4Egypt: hey this is my first One Piece fic...i hope u all like it :D
its set after Shanks saves Luffy and the night before he leaves...though thats pretty clear anyway...
well, one with the one-shot, enjoy
"HAHAHA! Hurry up Benn! I want to get back to the bar already!"
"Cap, you've already got a bottle in your hand."
"Yeah but itssss almost empty!"
The black haired first mate sighed and looked to his large bellied friend. "Get the captain another drink wills you Roo?"
"Sure thing Benny." Lucky Roo shouted cheerfully, taking another large bite out of his meat joint and a swig of bear as he headed into the building where the loud laughter and shouting was coming from.
"They sound like they're having a party." The red haired captain grinned.
"Their captain's alive after getting his arm bitten off," Benn Beckman mused, pulling on the needle and string. "I think they have plenty of reason to."
"Yeah," Shanks sighed, looking up at the night sky. "I just wish I was in there with them."
"Well unless you want to bleed to death you'll be a good patient and stay still." Benn grumbled as he carefully continued his stitching.
"Aw relax a little Benny!" Shanks said loudly, throwing his head back as he finished the bottle.
"You're drunk." The first mate stated plainly.
"Not yet I'm not!" Shanks laughed cheerfully.
A clang from around the corner caught the two young men's attention and they saw a stumbling boy of four with black messy hair and a fallen barrel beside him. Finally catching his footing before he could fall on his face, the young lad turned to the captain pirate to stare straight into his eyes, his dark brown eyes flickering to the open wound where his left arm had once been.
"Hey Luffy!" Shanks grinned widely waving the boy over. Slowly, stiffly, Luffy complied and when he was close enough Shanks draped his remaining arm over the boy's thin shoulders to pull him in. "How are ya doing kid? What's up?"
The boy hung his head and clenched his fists, his arms shaking from the pressure. "You're leaving…tomorrow…" Shanks and Beckman looked at each other.
"How did you know that Luffy?" Benn asked, as he continued his work.
"I heard the others in the bar." He mumbled, before gritting his teeth and looked up at Shanks. "How am I supposed to say thank you before then?!" He shouted, his tone angry and yet his eyes watering.
Shanks chuckled and ruffled his hair. "You just did Luffy."
"No" the boy hung his head again so his messy fringe covered his eyes. "I have to make it up to you…you lost your arm because of me."
"I told you Lu, it's not worth much, and it's defiantly not worth your life." Shanks's smile softened. The small boy's dark brown eyes met the dark eyes of the Red Haired Pirate Captain, Benn smiling slightly to himself before going back to work on his friends shoulder.
"H-How do you do it?" Luffy asked softly. "How can you be ok with what happened? How do you smile all the time?"
Shanks leaned back slightly and looked up at the night sky as the moon offered its natural soft glow as light, with the stars as its company. "Because I was able to save you, I was on time so nothing happened to you. I wouldn't be ok if I was too late, believe me." The young man's gaze fell to his left to look over his friends shoulder to the docks. "And why shouldn't I smile? After all, I have so much to be thankful for Lu. I mean, I'm alive; I have great crew mates- who are also my friends- I have a ship, and best of all I have the open sea stretched out before me offering up all her challenges and adventures. If you look on the bright side of things then there's rarely anything that can make you not smile, being too serious or looking at challenges as impossible will only drag you down in life then you'll never achieve anything." Shanks looked back to the boy to see the small figure looking up at him in what looked like wonder, the child's eyes wide as he drank every word he spoke. "And you want to know something else? A good friend of mine, my old Captain, told me something I'll never forget. 'Don't waste your time and energy on those who don't deserve it, never say 'it's not possible' or 'I can't do it', and most importantly…don't be afraid to die because that's the best adventure of all and has to be earned.'"
Luffy stood silently as Shanks grinned at him. As the words sunk in the boy stayed quiet, and with a smirk Shanks took the final gulp of his alcohol before quickly wrapping an arm around the boys waist and hoisting him up into his lap and threw his head back laughing. Luffy struggled for a moment. "Hey don't treat me as a kid! What are you laughing at now?"
"You and that serious face." The red haired gentleman mocked teasingly.
"Shut up!" Luffy shouted the growled as his messy hair was ruffled.
"If you two are done," Benn stood, whipping his hands with a rag. "You're free to go Captain, though I recommend you take our little friend home. It's past midnight and he's a growing boy, he needs his rest." As Beckman finished Shanks grinned cheekily.
"What a great idea Becky!" And before Luffy had time to protest he was thrown over the young man's broad shoulder and held in place with his remaining arm.
"Hey! What are you doing? Put me down! I'm not tired! Shanks I want to stay up! You leave tomorrow I can't waist time sleeping!"
Ignoring the boys kicks , punches and insults, Shanks smiled as he entered the dark home, heading to the boys room before kicking the door shut behind him gently then dropping the four yeah old on the mattress.
Luffy looked up at the grinning male with a pout and narrowed eyes. "I aint sleeping."
Shanks just chuckled as he took hold of a chair and lifted it. "Well then, how about I tell you a few stories of the sea instead?" He dropped the chair, the back facing Luffy as the young man sat on his, arms crossed over the head of the wood.
The toddler's eyes widened and he grinned, nodding enthusiastically. With a pleased smirk Shanks began his tale, describing his adventures with his crew on the grand line. By the time the hour came to an end, four year old Luffy's eyes were drooping and he was starting to loose balance. With a gentle smile Shanks laid the boy down so his head was on his pillow, pulling the covers up to his chin, grinning widely as the young child curled up and started to snore.
Sitting back down on his chair with his arms crossed, Shanks rested his chin on his arms as he watched the black haired boy sleep, and neither the young man in the chair not the boy in the bed stirred when the door opened and the sound of heavy footsteps made their way over to the captain softly.
An unopened bottle appeared in the pirate's vision but without moving his eyes he took it. "Are you sure we should leave so soon captain?"
"Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a normal life Benn?" Shanks asked instead of answering. "I've tried and I'll admit there's one thing I envy…family." Beckman remained silent, slightly surprised that his usually immature, outlandish captain had ever thought so seriously. "It does have a usual pull doesn't it? Having someone to wait for you to come home from work and have a meal waiting, kids being loud and playing…"
"I never took you for the sentimental type Skanks." Benn mocked lightly, but there was a hidden undertone the other young man easily picked up. No, the captain hadn't been the only one to consider such a life.
Skanks chuckled to himself and took a small swig of the alcoholic beverage. "I'm not… But the idea has crossed my mind once or twice."
Benn looked to Luffy as the child mumbled something in his sleep then turned over. "He the kind of kid you'd want? Is that why you gave him so many talks? Because it's easy for you to get a taste of the kind of life?"
"Maybe…" Shanks trailed off thoughtfully but then a wide happy grin spread across his face. "Or maybe I father him a bit 'cause I see something in him."
"Something?" Benn frowned in confusion.
"Can't you see it?" Shanks asked, taking a quick gulp and whipping his mouth. "No I suppose you can't, you didn't sail with him like I did. But it's there, that same look in his eyes, the strength he has."
"You wanna fill me in here cap?" Benn asked with a quirked eyebrow as he leaned casually against the wall behind his leader.
"Don't you get it?" Shanks smirked widely and hung his head so his shaggy red hair made a shadow over his eyes. "He's got what it takes…someday…he's going to be King of the Pirates."
Benn's usual lever expression turned to one of complete surprise. It was believed among the crew that the title of King of the Pirates was their captain's ultimate goal. Beckman smiled to himself.
Shanks's smirk didn't waver as he closed his eyes, but grew bigger, as shadows appeared in his imagination of 9 silhouettes, the middle one up in front was the only one he could make out, and though he had yet to see this figure in life it was so familiar to him.
"Yes, Luffy would make a great captain one day."
THE END