The Daughter of the King (English)

Chapter 02 - A life-changing encounter

~ Windmill Village, East Blue ~

~1 year later~

Luffy was now a healthy six-year-old girl, quite strong for her age. Over the past year her hair had grown a little longer and she had traded her dresses for t-shirts and shorts. She quickly realized that dresses and her gramps "training" - she had been persuaded to call him at least that - didn't exactly mix well. She often got stuck with them on branches and bushes, which wasn't exactly to her advantage when she tried to run away from Garp. The day itself was like any other. The villagers were working, Makino, a young woman with dark green hair, was standing behind the counter of her bar "Partys Bar" and cleaning some glasses. She wore a yellow scarf with black lines on her head, which she tied at the back. She wore an orange sleeveless vest over her black collared shirt. And Luffy sat on one of the bar stools in front of the counter and watched her clean. Since Garp was rarely in the village because of his work, she had lived in Makino's care for as long as she could remember. Luffy wasn't sure if Makino was more of a big sister than a mother figure to her. The calm was broken when the alam sounded from outside and someone shouted: "Pirates! Pirates are coming towards the village!" Outside, the villagers quickly ran to their houses. Only one person didn't seem to be afraid, rather the opposite, she even seemed quite excited. "Pirates? Real pirates? I have to see them!" Luffy shouted and jumped off her stool. Makino knew she couldn't stop the six-year-old, calling after her: "Please take care of yourself, Luffy! If the pirates want to harm you, run away as fast as you can! Did you hear?" "Yes, I'll do that Makino, don't worry!" And then she ran out of the bar and headed towards the docks.

The huge ship had already docked there. It had a reddish color, three masts and five sails. The figurehead was a simply designed dragon's head with two horns. The pirate flag flew from the middle and largest of the masts. It showed a skull with three red lines over the left eye. Instead of the usual crossed bones, two crossed swords were depicted behind the skull. Some of the pirates had already come off board, the gang was led by a man who was wearing a white, wide-open shirt and brown trousers that were about knee-length. He wore a red cloth around his waist. However, a black coat hid everything quite well. As did the sword he wore on his right hip. Around his left eye were three, almost vertical scars, similar to those on the gang's flag. He had a red Henriquatre beard. On his red hair, which reached down to his neck, was an old straw hat with a red ribbon. Directly to his left was a man with long black hair tied in a braid. However, there was a strand hanging over his face that didn't seem to bother him. There was an X-shaped scar on the left side of his face and he had a cigarette stuck in his mouth. He wore a black V-neck T-shirt, light green pants and, like the red-haired man, he had a yellow scarf tied around his waist. He had a gun stuck in the cloth. On his right side was a plump man wearing a green and white striped headscarf. His shirt also had the same pattern and color. He also wore knee-length beige trousers and also wore a blue scarf. His eyes were hidden behind some kind of swimming goggles and in his right hand he had a led of meat from which he took a large bite. A dark blonde man walked a few steps behind them. A cloth was tied around his forehead with the name "Yasopp" written on it. He was wearing a blue shirt and white jeans. "Man, it's like a ghost town here," said the red-haired man, a little disappointed. The black-haired man said: "Does that really surprise you, Captain? We're pirates, so it's normal for the villagers to flee as soon as they see the skull." "I know that too, Ben!" said the red-haired captain, a little annoyed, "I was just hoping that we could find someone to ask were the local Bar is." The man with the headband laughed: "Typical of our captain, always only thinking about the next party." "But we also have to replenish our supplies of both beer and food," said the man with the headscarf and took another bite of his meat. "Yes, that too Lou. But what does that mean, Yasopp? You look forward to every party we have." "Nobody looks forward to it as much as you Captain!" came the rest of the crew at the same time. "Hey, but where you're right, you're right!" he said and started laughing. "What do we do now, Ben? There doesn't seem to be anyone here who wants to talk to us." "Well, if there was a person, they would either have to be really brave or incredibly stupid." What normal person would willingly talk to pirates? "Hey, you there!" a voice sounded shortly afterwards. "Are you real pirates?" "It looks like there is such a person here in the village," said the captain with a smile. They turned to the voice and were surprised to see a little girl there. "Now tell me! Are you real pirates or aren't you?" the black-haired child asked more urgently. The red-haired man smiled at her, walked a little closer to her and said: "Yes, we are real pirates." He could literally see how the child's dark brown, almost black eyes grew larger and began to shine. He crouched down to be at eye level with her. "But didn't your parents tell you that it's dangerous to talk to pirates or even get close to them?" "I don't have parents," came the answer immediately, "Gramps took me it, at my father's last request. I couldn't get to know him or my mother. You're looking for the bar, right?" The man in front of her just nodded. "The only bar here belongs to Makino. I live with her because gramps is rarely here because of his work and he can't take me with him. Come on, I'll take you there!" With that, she grabbed one of the captain's hands and pulled him behind her a little. A little surprised by the little girl's actions, he let her lead him and his men followed him. "Hey, lassie, what's your name?" the redhead wanted to know. The girl turned slightly to him and gave him an almost inhuman, wide grin, which seemed somehow familiar, before she said: "I'm Portgas D. Luffy. And you?" Now he had to grin too. "I am Shanks, the Red Shanks, captain of the Red Hair Pirates." They walked through the streets for a while until Luffy stopped in front of a building that had the inscription "Partys Bar". "Here it is," she said, pointing. She took a deep breath and called out: "Makino, I brought guests!" And again she pulled Shanks further behind her and into the bar. The green-haired bartender looked up from her work and had to smile. "I hope you didn't put too much strain on this nice gentleman, Luffy. I'm sorry, she can be quite pushy." "Oh, you don't need to worry about that, Makino, right? If anything, she was a great help to us. I would like a few glasses of beer for myself and my men." "Of course. Please take a seat, I'll get you something straight away." With that, Makino disappeared into a side room to get the drink he wanted. Meanwhile, the pirates took their seats at the free tables. Shanks, however, took a stool right by the bar and Luffy took the one next to him. "Shanks, you've experienced a lot on your travels, right?" Luffy asked with clear curiosity in her voice. "Well, that's what I think, right guys?" Shanks asked his men. They agreed with a roar. As before, Luffy's eyes seemed to become larger and brighter than they already were. A wide grin appeared on her face again and Shanks felt like he had seen it before somewhere. At the next words that came from Luffy, he couldn't help but grin as well. "Can you tell me about your adventures?! I want to know what you've experienced." "Nah, then listen carefully Luffy. Because what you are about to hear is a sample of the exciting and never-ending adventures of the pirate life. A life of freedom and without rules." "And don't forget, the part where we annoys the Marines!" called one of his men. He had to laugh again: "Of course, how could I forget that!" At that moment Makino came out of the warehouse with a barrel of beer and began to fill a glass for everyone. Shanks took a long drink before beginning his story.