•Black Hat•

•22•

A.N. from here one there will be a narrator, mostly following Luffy. Why you ask? Because that's how I have it in mah head.

Sabaody Archipelago. A green block of small islands made around the tallest trees a man can find, Yarukiman Mangrove. The bubbles that emerge from the ground have made it the famous attraction it is today, together with the Ferris wheel in the Sabaody Park that's located in regions 30 to 39.

With a closer look somewhere in the streets one could notice a huge sack voyage up on two skinny legs running around regions 50 to 59, where the ships dock. The figure that was carrying the enormous bag was thin, of average height for a man, with an obviously fake mustache, nose and glasses that wore a red hood over his black spiky hair. It was the figure of a nineteen year old boy, with a bounty of 300.000.000 berries burdening his head, who himself thought was just 100.000.000. His name was Luffy, Monkey D. Luffy, and after two years of training in an abandoned island he had returned to the public and was now looking for his crewmates. His nakama, as he calls them. After encountering a group of imitators and wiping them out, he finally found his two best men running towards him.

The first one was a tall man with green hair, carrying three swords and missing an eye, dressed in a green kimono with a red belt tied around his waist. The second was also tall, had kinder characteristics, with blonde hair covering his right eye, a small beard and a cigarette between his thin lips.

"Zoro, Sanji!" Luffy shouted happily, smiling at them with all his heart.

"Captain!" They both said, something that's somehow unusual since such title is rarely used at the Strawhat's ship. But this was their first time meeting each other after two whole years.

The two men kept running but their captain, Luffy stood still. Turning his head to face the hill across the road he spotted an old man with white hair. Rayleigh, his teacher. He stopped to thank him for everything he did for him during the past two years.

"RAYLEIGH! Thank you, I'm going to become the pirate king. Just wait and you'll see!" Luffy shouted at the white haired man. His nakama, Zoro and Sanji, smiled at the sound of these words and so did Rayleigh. But the few tears that came up to his eyes were only seen by one person, who was hiding its existence behind the docked ships.

"Go straight for the top!" Was Rayleigh's answer as Luffy continued running to reach his ship.

When Luffy finally arrived together with Zoro and Sanji at the Sunny the crew couldn't stop cheering. They had all changed, in both appearance and abilities, becoming better in both. Zoro, the swordsman, had a more trained body and even though he was now one eyed he would still be considered handsome for the majority of the female population. Nami, the mapmaker had let her hair grow and reach her thin waist. Sanji, the cook, had changed his fringe taking it to the other side, Ussop had changed completely apart from his pointy nose, the nose of a liar, one could say. Chopper had added a light blue coating around his favorite pink hat, Robin had given up her bangs, Franky looked like a robot more than ever and lastly Brook... he was now known all over the grand line as Soul king, the famous singer. Only Luffy hadn't changed a lot. The only thing different on him was the scar on his abs, in the shape of an 'x'.

"Nami-swaaaan, Robin-chwaaaan!" Sanji sang seeing the only two female crew women on the ship again.

Everyone's name came from someone's mouth as they greeted each other happily, when suddenly from the tip of the middle mast someone said:

"Yo... Luffy".

All eight of the strawhat's, apart from Luffy himself, got ready to attack. Weapons were installed in their hands immediately and they lifted their eyes to see who was the person speaking.

Luffy squinted his eyes and remained still staring at the figure. Gradually his lips formed a gentle smile, not his usual teeth smile, but another one with his lips curving slightly upwards. The figure jumped down much to everyone's surprise and fear but landed nicely on the deck and with tremendous skill she, because it was clear now that it was a girl, jumped up looking as if she hadn't tried at all.

"Long time no see, Luffy!" She said and pushed her ginger colored hair to the side. She had long big curls that every girl would be jealous of and her hair glittered under the prism of the summer sun.

"Pearl" Luffy muttered with the same nostalgic smile written on his face. Soon, as if he snapped out of a dream he chuckled and looked at her carefully. "You've gotten fatter!" He said smiling brightly.

"Fuck off!" Pearl hissed and punched him in the head, but in her lips a grin was formed. Even though they were of the same height she looked intimidating in front of him and Luffy seemed to be surprised from her reaction.

"Luffy!" Nami scolded him. Her hair had a similar color to the new appeared girl who seemed to go with under the name Pearl.

"You weren't so violent before!" Luffy whined holding his head.

Pearl breathed out and shook her head.

"You are exactly as bluntly honest as before!" She said and tapped him on the shoulder giving him a half smile. The freckles on her cheeks gave the illusion of a kind and perhaps weak girl, but in her sapphire eyes you could read the danger that was called she. She was dressed simply, wearing the same things she wore two years ago when Luffy had last seen her, a scrap of fabric around her chest and a pair of loose pants. On her neck one could usually notice a thin black leather stripe that was useful for holding the black hat that hanged behind her back. But she rushed to hide it inside the grey back she was carrying when she met with Luffy.

"Will you come with us?" Luffy asked fixing her eyes on her, blinking impatiently.

"Where to?"

"Fishman Island!"

The girl's eyes lit. "Will Jinbe be there?" She asked and looked at Luffy with a peer he really liked. Luffy liked seeing her smile, because she rarely did it with all her heart.

"Of course!"

Pearl chuckled. "Only Law is absent!"

"Oh yes, that Traf guy... what has become of him?" Luffy wondered mostly talking to himself.

The ginger-haired girl shook her head once again.

"I guess Rayleigh kept you busy!"

"The animals there kept me busy Pearl!" Luffy joked but their conversation had to end there because multiple marine ships started attacking them from everywhere.