Chapter Text
Shanks did everything in his power not to wince at the phantom tingles running down where his arm should have been. He hadn’t lied to Luffy,, he still had the other one, and he would have gladly given that one up too to save the boy’s life, but right now he wanted nothing more than to curl up into an itty bitty ball in no way befitting a warlord of the sea and whimper.
He couldn’t hear what Luffy was saying, something about being even better than Shanks and his crew and he laughed at the boy, at the determination in his face and body, and he knew the boy was serious.
One day this little anchor would grow up and be a big bad pirate of the seas, but for now, Shanks gave him his hat, and told him he expected it back one day.
It was wrong to call it a ruse, in reality, it was a way to keep an eye on Luffy. He knew he had to do something to keep the kid from trying to stow away on their ship as the crew loaded the last of their supplies on board. The kid was sneaky, and with his new rubber abilities he’d taken to squeezing himself into smaller and smaller spaces, and Shanks was not about to risk his crew to let the kid come with.
Stepping onto the ship with a smile, Shanks waved to a growing, crying Luffy, remembering Makino’s warnings about the kid.
His grandfather, only guardian it seemed, being a Marine of some renowned, but the boy’s obsession with pirates was unwavering.
Illadvised as it was, by Makino and his own crew, Shanks knew he shouldn’t let the kid get too close, but what has being a pirate if not playing with fire, and was else could better describe that than drawing in a Marine brat with tales of the grand adventures of his crew?
Luffy hung off his every word, followed him around town like a shadow, and had taken every chance he could to get on Shanks’ ship.
And now he had to say goodbye to the little anchor, and just hoped he wouldn’t drown before Shanks had a chance to get his hat back.