Chapter 3: Meeting Shanks & The Birth of Their Dream
A New Kind of Trouble
Foosha Village was used to chaos ever since Luffy and Lucky were born.
But nothing—nothing—could prepare the villagers for what happened when a group of pirates sailed into port one summer afternoon.
At first, everyone panicked.
Pirates? Here?
Then, the bar doors swung open—and in walked a man with bright red hair, a straw hat, and a lazy grin.
Behind him, a crew of rowdy but cheerful pirates filled the room.
They weren't pillaging or attacking—they were laughing, drinking, and buying food for everyone.
That was how Red-Haired Shanks and the Red-Haired Pirates made their entrance.
And that was the moment Luffy and Lucky's lives changed forever.
---
First Impressions
Luffy and Lucky sat at the bar, watching the pirates like hawks.
Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Whoaaaaa… They're so cool!"
Lucky, sitting next to him, crossed his arms. "…They don't look that strong."
Shanks, overhearing, turned to them with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh?" He grinned. "You two don't seem scared of pirates."
Luffy puffed out his chest. "Why would we be?! We're gonna be the strongest in the world one day!"
Shanks chuckled. "Oh yeah? Strongest what?"
Luffy hesitated.
Lucky leaned forward. "We don't know yet. Marines, pirates… doesn't matter. We just wanna be free."
Shanks blinked.
For a second, he saw something familiar in them.
Something… dangerous.
Then he laughed.
"HAHAHAHA! You two are interesting."
He ruffled their hair, but Lucky swatted his hand away.
Shanks smirked. "Feisty one, huh?"
Lucky glared. "Don't treat us like kids."
Shanks' grin widened. "But you are kids."
Lucky's eye twitched.
Luffy just pouted. "I wanna be a pirate too!"
Shanks raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what makes you think you could handle being a pirate?"
Luffy jumped on the table. "Because I'm really strong!"
Shanks laughed. "Oh yeah? How strong?"
Luffy grinned. "I'll prove it!"
Lucky leaned back, smirking. This would be fun.
---
Luffy's Bold Challenge
Luffy pointed at Benn Beckman, the crew's calm and deadly first mate.
"I wanna fight him!"
The bar fell silent.
The pirates blinked.
Then—
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
They burst out laughing.
Benn smirked, taking a puff of his cigarette. "Kid, you sure about that?"
Luffy grinned. "YEAH!"
Beckman sighed, then stood up.
"Alright. Come at me."
Luffy charged forward.
The entire bar watched as the little boy leaped high into the air, pulled back his tiny fist, and—
BOOM!
A massive gust of wind shook the entire bar.
Beckman had effortlessly stopped Luffy's punch with two fingers.
Luffy's jaw dropped. "Wha—?!"
Beckman exhaled. "Not bad for a kid. But…"
Before Luffy could react, Beckman flicked his forehead.
BAM.
Luffy crashed through two tables.
Silence.
Then—
"Ow ow ow ow ow!!" Luffy groaned, rolling on the ground.
The pirates roared with laughter again.
Shanks grinned. "Well, well. You've got guts, I'll give you that."
Lucky, watching, tapped his fingers against the table.
"…You're strong." He looked at Beckman. "But you didn't use your full power."
Beckman raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Shanks studied Lucky, intrigued.
This kid… he was different.
Lucky stood up. "I want to fight you, red-haired old man."
The bar went silent again.
Shanks chuckled. "Oh? You sure about that, kid?"
Lucky smirked. "Yeah. I won't lose."
The pirates stared.
Was he serious?
Beckman muttered, "This one's got sharp eyes."
Shanks grinned. "Alright. Show me what you've got."
---
The Monkey vs. The Emperor
Lucky took a deep breath.
Then—
BOOM.
A golden staff appeared in his hands, sparking with energy.
Shanks' eyes widened slightly. "Oh?"
Before anyone could react, Lucky disappeared.
A gust of wind rushed past Shanks' face.
Shanks instinctively tilted his head—just as Lucky's staff sliced through the air where his neck had been.
The entire crew froze.
"Fast," Yasopp muttered.
Shanks, still smiling, leaned back, dodging another swing.
"Not bad," he said. "You're definitely faster than most kids your age."
Lucky grinned.
Then—
BOOM.
He vanished again.
Shanks barely dodged the next attack.
The pirates watched in shock.
This kid… he's fast as hell!
Lucky appeared behind Shanks, his staff swinging downward—
CLANG.
Shanks caught the staff with one hand.
Lucky's eyes widened.
Then—
BAM.
Shanks flicked Lucky's forehead.
Lucky crashed through the same tables as Luffy.
"Owww…" Lucky groaned.
Luffy snorted. "Hehe. Now you know how it feels."
Lucky glared at him.
Shanks, walking over, crouched down. "You're strong, kid. But you rely too much on speed."
Lucky clenched his fists. "Tch…"
Shanks smiled. "That power of yours… it's special, huh?"
Lucky didn't answer.
Shanks ruffled his hair. "You've got talent. Both of you."
Luffy and Lucky looked up at him.
For the first time, they weren't mad about losing.
They were… excited.
Shanks grinned. "You two remind me of someone."
Luffy tilted his head. "Who?"
Shanks' eyes darkened slightly.
"…A man who changed my life."
For a second, his grip tightened on his straw hat.
Then, he smiled again. "Anyway. You two are fun. I'll be hanging around for a while, so let's drink and be merry!"
The pirates cheered.
Luffy and Lucky, though, weren't paying attention anymore.
They just sat there, staring at Shanks.
Because in that moment—
They knew.
They wanted to be pirates.
They wanted to be free.
And for the first time in their lives—
They had a dream.