Chapter Text
Wealth. Fame. Power. There once was a man who achieved all these treasure and more. He was known as Gold Roger, and he was the King of the Pirates. But like all kings, his time came to an end. Yet as he stood on the scaffold for his execution, he only gave a smile and a challenge to the world.
“You want my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I own in one place. Now you just have to find it! Seek the treasure of the Grand Line, the One Piece! The treasure I once claimed can be yours, if you desire to succeed me as King of the Pirates!”
And so it was that a curtain opened on a new era, the Great Pirate Era. Pirates of all kinds set sail for the Grand Line, each eager to lay claim to the One Piece and gain Gold Roger’s title. Yet as the years dragged on, no one could find or even reach the One Piece, and many started to doubt that it was even real. It seemed the Age of Dreams had reached its end.
But there were still those who knew the One Piece was real. Those that sailed with Gold Roger and saw the One Piece with their own eyes. And that legacy was passed down to two young men. Brothers in name though not by blood, they had made a vow to live life as free as the wide open sky. One was Martin Thomas, the son of the legendary pirate Edward “Whitebeard” Newgate. The other was Monkey D Luffy, Thomas’s life-long brother ever since Whitebeard left Thomas with Luffy’s grandfather for his own safety. Thomas wore a skull cap while Luffy wore a straw hat. The two were out sailing for their own journey to find the One Piece, but already they had hit a snag.
“Hey, Luffy...,” Thomas groaned.
“Yeah, Thomas...?,” Luffy groaned.
“We should have packed more food,” Thomas said, his stomach rumbling, “Some more fish, more meat, more vegetables...”
"More meat sounds good," Luffy agreed.
One thing Luffy and Thomas did have in common was incredible appetites. Unfortunately, they could only sail out in a tiny dinghy, not nearly large enough to hold the amount of food their bellies would need to reach the nearest civilized island.
“We could always try fishing,” Luffy suggested, “Cooking them won’t be a problem.”
“That’s always an option,” Thomas agreed, “It’s not like we can count on food to just fall out of the sky.”
Just then, they heard a whistling sound coming right at them. For a second they thought maybe food really was falling out of the sky, only for a large cannon shell to impact the water near their boat and smash it to pieces. The brothers were launched right into the sky.
“Crap, we can’t afford to hit the water!,” Thomas called out, “Our Devil Fruits will make us sink like hammers!”
“It looks like the boat just got cut in half!,” Luffy said, “And one half is still floating! Let’s aim for it!”
The duo managed to land on the boat without causing it to break apart.
“Is there a naval battle nearby?,” Luffy wondered, “I can’t imagine anyone would want to fire on what looks like a simple fishing boat.”
Thomas then noticed a pair of red eyes and a black shape quickly rising up through the water.
“I don’t think we’re out of the water yet!”
The giant shape breached, the waves causing the boat to start to capsize. Luckily, the brothers were able to steer the boat to calmer water as the shape revealed itself to be a giant, long-necked reptilian creature. It was wearing a helmet with a Jolly Roger that had a crab with a skull shell, indicating it was part of a pirate clan. Despite its intimidating appearance, Luffy and Thomas just grinned.
“Looks like food came to us after all!,” Thomas said.
The beast slammed its neck into the remains of the boat, smashing it to firewood. It looked around and saw no sign of the duo, so it swam off thinking its job was done. However, it didn't realize that Luffy and Thomas had clung to its back via its armor plating.
They eventually got off at the shore of nearby island the beast had swam towards.
“This turned out to be a better idea,” Luffy noted, “We can get more food, and probably a bigger ship.”
“Let’s start by finding the locals,” Thomas agreed.
“Hold it right there,” came a curt voice.
The duo turned to see two thugs dressed as pirates. The short and fatter one was brandishing a dagger at them.
“This here’s the domain of Captain Ganzack,” the pirate said, “Outsiders who don’t get an invite need to swear fealty here and now.”
He then shrieked in pain as a small blade poked his butt. Whirling around, he only saw a little kid dressed in armor and wielding a small naginata. The taller pirate grabbed the kid’s arm.
“Just who the hell do you think you are?,” he demanded.
He pulled up the visor on the kid’s helmet, revealing it to be a girl with pink hair.
“Gimme back my papa, you pirates!,” she demanded.
The taller pirate chuckled.
“Just a native kid. Nothing to worry about.”
“I dunno, she’s got some spunk coming up to us with no fear,” the short pirate admitted, “Maybe we should make this little brat a subordinate.”
“I am not a little brat!,” the girl retorted, “My name is Medaka!”
She proceeded to slam her armored foot right into the tall pirate’s crotch.
“And I hate pirates!”
She spun around from the attack, causing her visor to drop as she attempted to make a charge. The two pirates quickly ran after her, now ignoring Luffy and Thomas. They looked on as the girl’s armor helped her tank the pirates’ blades without injury.
“You about had enough?,” Thomas asked.
“Oh yeah,” Luffy said.
The two may have been pirates themselves, but they also weren’t the sort that liked people picking on the weak and helpless. The duo cleared their throats, getting the pirates’ attention.
“Crap, forgot about these bozos,” the short pirate realized.
The duo pulled their fists back, the pirates confused since they were several feet away. To their shock, Luffy’s arm stretched out like it was made of rubber, while Thomas’s arm seemed to turn into volcanic ash. This stretched out their punches and let them flatten the two pirates with a single blow each. Medaka just stood there in shock at what she was seeing. The brothers pulled their arms back to normal, and then collapsed.
“Man, we’re hungry now...”
Medaka brought the brothers to her small hovel, where she was able to get them some food. It was little more than soup, but at least there were plenty of fillings for it, so it wasn’t just thin broth. Medaka’s grandfather Herring finished his pipe before addressing the boys.
“Once you’ve finished relieving your appetites, you should leave this island. Those men will return soon.”
“We can’t leave without a boat,” Thomas pointed out, “Ours got smashed up. We only arrived here by riding that giant beast that wrecked our only ride.”
“We overheard Medaka when she was trying to confront those goons,” Luffy said, “Something about her dad?”
“That’s a long story,” Herring said, “You see, up until a few weeks ago this island was peaceful paradise. That all changed when the pirate Ganzack and his thugs arrived. And once they came, they immediately stole our freedom.”
Medaka saw Thomas’s hand grip his spoon even tighter, whisps of ashen smoke coming off his body.
“Only children and elders were allowed to keep their lives,” Herring said, “Everyone else was conscripted into his service. Among them was Medaka’s father.”
“Explains why she was confronting those goons from before,” Luffy noted, “So where are the villagers?”
“Up in the tower just behind you,” Herring explained.
Luffy turned around and saw the large tower through the window.
“It’s known as the Devil’s Tower,” Herring said.
Something suddenly exploded from the top of the tower, causing a small earthquake. Seconds later, a large impact was heard in the nearby water.
“So that’s what destroyed our ship!,” Thomas realized.
He then realized something.
“Hey, is this all the food you had?”
“Yes,” Herring said sadly, “It’s all we could afford to spare. The majority of the food was taken into the Devil’s Tower.”
“Sounds like we have three reasons to scale that tower and beat the shit out of Ganzack,” Luffy said, “Saving the villagers, paying him pack for wrecking our ship, and getting more food. In that order.”
Thomas nodded.
“We brothers don’t suffer humiliation lightly. And we don’t appreciate those that take piracy too far.”
“I’m going with you!,” Medaka insisted.
“No, Medaka, that’s foolish!,” Herring warned, “From what you’ve told me these two might be strong enough to stand up to Ganzack, but a child like you...”
“I have to do it!,” Medaka said, “Because Papa’s my treasure!”
Luffy had a big grin on his face.
“And just like that, we have a fourth reason. I can’t help but admire someone who wants to protect their treasure, no matter form it takes.”
“You sure you want to work with us, though?,” Thomas asked, “You said you hate pirates, and we happen to be pirates.”
Medaka considered it, but shook her head.
“You made it clear you’re nothing like Ganzack. Pirates or not, you’re good people.”
Thomas gave a grin of his own.
“That settles it then. But you’ll have to stick close to us. Can’t have a kid getting hurt on our watch. That’s not our style.”
The Devil’s Tower looked like four serpentine dragons lined up in a square, with a large fortress at the base. Inside, the villagers were being forced to carry large amounts of dynamite to specific locations. One man wound up tripping and dropping his crate.
“Careful, you scumbag!,” one of the guard admonished, “If you can’t work, we’ll throw your kids into the sea!”
The man grimaced, but got to work picking up the dynamite. And he wasn’t the only one being pushed to work beyond his capability. Little did they know, Luffy and Thomas had managed to sneak inside.
“Looks like they’re making an industrial-grade cannon,” Thomas noted.
“So the explosions so far were just test fires,” Luffy realized.
Thomas nodded.
“They weren’t even aiming at us, just making sure the cannon could fire.”
Medaka suddenly raced forward towards the man picking up the dynamite.
“Papa!,” she called out.
“Oh great,” Thomas said, “No we’re in for it.”
Suddenly the two goons from before came and grabbed Medaka.
“Looks who we have here,” the taller pirate said.
The guard grabbed Medaka’s father and held a sword to his neck. But before anything further could happen, Luffy and Thomas stepped into view.
“Hey, let those two go right now!,” Luffy demanded.
The two goons freaked out.
“Crap, it’s those demon kids!,” the shorter pirate called out.
The guard started to back up.
“You two stay back, or I swear this guy’s gonna get it!”
Luffy just smirked.
“You’re the one who’s gonna get it! For messing with innocent people!”
He started whirling around with his leg out.
“Gum-Gum Whip!”
His leg stretched out long enough to catch both of the goons and spin them around. Freaking out, some of the other guards went to warn Ganzack. The others went to surround the two brothers. Thomas smirked, but then noticed another guard sneak up and grab Medaka, carrying her off using a winch.
“Deal with the goons down here, Luffy!,” Thomas called out, “Brimstone Launcher!”
His lower body turned into volcanic ash and started setting off cinders that grew into flames, launching Thomas into the air.
“Don’t let him follow her!,” the guard called out.
The other guards started firing their muskets, only for the shots to pass through Thomas leaving only ash marks that quickly closed up.
“Crap, he’s a Logia user!,” one of the pirates called out.
It wasn’t long before Thomas was out of sight. Luffy cracked his knuckles.
“That just leaves you guys. And if you’re anything like the two from before, this won’t take long. A captain’s gotta look out for his crew, after all. And brothers always look out for each other.”
The masked pirate was about to reach the sea when he suddenly found himself surrounded by an ash cloud.
“I think you’ve gotten far enough!,” Thomas’s voice called out from the cloud.
“Hey relax, I’m not here to hurt the kid!,” the pirate called out, in a surprisingly female voice.
Shocked, Thomas returned to his human form as masked figure removed the mask to reveal a red-headed woman.
“Who the heck are you?,” Thomas asked.
“The name’s Nami,” the woman replied, “I came here hoping to rob Ganzack of his valuables when I noticed a kid was in trouble. So I decided to help, but I didn’t want anyone knowing my face.”
Just then, the large beast from before appeared on the shore. Standing atop it was a large, grizzled man wearing a power suit with crab legs and claws on his shoulder. He regarded the group before speaking.
“I am the Great General—”
“Crab Leg Ganzack?,” Thomas asked, “I haven’t seen you since I was bounding on Dad’s knee. And it’s a pretty big knee.”
Ganzack’s eye seemed to twitch, while Nami looked confused.
“You know this guy?,” she asked Thomas.
“Yeah, he used to be a big shot on the Grand Line,” Thomas explained, “But he was routed by my father Whitebeard. A little surprised he decided to head out to the Blues instead of starting over in Paradise, but I guess Dad has that effect on people.”
He then noticed Nami’s jaw had dropped.
“Your dad’s Whitebeard!? Tell me you’re joking!”
“Surprisingly, he isn’t,” Ganzack said, “Now that I get a good look at you I do remember your face.”
He grinned.
“You may be the son of one of the Four Emperors of the New World. But on this island... This sea... I am the supreme ruler!”
Thomas looked over to Nami.
“He was just as big a blowhard then, too. Nothing but a steamed crab.”
Ganzack gritted his teeth.
“I am not a crab, I am Great General Ganzack! And I am going to strike a terrible blow against my old nemesis! I can’t wait to see the look on his face when I deliver him your head!”
Thomas scoffed as Ganzack flew down to strike with one of the claws, only for it harmlessly splash through Thomas’s ash body. Nami was stunned when she saw this.
“Holy crap. He’s eaten a Devil Fruit. And a Logia one, from the looks of it.”
Thomas snicked as Ganzack’s stunned face.
“You didn’t think I’d go out on a journey without preparing myself, did you? You forget, I was raised on the Grand Line.”
Suddenly the dragon beast struck with its jaws, trying to swallow Thomas. It managed to get him in his mouth, only to start coughing and sputtering two seconds later.
“Smoking is bad for your health!,” Thomas quipped as he leapt out of the beast’s jaws.
He then started spinning around, creating a tornado of ash.
“Brimstone Cyclone!”
Ganzack quickly launched a set of sticky globs from the crab legs on his suit, sticking to the ash clouds created by the cyclone. He smirked when it looked like Thomas was completely engulfed.
“By now my men should have convinced the rubber man down below to surrender.”
Thomas was kept locked in an airtight box to keep his ash body from spilling out.
“The only other way to keep a Logia user contained is using Sea Prism Stone,” Ganzack noted, “But unfortunately we don’t have access to that.”
He smirked at Luffy, Medaka, and Nami, chained up to the nearby wall.
“The famous thief who only steals from pirates,” Ganzack noted, “Not to mention two Devil Fruit users. I wonder what they’ll be worth.”
“Not much,” Luffy said, “Me and Thomas don’t have bounties yet.”
“Oh, we’re not turning you in for bounties,” Ganzack clarified, “Rather, you’ll be sold at a special auction.”
“Okay, that’s just creepy,” Nami said.
“Relax, it’s not that kind of auction,” Ganzack said, “I’m not that cruel. Rather it’s an auction to buy up individuals with special talents to crews looking for extra hands.”
“You won’t be getting away with this, you dumb crab!,” Luffy called out.
That got Ganzack riled up.
“I am not a crab! I am the Great General Ganzack! The man who holds the strongest ship in all of history! The one who shall become the King of the Pirates!”
As he spoke he pinched Luffy’s cheeks, hard enough to cause his straw hat to fall to the ground. Ganzack then stepped on it out of spite.
“Pay attention when I’m talking!,” he demanded.
“You bastard,” Luffy said, “Do you have any idea the true worth of my hat?”
Ganzack and his men laughed.
“And what worth could a silly little hat have?,” Ganzack taunted.
“That hat was given to me by my mentor Shanks,” Luffy pointed out, “I made him a promise the day he gave me that hat!”
Ganzack looked surprised.
“Did you say Shanks? As in Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors? So that would make you a pirate too?”
“Luffy’s nothing like you!,” Medaka called out, “He’s a different sort of pirate from the one you are!”
Ganzack just kept laughing, until an explosion rocked the tower.
“What was that!?,” Ganzack called out, “Get me a status report! Figure out what happened!”
“It’s the villagers!,” one of the pirates reported, “They’re attempting a revolt! Some of our men were already taken out!”
“Damn,” Ganzack said, “They must have been planning this for a while. Regroup and form up behind me! I’ll give them a taste of my full power!”
As the pirates all headed off, Nami carefully pulled something out of the sleeve of her overcoat. It turned out to be the keys to the cuffs. She unlocked her own cuffs first, then got Medaka and Luffy free. Luffy quickly smashed open the crate holding Thomas, letting him get out as well.
“I had a feeling he might try something with the villagers,” Thomas admitted, “That’s why I pretended his little goop trick was working. I dropped my ash form and let the goop hit my real body.”
Medaka grabbed her naginata and ran out.
“Medaka, wait!,” Luffy called out.
“My father’s out there!,” Medaka said, “I have to help him!”
Ganzack was already flexing his power by firing into the crowd with pistols.
“I’m not like other pirates who only steal fortunes,” he stated, “I prefer to ripen a fortune first. And for that I need livestock, obviously. Which is why I need all of you working!”
“Even livestock needs to rest and eat, bastard!,” the father called out, “You’re not treating us like anything living! Just machines and cogs!”
“Call it whatever you want,” Ganzack said, “But I have no use for things that run wild.”
He fired his pistol at the man, only for Medaka to leap in the way and cause the bullet to bounce off her armor.
“You’re nothing but a bully!,” Medaka declared.
“How in the heck did you get those locks undone?,” Ganzack asked, “I had the keys the entire time!”
He activated his armor suit’s claws.
“Doesn’t matter. You’ve just made the biggest mistake of your life! That armor may be capable of deflecting bullets and blades, but I think you’ll find my pincers are made of stronger stuff!”
But before he could close in, he found himself having to dodge twin fists of rubber and ash.
“You’ve committed a number of unspeakable acts,” Luffy said, “Both against us and against these peaceful islanders.”
“You’ve gone way past the line of being a pirate,” Thomas declared, “You’re just as bad as the World Government at this point.”
They both pointed at Ganzack.
“By our oath as brothers, we will kick you off this island!”
“Fools!,” Ganzack called out, “No one can defy the Great General Ganzack!”
The area was suddenly surrounded by dust as a sudden explosion went off.
“Open the underwater cavern!,” Ganzack ordered.
A large cave was blown open near the edge of the island as a large metal ship suddenly emerged from underground, with the dragon beast acting as a figurehead and the Devil’s Tower as one of the masts.
“He has a whole battleship!,” Luffy called out in excitement.
“Kinda looks like he’s compensating for something,” Thomas said flatly, “I guess this is what he was having the villagers make.”
Ganzack cackled as he stood on the deck of the ship.
“Now all those who defied me shall sink to the bottom of the sea!”
He started firing the main cannon, the Devil’s Tower itself, launching shells that started to bombard the island.
“We’ve gotta stop him before he sinks the whole island,” Luffy said, “Thomas!”
“Right!,” Thomas replied.
“I’ll go too!,” Medaka declared.
But she was stopped by her father.
“No, Medaka. Where they’re going is no place for kids. If something happened to you now, I couldn’t...”
Another explosion cut him off.
“We need to move!,” Thomas called out, “Brimstone Launcher!”
He launched himself with his ash powers while Luffy stretched out his arm long enough to reach the ship. He suddenly found himself carrying extra weight as Medaka grabbed onto him at the last minute. He grinned.
“Shishishishi! You really do have spunk, kid.”
He and Thomas landed right in front of Ganzack.
“You two bastards again.”
“We’re here to fry you up, you damn crab!,” Luffy called out.
“That’s Great General Ganzack!,” Ganzack called out.
“You literally have a crab motif!,” Thomas pointed out, “You were called Crab Leg Gonzack in the New World! You even bragged to my father that crabs are the hardiest and most adaptable creatures in the sea! WHY DO YOU HATE BEING CALLED CRAB SO MUCH!?”
That actually got Ganzack to pause, then he slumped.
“The first time I bragged about my name to a Marine... He laughed at it. Not even your damn father laughed at my connection with crabs! I had to rebrand myself to get some respect!”
Medaka started charging at Ganzack with her Naginata, only for Luffy to pull her back.
“Leave this to the adults, Medaka! We can handle this!”
Ganzack quickly leapt out of the way of Luffy’s first punch, while Thomas seemed to harden his skin into a carbon-like substance.
“Brimstone Barrage!”
His punches extended using his ash body, the carbon fists flying at high speeds to knock out the lesser pirates one after another. Up on the rigging, Ganzack started firing blasts from the crab legs on his suit, only for Luffy to easily repel the bullets with his rubber body. Ganzack quickly used the claws as a shield, then tried firing the special goop instead. Luffy simply leapt out of the way.
“You really think Thomas wouldn’t warn me about that!,” Luffy said, smacking Ganzack with an extending punch.
Ganzack landed below before righting himself.
“Then try this!”
He fired a grappling chain to wrap up Luffy before prepping the blades on his claws.
“Let’s see if you can survive having your head off! Unlike the ash man, you don’t have a Logia power!”
“The way you’re going about just talking,” Luffy said, “There’s no way you’re enough to beat me, crab man!”
Ganzack felt his eye twitch.
“I’m going to enjoy this far more than I should.”
He dashed right at Luffy with his blades extended.
“I’ll slice you to pieces and dump you in the ocean!”
Suddenly, Medaka got in the way of Ganzack’s first slash, her helmet coming off. Luffy was freaked out for a second, until he realized he couldn’t see any blood coming from Medaka’s body. Ganzack, however, didn’t seem to realize this.
“That damn brat again. Causing me nothing but trouble.”
He chuckled at the sight of the fallen girl.
“Well, such is the fate of all who oppose me.”
Luffy was now livid. It was clear Ganzack didn’t care who got in his way, and was completely dismissive of those around him. Grunting with all his strength, Luffy sucked in as much air as he could, using his rubber lungs to expand his body to the point where he easily broke the chains binding him.
“The world doesn’t revolve around you!,” he declared, “Sooner or later you’ll find people who can easily whoop your ass! It’s strength that determines whether you win or lose, not fate!”
“And you think you’re strong enough to take on me!?,” Ganzack retorted, “Then just try it!”
He struck out with his claw, but Luffy was ready.
“Gum-Gum Drill!”
Twisting his arms into a spiral drill, he easily smashed through the metal claw and grabbed Ganzack and lifted him into the air.
“Gum-Gum Hammer!”
His arms unwound at high speed as he slammed Ganzack into the deck. He then noticed Medaka had gotten up, having ducked into her armor to avoid losing her head. Luffy grinned.
“Shishishishi! I had a feeling you were fine. Thomas taught me a lot about how normal human bodies work.”
Speaking of Thomas, he was pretty cleaning up the pirates attacking him.
“Brimstone Cannon!”
He fired off heavy carbon bullets from his body, knocking out several pirates with each blast. With all the goons taken down, Thomas then set his sights on the dragon. But before he could start, the beast got bombarded by dynamite from the villagers, who were sailing in on what few boasts they could spare. Medaka’s father lit up an entire crate before the boat was evacuated, leaving the dragon beast staring down a fire boat. The explosion was enough to completely shatter its armor and leave it dead in the water. Unfortunately, that also caused the boat to start sinking.
“That’s not good!,” Thomas said, “Luffy! We need to abandon ship!”
“What!?,” Luffy called out, “But we can’t swim!”
“It’s not far to shore, I’ll just launch us there!,” Thomas said, “Make sure to bring Medaka!”
Meanwhile, Ganzack was getting to his feet.
“Not yet... I can’t be beaten yet... I’m no ordinary pirate... With this ship, I conquer the sea... I will conquer the sea! I will become the King of the Pirates!”
He cackled as he fired off one final shell from the tower cannon.
“Still won’t give up, crab?,” Luffy said, “There’s one thing you don’t seem to understand. You don’t become King of the Pirates by just conquering. Only the one who finds the One Piece will be King of the Pirates. And that someone... Is going to be me! Gum-Gum Pistol!”
He fired off an extending punch that sent Gonzack flying off the ship and right in the path of the shell he had just fired, causing him to impact it and make it explode in midair. Luffy and Thomas looked on as Ganzack fell unceremoniously into the sea.
“Well, Ganzack won’t be a threat to anyone now,” Thomas noted, “He was too injured to keep fighting when the villagers hauled him out of the ocean.”
He and Luffy were sailing off on a new ship provided by the villagers, including plenty of food from Ganzack’s ship.
“This should last us until we reach a new island,” Luffy said, “Lucky break us getting to this place. Just in time to help those people. That said...”
He picked up the life preserver Medaka had given them.
“I think she completely misunderstands why we can’t swim. It’s not that neither of us knows how, but our Devil Fruits cause water to weaken us.”
Thomas grinned.
“Gogogogogogo! Whoever that little lady decides to marry is going to find her quite the handful.”
“Speaking of which, I wonder if we’ll see that girl Nami again,” Luffy said, “She was kinda cute.”
“Who knows?,” Thomas said, “Besides, I thought you were focusing on finding the One Piece first.”
“You’re the one who pointed out I need to have a plan for after that,” Luffy pointed out, “And a pirate king is going to need a pirate queen. Now let’s go! Off to the Grand Line!”
He took in a deep breath.
“I am Monkey D Luffy! And I’m gonna be King of the Pirates!”