the benefits which Luffy can get.

Luffy scrunched his face in disgust, he poked his tongue out before speaking, "I don't like marines." Garp couldn't help but reward him with a fist of love.

"You will become a fine marine." He said as he lifted up the boy and started advancing to the jungle for training.

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Later, that day the sea seemed louder then usual Makino didn't think much of it. Suddenly the doors open to the bar. Luffy returned to Makino all beaten up and bloody. Makino hurried to tend to the boy, horrified by his wounded bosy and the half-lid eyes and a small smile that he was giving.

"What happened?" She asked as she readied herself to clean the wounds.

Luffy coughed before sitting up on the counter, where Garp placed him. "T-Train..ing." Makino glared at Garp who ignored her gaze and whistled.

"I might have overdid it?" Garp said or asked. "Throwing him off the cliff, making him fight the monkeys and tying him with balloons. Nope, he would be fine." Garp said as he left the bar. Makino could only gasp in horror as she tended to the boy slowly, not hurting him further.

Their occasional training was going more brutal than Makino could have ever thought. Whenever Garp visited, he left Luffy immobile or unconscious. She had protested but Luffy himself had told her that he wants that. He had expressed his desire to become strong. And she can't help but feel herself give up at the puppy eyes that she was offered.

Whenever Dragon would arrive at those times when Garp would be training his son, he would be petrified to see Luffy emerging from a jungle or trying to climb a cliff with him bleeding over all. Sometimes he would have to pull his son from air, where he would be struggling to get himself out of the balloons. He was angry at his Dad for using such extreme methods. He was angry that his son was hurt, but Garp would always manage to escape the wrath of his son and would say it was for the benefit of his own son.

Luffy would back up sometimes, saying that he wanted it. That he wanted to be stronger. And when Dragon would ask the reason he would grin and say that he doesn't want to be a dead weight on others. That was when Dragon realised that Luffy knew the actual reason why he couldn't live with him. Dragon couldn't help but see his son get injured and being patched up at the end of the day. He needs to change that soon. But he needs a trigger and some confidence that Luffy will be save in Baltigo. That he would be fine even when he wouldn't be around, when he wouldn't be able to watch over him. Unknown to Dragon, he would be getting a reason soon enough.

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It was a pleasant morning, when Makino felt Luffy was missing. Without thinking, she had assumed that he would be near the shore, playing again. So, she headed to the shore but found no signs of the little one. She rushed to the dock, trying to find the boy and she got him.

"Luffy! What are you doing here?" She asked trying to forget the worries and her beating heart which she had felt when she found Luffy missing.

"Someone's coming." Luffy said with a happy tone. Makino wondered about who the person was. So, she decided to wait with Luffy there. It was soon that they spotted a pirate ship heading towards their dock. She felt panicked as she gazed at Luffy. She knew about Luffy's instincts and had learned to not question it, but what if they were bad pirates? What if they would harm Luffy? She couldn't help but keep an eye on the kid.

The sounds of party littered from the ship, there were cheers coming from it. The pirates seemed to be happy. A man with red hair and a strawhat approached near the railing to take a look at the Island before him. But his eyes landed on a smilling boy. The moment there eyes had connected, he felt a jolt and spark running through his body. He felt himself losing his footing. He felt himself being nervous for the first time in East Blue! The Weakest sea of the World! He placed a hand on his heart as he tried to make it beat normally. He averted his eyes from the boy. He felt Benn approaching him, confused at his actions.

"Are you pirates?" They heard the little boy ask. They could see him turning from serious to smilling happily, giving them a gummy smile. Shanks couldn't help but nod slowly. He regained his composure and gave a laugh as he stepped in front of the kid, studying the kid slowly. He looked like a five year old kid, wore a white shirt with the words 'Anchor', blue shorts and sandals. He looked scrawny.

"Dahahha! Aren't you afraid of us?" He asked as he crouched down to the level of the kid. He felt the sensation and his instincts were screaming that this was no normal kid.

The black haired raven titled his head sideways, adorably leaving Shanks to avoid his desire of cooing. "Why should I?" The kid asked. Shanks ruffled the kid's hair as he tried to explain the boy that not all pirates are good and some can harm him, if he would be careless.

At this the little boy pouted, "Nu-uh! My punch is as strong as a pistol!" He grinned as he punched the air. Shanks burst out laughing, clutching his stomach, as he fell on the ground comically.

"Yeah! Dahahaha! Your pu- pfft," Shanks was laughing, "Anchor!" He said finally.

Luffy huffed and crossed his arms on his chests, "My name is Luffy! Not Anchor! Stupid Shanks!" At this, Shanks felt himself stop laughing. He will admit he was quite famous but he didn't know that he was even famous in the East blue. He felt himself proud.

"Come on! You gotta tell me your adventures!" Luffy whined adorably, using his puppy eyes. "Mom told you have lots of adventure to tell me! I wanna hear it all."

Shanks was about to say something when a green haired maiden appeared in his sights. At the first sight of the lady, Shanks felt his heart beat stop for a moment. He saw the pretty lady bow to him, before greeting. "Hello there, my name is Makino." She offered him a kind smile. "I have a bar not too far from here, if you and your men want to rest." Her voice floated in Shanks's mind like a soft melody.

Benn chuckled from the back as he appraoched his captain and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't you think she is taken, captain?" Shanks looked at Benn before pouting like a small child.

"Makino!! Makino!! They have lots of stories to tell me!!!" The kid cheered. Makino smiled gladly at the little boy before ruffling his hear.

"Thank you for engaging by otoutu." As soon as she said, Shanks face lit with a happy smile, as he turned all his attention to Makino, before poking his tongue out to Benn, who snickered at the childishness.

"The name is Shanks," Shanks did a bow, like the ones prince do to their princess, "The pleasure's all mine, my lady," He grinned as he kissed her hands. Then he turned back to order his crew to not make any ruckus in the village.

Inside the bar, Luffy was jumping up and down, while listening to the stories from Shanks. He was vibrating with exictement. Shanks was comically telling the stories to the little anchor. Happy to make the child grin.

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Few months soon passed. The Red Force was attached and very fond of their little anchor. They loved the smile and puppy eyes which he gave them. The smile of the child can make anyone forget anything. Little did the kid knew that he already have the pirates wrapped in his fingers.

"Shanks! Shanks! I want to be a pirate!" Luffy grinned as wide as he could, "I want to go to addventures! Take me with you, please!"

"Nope!" Shanks simply said and turned his attention to the booze in his hands.

"Why? I'm strong!" Luffy whined as he stomped his feet on the ground.

"Dahahaha!! You? strong!!? Pfft!" Shanks burst out laughing. Luffy huffed as he saw Shanks making fun of him.

"I'm going out!" Luffy huffed as he went to the shore.

"You overdid it, captain!" Benn sighed, as he saw his captain walking out of the door to follow the kid.

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Luffy pouted as he made his way to his mother. He dived in the water, letting the calming water to sooth him. He pouted and wondered why Shanks refused to take him out to the sea. He was frowning. His mother tried to coax the little boy telling him he should not give up. Luffy nodded. Then he found his friend, King, rise from the ocean. He began playing with him, without a care of the world.

"It tickles," Luffy laughed as the sea king continued to brush against Luffy.

"I also missed you, King!" Luffy petted the sea king, landing on top of him. "Lets go on an adventure!!!" He said happily as the sea king dived down in the water, taking Luffy to the depths of the ocean, allowing him to talk and play with the fishes, and collect some sea shells.

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As Shanks approached the beach, he saw Luffy sitting on top of the sea king, which was dragging him down. He panicked. He dived down after the boy, worried sick for his safety. But when he dived down, he heard the cheers of the boy. He felt himself froze at his place. He saw the kid play with the other fishes, he saw him run on the bed of the ocean floor, which should be dark, but no, it was surrounded by pure light. He soon resurfaced to catch up a breath before diving down again. He saw the kid run and play happily. He saw him talking to the sea king, which felt impossible! Lots and lots of question plagued his mind but one thing was sure that Luffy was safe. He found no killer intent from the sea king, he found that the kid felt no problem in breathing.

Why was he able to run in the sea water? Why can he breathe normally there? Why did the sea king seemed so friendly? Why did the bottom of the ocean glow when it shouldn't be glowing at such depths? There were more questions than answers. The first possibility that he thought of was of Luffy being a fishman. But again, the boy had no features like a fish man. And no fishmen can talk to sea kings.

Unknown to Shanks two eyes were watching his every move.