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The sea was a merciless being. Her affection is shown in raging thunderstorms, crashing waves and riptides. Despite all these harsh circumstances she whirled their way, people still continued to run towards her. They listened to her call, lulled by the sound of her song that played from the depths of the dark waters.
Shanks grew up on the sea. He grew up listening to the crash of her waves on the hull of their ship, like she was knocking and asking for permission to enter. He knew the horrors that came with being on the ruthless and unstable waters— he lived through them and despite being subject to the sea’s indiscriminate bouts of anger, he still loved her. (He liked to think she loved him too, in her own unseen way.) He witnessed what it was like to be in the sea's rage firsthand but he also witnessed what it was like for someone to be in her favor.
His beloved captain, later dubbed the Pirate King, was definitely one of the sea's favorites.
Shanks knew his captain was special. He had this aura around him that screamed power, a presence that could be felt miles away. But how did Shanks come to the conclusion that Roger was favored by the sea?
There were lots of things that pointed to this. The first time he saw it was during a sudden storm surge in the middle of Paradise.
It was a bright day on the sea and things were easy. The crew was lazing around the deck with nothing to do. Then out of nowhere the wind picked up and suddenly, it was whipping at them intensely. Rain suddenly poured and thunder rumbled. Lightning struck and Shanks could only keep his eyes shut and hope that whatever it was would pass. He held Buggy’s hand in search of comfort. For the next few minutes, all he could hear was commands being made, shrill screams and then silence . He could feel the warm haki of his captain and he looked up to see the skies clearing right above his head. He saw his captain press a kiss to a stone and throw it into the water. Then, calm. Everything was as it was.
Since then, Shanks paid more attention to his captain’s interactions with the body of water. He saw the way the riptides seemed to calm in Roger's presence, screaming winds turning into soft whispers. The way the sea seems to caress his captain, wrapping him in what looks like a watery hug whenever he falls overboard. Sometimes, he sees Roger talking to the sea like they were exchanging the latest gossip.
It was an unusual phenomena that followed his captain and by extension, their crew, up until the day he was sentenced to death.
On the day of Roger's execution, the weather was one of the worst Loguetown has seen thus far. Shanks noticed that the winds were roaring and water was crashing on the shore, as though it were reaching out to the center of the square where one man kneeled on the platform awaiting his death. Shanks could do nothing but clutch the strawhat that sat on top of his red hair. (A memento of the man who saved him, entrusted to him until he could find a new king worthy of bearing the crown.)
(The sea longed to save her child but this was not her domain . The earth was her sister's and in that moment, the sea realized two things. One of her favorite children was going to die and she couldn't do anything to stop it. She could only punch at the earth and scream as his head rolled onto the ground, the sound of her sister’s laughter haunting her.)
As he walked into the nearest bar, Shanks’ mind began running full speed. That was the first time he saw what a true sea child— a person so loved by the primordial being herself that she would crash her fists on her own sister's body— looked like. Somehow, knew that wasn't going to be the last.
After wandering around Paradise and New World aimlessly, Shanks came upon a small island in the East Blue called Dawn and docked on the shores of Foosha Village. It was a sleepy looking rural village with a population of 100 or less.
Peace wasn't exactly Shanks' alley but change wasn't always a bad thing and his crew deserved some down time, so they walked to the nearest (and only open) bar.
Party's Bar was smaller than your usual bar but it looked well kept, clean and the bartender was very easy on the eyes.
“Hey there, mind if we get a round? We won’t cause any trouble.” He asks with an easy smile and a polite tone, hoping it conveyed his sincerity.
The bartender, Makino, just smiled. “Of course. As long as you pay.”
Shanks’ smile turned into a grin. “We’ll pay, just keep the booze flowing.”
The young woman’s eyes glimmered. “Understood, captain.” She said with a salute before walking to the back of the counter to gather the drinks.
“Fuck.” Shanks cursed quietly. He felt a hand on his shoulder and then he heard someone snort.
“You’re going to go crazy if you keep that up.” Benn said, his irritating baritone voice doing nothing to comfort the redhead.
“Haven’t you heard, Benn? All the best people are crazy!” Shanks said with a laugh. Benn just rolled his eyes, already used to his captain’s antics.
“Woah, you look cool! Are you real pirates?!” A small voice exclaimed from behind them.
Shanks turned to see a child. He was tiny, barely able to reach his knees. He was dirty, cheeks smeared with dirt. He was also holding a bunch of seashells in his hands, the pearlescent finish reflecting light.
Shanks got on his knee to look at the kid in the eyes. “What’s your name kid?”
The kid looked at him with an unreadable look, brows furrowed as if he were reading a book written in an unknown language. “I’m Monkey D. Luffy.”
Shanks’ breath stilled. “ A D.” His mind whispered reverently. “In the East Blue, no less. Who would’ve thought?”
He grinned and placed his hand on the child’s soft black hair. “I’m Red-Hair Shanks and yes, I’m a real pirate. It’s nice to meet you, Monkey D. Luffy. ”
The child grinned and there it was— the signature grin worn by those who bore the initial.
It didn’t take a long time for Shanks to feel kinship towards the kid. It was easy to love Monkey D. Luffy. He was all rambunctious laughter and grins so bright, they rivaled that of the sun. There was nothing you could hate about him.
There weren’t many unusual things that happened to the child around the sea. Maybe it was because he usually spent time on the land or maybe Shanks just didn’t see it. Just when Shanks began losing hope that D’s were the bearers of the sea’s favor (that maybe his captain really was special, the only person to ever talk to a being that couldn’t even speak), Luffy came running into the bar screaming Shanks’ name.
The redhead looked at him alarmed and held the child by his shoulders. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” He asked frantically, inspecting to find any signs of injury.
“No! I have to show you something so c’mon!” He exclaimed, tugging the man’s sleeve with strength Shanks didn’t expect such a tiny child to have.
Luffy led Shanks outside the bar and to the shore. The first thing he noticed was the unruly way the sea seemed to move. It wasn’t like what he saw at Loguetown. She wasn’t angry. (Maybe because she didn’t see Shanks as a threat to her child.) The sea was crashing and moving like it was waving at them.
Shanks waved back cautiously and then turned to Luffy who was watching their interaction with bright eyes and an even brighter grin.
“Was this what you wanted me to see, Luffy?” Shanks asked. “The sea?”
Luffy nodded. “She talks to me when I’m lonely. She has some of the best stories and she told me some about you too!”
Shanks’ brow raised. “Oh yeah? Like what?”
“She told me about the time you and Buggy rigged a prank outside the Captain’s Quarters and managed to trip up the Pirate King, only for him to fall into the arms of our mother.” Luffy told him. “She said it was one of the funniest things she’s seen happen on the sea!”
Shanks felt the wind get knocked out of his lungs. It was a memory he held dear, one that sat in the core of his brain because it was one of his last memories before their captain’s demise.
“Mother?” Shanks asked.
Luffy nodded. “She told me everyone who sails on her seas are her children. That makes her our mother, right? Like Makino, she calls me her son!”
Shanks couldn’t help but smile at the soft look on Luffy’s face. It was one he often saw on his captain’s and like always, his heart swelled whenever he noticed the eerie similarities between the two. “As someone who executed the prank, it definitely was funny Luffy.” He replied.
The child just laughed and pulled him closer to the sea. “She also brings me gifts!” He said and right on time, a beautiful iridescent shell came to shore. Luffy shrieked and picked the shell up, bringing it up to the light to admire its beauty.
“Pretty! Thank you!” He yelled at the sea.
The water curled around the child’s fingers, the usually formless entity taking the shape of a hand.
Shanks watched the interaction with a sound mind and an open heart. Wind smacked him in the face and he liked to think that was her seal of approval.
Things were going great. The sea brought Luffy shells and stories and the child brought them to him for verification, asking for more details.
Then Luffy ate the devil fruit and things fell apart.
Shanks thought Luffy’s consumption of the fruit wouldn’t affect his relationship with the sea. She loved him and it was unlikely for her to just abandon him, right?
Wrong.
(Shanks should’ve known a devil was a devil in the sea’s eyes, no matter the name they bore. Even if they were a D.)
Luffy walked to the shallowest part of the sea, hand reaching for the warm saltwater. Instead of holding his hand gently like it always does, the sea tugged on Luffy’s hand and the child fell to his knees as he felt the strength seep out of his body.
Shanks watched in horror as tears gathered in the corners of Luffy’s eyes. It was the first time the sea treated him so roughly. He was unsure what he did to make her mad and Shanks could see it clear as day painted on his face.
The redhead pulled Luffy away from the water, her waves hitting the shore harder than before. The child turned to the pirate with trembling lips. “Did I do something wrong?” He whispered.
“Oh, no Luffy. It isn’t your fault.”
“Then why is she mad at me?!” Luffy wailed.
Shanks could only hold him to his chest as he cried.
He brought the kid back to Makino’s place and the woman looked at them with concern as they entered her premises. “What happened?” She asked quietly, gingerly taking the sleeping kid from his arms.
“Life.” Shanks replied tiredly, as though that was enough to answer the question the woman just asked.
Makino accepted this though and brought Luffy to the room to tuck him in.
Shanks was disillusioned. He thought the sea would make an exception for Luffy. He saw their interactions, he saw how the primordial being cared for the child as though he were her own.
An irritated sigh spilled out of his lips as he ran back to the shore to talk to her, to ask how she could just turn Luffy away as though she wasn’t the one who reached out to him in the first place.
“How could you just push him away like that?!” He yelled at the vast blue waters.
There was no reply. If there was one, he couldn’t hear it. (He never could speak to the seas like Luffy or Roger could.)
“That kid loves you! Are you seriously going to throw him away all ‘cause he ate some measly fruit?!”
“It is not just a fruit, Red-hair.”
Shanks shuddered upon hearing the voice. It was so damn close, like the person was talking right into his ear. The voice was like velvet, sleepy sounding almost.
“I never would have talked to you like this if the circumstances were different.”
“I understand.” Shanks gulped. “Tell me why you can’t make an exception for Luffy.”
“Because he ate a devil.”
“What does that even mean?”
“You have been to Laughtale. You read what was there, child. You know the stories.”
“Of course I do! What does that have to do with Luffy? He loves you and you love him, I’m sure of that!”
“If you know, then you shouldn’t ask anymore. Luffy is my child. I favor him like I favored Roger, however he betrayed me the moment that unholy thing touched his lips. You know why I hate those fruits and you will be the one to tell him.”
“Can’t you just accept it?! He’s still the same Luffy!” Shanks argued, frustration building in his gut.
“I am a primordial being, Red-hair. I have been awake since before the dawn of time. I do not love anything but I do care for those I choose. Send my apologies to the child, I will not speak to him again.”
Shanks felt something snap and all of a sudden all he could hear was the soft breeze. “Wait!” He yelled.
He called out to her until he lost his voice but there was no response.
He sat there in miserable silence, wondering how in the hell he could tell the kid that he could never talk to her again.
Luffy was already awake when Shanks got back to the bar. He looked pensive, not even touching the plate of meat set in front of him.
“Hey kid.” Shanks called out.
Luffy looked at him, eyes dull. “What?”
“Come out. I’m gonna tell you a story.”
The kid nodded and hopped off his stool, grabbing Shanks’ larger hand in his as they walked to their usual spot.
Once they got there, Luffy stared at the sea mournfully. His one refuge was gone and he couldn’t do anything. She was gone, gone, gone.
“Hey kid.”
Luffy snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the man.
“Do you know about the story of the devil fruits?” Shanks asked.
Luffy shook his head.
Shanks nodded. “The story goes a bit like this.
Long ago, way before we existed, the sea and the earth were already here. They coexisted harmoniously, keeping to themselves. The earth housed humanity. They built houses atop it and learned to live. The sea provided food in the form of fishes and the like.
Then one day, the sea and the earth began talking. They talked about combining their powers, their abilities, into forming something that might benefit humanity as a whole.
The sea brought the idea of fruits up. She remembered the golden apples the earth grew before, ones that granted eternal life. The sea offered the ability to breathe in her waters, to grant access to her domain.
The earth agreed but like the scheming being it was, it decided to shake things up. The earth twisted the fruits, drawing the power from the deepest caverns in her sister’s domain— caverns where devils existed.
The sea only found out about her sister’s betrayal when the first human consumed the disgusting fruit and began showing signs of powers that weren’t supposed to be unleashed onto the world; powers the sea kept hidden deep down, knowing that her sister would wreak havoc on the world if she was given access to it.
The sea could only watch in horror as more people ate the fruit and gained powers from the devils she imprisoned within her for millenia.
In her unbridled rage, her waters rose and she flooded the earth. That phenomena wiped out most of humanity however the fruits weren’t destroyed. They just respawned in another place, waiting patiently for their next host. Since then, those who consumed the fruit of sin, fruits of the devil, became cursed with the fate of sinking whenever they come in contact with water.”
Luffy gaped at him. “Then what happened?”
Shanks shrugged. “The sea and the earth never really interact anymore. The devil fruit users are gifted with supernatural abilities but are forever condemned to a loveless relationship with water. They sink because the sea hopes that when they fall into her grasp, she could push all the devils back into the prison she used to keep them in and seal them there forever.”
“Is that why I can’t hear her anymore?” Luffy asked quietly.
“I’m afraid so kid.”
“I wouldn’t have eaten it if I knew.” Luffy said loudly, facing the open sea. “I didn’t betray you!”
“She won’t reply anymore Luffy.” Shanks said with a sad smile.
Luffy sighed. “I know. I was just hoping she would.” He pouted.
They stood there, the sound of birds chirping filling the silence between them.
Luffy was staring at the horizon with a mournful look then his view was suddenly blocked. He felt a light weight on his head and a scratchy feeling on his forehead. He took whatever it was off and looked at it. A surprised sound escaped his lips.
The kid looked up at the pirate. “Shanks?”
“Yeah, kid?”
“Are you giving this to me?”
“Just for safekeeping.”
“Oh.”
“You better return it when you become a great pirate, ya hear?”
Shanks could hear the kid sniffling. He did his best not to look at him to give him some semblance of privacy.
“I’ll be an amazing— No! I’m gonna be the Pirate King! Then she’ll surely have to talk to me again.” Luffy yelled. “I’m going to become Pirate King!”
Shanks laughed. “I’m sure you will kid.”
The Will of D will bring a storm and Luffy will definitely be in the eye of it all.