Straw Hat Luffy: The Black Fist

Chapter 4: Fateful Meetings

AN:

Lots of seeds for the future are planted in the next couple of chapters, so I'm sure you'll have questions. Some of them might be answered soon, others... it might be a while. As always I hope you guys enjoy it.

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Chapter 4: Fateful Meetings

Luffy swam like his life depended on it. He wanted to see the forest up close. Plus, he could probably hunt for food once he made it, especially if the forest was as big as it looked from there. He was pretty hungry.

The shore quickly came into view and the teen slowed down as he approached. The nice thing about the boat sinking was Luffy and Zoro now had nothing to dock. Plus, they had just finished the last of the food. The only thing either of them had brought, worth keeping, was Zoro's katana. Thinking back on it, Luffy swore he could sometimes hear it 'talking' to Zoro, but he never figured out if he was just hearing things. If he wasn't, he had a feeling that what was being said, was only for the swordsman's ear.

Luffy's feet finally found sand and the water became more shallow as he approached the beach. He walked out of the ocean, the waves crashing behind his feet, and the teenager acted like he was doing nothing wrong as he headed toward the throngs of people occupying the street. Because he wasn't. There was nothing wrong with swimming onto an island as far as he was aware.

There were many people going about their various activities for the day, from shopping to working, and some just enjoying the coast. Continuing to make his way down the street, he noticed several different stalls selling different colored stones shaped like the moon. Well, the moon sometimes. He thought he remembered Makino calling it a waning crescent back when he was her student. Luffy looked on those memories fondly. He wasn't the best at learning, but Makino had always been patient with him.

As he passed yet another stall selling the stones, he curiously eyed one of them and couldn't help but wonder what they were all about. Finding himself too curious after passing stall number he couldn't even count, the boy approached one of the women selling the, apparently popular, moon-shaped rocks. "Excuse me, miss?", said Luffy, getting the stall owner's attention.

"Yes yes, young man. Is there something you see that interests you?", she asked in a grandmotherly tone, gesturing to the wares that were being sold.

"I was actually curious about these.", he replied, picking up one of the moon-shaped rocks and examining it. There was nothing really special about it. Just some porous stone carved into a curious shape.

"Well, you see, that shape you're holding in your hand is actually the shape of this city.", the old stall owner answered.

Her words surprised Luffy. Why would someone want to make a city in the shape of the moon? Well... the moon sometimes. When he thought about it though, it was actually kind of cool.

The woman turned and looked toward the large trees behind her, "It was by no one's choice that our city takes this shape. All of the land that could be used for building has been taken up. The trees you see in the distance have proved to be infallible for any who have tried... They are what make the city take the shape it does". The old shopkeeper paused in thought as she gazed at the trees, "There's an old legend about how this island came to be, actually.". It wasn't a very well known story and it was quite fantastical, so she enjoyed telling it. "It's said, that long ago there lived a woman more beautiful than any in the worl-".

When the woman turned around to continue her storytelling, she noticed that the young boy she'd been talking to was no longer there. "Young man?", she spoke quizzically into the empty air in front of her. She sighed to herself, realizing he was gone for good, "Young people these days... Can't wait for anything.". A shame really, it was a wonderful story.