One Piece: Heather Strelitzia

Chapter 1: Act 1 - Prologue

"What was that for, ossan?" Luffy cried indignantly.

"I am your jiji, brat, not any ossan. And you better pay attention when I talk."

"Cut that out," Luffy yelled.

Garp turned out and stared ahead, once again lost in thought. Dragon had given Luffy to him to take care of since he knew that his son would be far safer with Garp and the marines than with the Revolutionary Army. Garp could see how torn his son was as he handed his own son to Garp when he was hardly a year or two old. Luffy was now 5 and as expected, hardly had any recollection of his father for which Garp was glad. He knew that the time was not right for Luffy to know about his father. Maybe someday when he was stronger. Thus, Garp had decided to take Luffy with him on his travels to get him familiar with the world. The earlier he learned how the world worked, the better it would be for him. The marine knew that Luffy was destined for something great, call it hubris but the Monkey family was far from normal. Each individual in the family was beloved by fate itself as they experienced the most unqiue events. He did not know what was in store for his grandson but he would be damned if he did not make Luffy ready to face the world.

They were currently on the calm belt, atop his ship as he sailed towards a certain blue where he was required. Some unconfirmed yet interesting reports had reached the marine headquarters and naturally, Sengoku asked him to look into them. After all, they were quite sensitive and if the word got out, it would spell trouble for the World Government. The only reason why he was doing it was so that he could avoid this headache in the future. He preferred to sail as he pleased and if this became a big issue, it would impede his travels, something he did not like. On the bright side, he could beat up some pirates along the way as well as show Luffy some real action. The boy had been stowed in the room each time there was any combat. Now that he was five, Garp felt that it was an appropriate time to get Luffy acquainted with this side of the world.

...

~A few days later~

...

His ship was currently docked at the island which the Headquarters was interested in. A normal person would've exercised discretion, undertaking such a mission but the Monkey family had always been known for its straightforward way of thinking. If there's a problem, face it head-on and beat it into submission. Simple. Garp was no exception as he swaggered into town with no caution whatsoever, ignoring the stares thrown his way. Luffy trailed along with him as the young boy ran around the place, looking at things that caught his interest which was practically everything. His eyes were shining brightly and a huge grin adorned his face as he laughed happily at almost every other thing.

"Luffy, you'd better not get lost. Stay nearby," Garp said as he kept walking forward. Regardless of how much Garp beat up Luffy, he would always love his grandson with all his heart and not let anyone else harm even a single strand of hair on the boy.

"Hai hai," Luffy said disinterestedly. He then turned and ran off towards the forest where he thought he'd find some new animals or fruits to eat. His grandfather could only sigh knowing that there was bound to be some trouble knowing their luck. He wasn't too worried about Luffy since he could observe him throughout the time and immediately know if some danger befell him. Unless the brat was close to dying, he wouldn't interfere.

...

~Luffy~

...

Luffy was currently running around the jungle, trying to find anything that was interesting but so far, he only found trees and more trees. He kept running, often changing his direction until he stopped and looked around. He was now lost and didn't know where to go. He scratched his head and then closed his eyes, deep in thought as he tried to recall his steps. Fortunately, he was saved from the trouble as a voice made its way to his ears through the silent forest. It was soft and barely noticeable but Luffy could hear it well somehow. Not thinking twice, he took off towards the source of the sound, oblivious to his surroundings once again.