Two weeks pass by and Garp has left to return to the Marine base where he is stationed. Ace, Dev, and their friend Sabo are sitting by the edge of a river trying to catch fish for their dinner. Luffy is visiting Makino in town so they really don't expect to see him until it's dark out.
"So Ace...what are you going to do when you turn 17?" Dev asks as she stares at the water.
"Huh? What do you mean?" he asks sluggishly, starting to fall asleep.
"About Garp wanting to enroll you into the Marines?"
"Oh..." Ace shakes himself awake slightly. "Sabo and I are going to set sail on the ocean. We're going to become pirates and form our own crew. We'll become known throughout the world!" Ace tells her with a huge grin on his face. He looks at her and his smile fades away, "What about you, Dev? What are you going to do? You only have three years of freedom left...."
Dev turns her head and grins at Ace, "I have the perfect plan! When Garp takes me to that prissy all girl's school I'm going to raise hell and cause so much trouble that they'll send me back!"
The two boys remain silent for a moment then they both burst out laughing. "That's definitely a plan thought up by our Devlin!" Sabo states while laughing so hard that his top hat falls off his head.
Ace is rolling around on the ground laughing his head off. "It sure is! It's the infamous 'I-can't-think-of-a-real-plan-so-I'll-just-annoy-them-to-death' plan."
A bit of pink appears on Dev's cheeks, "Shut up!"
The rest of the day passes rather peacefully. Ace falls asleep numerous times leaving Dev wishing that she had her permanent marker so she could draw on his face. Instead, she settles on using mud to write on his bare chest 'Dev was here'. By the time Ace wakes up again and discovers her prank then wipes the mud off, it's too late. Most of his chest is sunburned except for where the mud used to be. "Devlin!" Ace yells then gets to feet and starts to chase Dev around.
At sunset, the trio decides to go home to their clubhouse. Sabo has caught the most fish, since he was the only one not sleeping or playing pranks. Ace managed to catch three fish between his narcolepsy attacks. However, Dev didn't catch any fish because she forgot to use bait. Ace chuckles, "Looks like you're cleaning and cooking the fish, Dev...unless you want to go hungry tonight." That is a rule they all agreed on: that whoever catches the least amount of fish has to clean and cook all of the fish for dinner. The only exception is for Luffy, who they wouldn't trust with a knife in a million years.
"YOU GUYS!!!" Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Luffy is running towards them with his arms flailing wildly through the air. "PIRATES! REAL PIRATES!!"
Dev and Ace's eyes widen, "WHAT!"
Luffy reaches them and stops running, bending over and resting his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. Once he can breathe properly again Luffy shouts, "It's true! They arrived at the docks at noon and are now at Party's bar!" Ace and Dev look at each other, but before they can say anything Luffy continues. "They're really nice! I met the first mate and the captain...his name is Shanks and he is awesome! Come on, you guys have to meet him!"
Dev sighs in disappointment, "I can't, Luffy. I have to cook dinner."
Sabo looks at her then sighs, "I'll do it for you...but only this once."
A huge grin spreads across Dev's face and she rushes over to Sabo and gives him a huge hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! You're the greatest, Sabo!"
Sabo's cheeks are bright red, "Yeah, I know and it's about time you admitted it, Dev."
She releases him then turns and starts to run in the direction that Luffy just came from, grabbing said boy's arm and dragging him behind her. Luffy in turn grabs Ace's arm catching him by surprise and causing him to drop his fish.
They reach Foosha Village about twenty minutes later and Luffy takes the lead to Party's Bar. He pushes the swinging doors open and enters the bar. Dev is right behind Luffy and Ace is a bit further behind with his hands in his pockets and trying to act like he doesn't care.
"Wow! Look at all the pirates!" Devlin shouts, a big grin on her face and drawing the attention of several pirates.
The three children begin making their way to the back of the bar. Every now and then a pirate will greet Luffy by name. When they are almost to their destination a male voice calls out, "Back again, eh, Luffy?"
All three turn around and see a tall man with long black hair pulled back into a loose ponytail and with a cigarette between his lips looking at them in amusement. "Mister First Mate!" Luffy shouts and drags both Ace and Dev over to his table. "I want you to meet my older brothers Ace and Dev."
Dev's face turns into a large frown and she slaps Luffy on the back of the head. "I'm a girl not a boy! So I would be your sister not your brother."
Ace laughs, "It's your fault, Dev. If you would act more like a girl than a boy Luffy wouldn't get so confused."
Dev is about to lunge at Ace and start another fist fight when a male voice stops her in her tracks. The man speaks with an accent she's never heard before, but she really likes it. "Oi! Luffy yer back!"
They turn in the direction of the voice and as soon as Dev sees the man her face turns almost as red as the man's hair. Dev's mouth falls open as she stares at the most attractive man she has ever seen. His hair is a bright crimson red and his eyes; which seem to be shining with glee; are a obsidian color. Three scars run down his left eye and he has a light goatee around his mouth. The man is grinning and waving one of his arms at the trio.
"Shanks!" Luffy yells, grabs Dev's arm, and takes off towards the man. As they get closer to Shanks, Dev's heart starts to race and she feels her stomach trying to tie itself into a knot. Closer and closer they get to Shanks until....
"Eeeek!" Dev let's out a loud squeal and pulls her arm out of Luffy's grasp. She flees behind the bar and into the kitchen, leaving behind two very confused boys and a surprised pirate captain.
She runs up to Makino, who is preparing food for the pirates, and wraps her arms around the older, green haired woman's legs. Makino is taken by surprise and nearly topples over. "Dev! What's wrong? Has Ace been picking on you again?" Makino puts down her spatula and wraps her arms around Dev in a comforting embrace. Makino looks up and sees Shanks leaning over on his seat in order to see through the door and what is happening in the kitchen.
Dev shakes her head, "No. I feel funny."
Makino raises an eyebrow and her hazel eyes meet Dev's blue ones. "Are you sick?" She puts a hand on Dev's still red forehead. "We'll, you don't have a high temperature, that's good....Describe to me what you're feeling, sweetie."
Devlin's face finally returns to it's normal color. "My heart was beating really fast and it felt like my tummy was trying to tie itself in a knot. I've never felt like that before."
Makino gently smiles at the young girl, "Did this happen when you were with Ace?"
Dev looks at Makino in confusion, "No. What does that butthole Ace have to do with anything?" Unfortunately, she says this really loudly and everyone in the bar hears her and several pirates burst out laughing.
"So when did you feel this way?" Makino says, unwrapping her arms from around the small girl then standing up.
"When I saw the red headed man."
Speaking of said man, he is leaning over on his bar stool again trying to see what's happening, but this time he loses his balance and falls off the stool. Laughter erupts from the bar and even Dev chuckles a little. Shanks picks himself up off of the ground and sits back down on his bar stool as he places his strawhat back on his head. There's a huge grin on the man's face and he's laughing along with his crew.
Makino smiles down at Devlin, "Don't worry about that feeling, Dev. You just have a crush on Captain Shanks."
Dev's face twists in confusion, "What's a crush?"
Outside in the main area, Ace and Luffy are baffled by Dev's behavior. She's never ran away from anyone or anything before. Ace's curiosity is peaked and he tries to get closer to the kitchen to listen in on Makino's and Dev's conversation. He can hear Makino's voice, but can't understand anything that she's saying.
Luffy, on the other hand, has completely lost interest in what the two girls are doing. He walks over to Shanks and starts to tug on his pants. "Shanks, tell us an amazing pirate story!"
Shanks chuckles, "Right then, lads. Take a seat." Luffy jumps up onto the bar stool to Shanks' right and Ace sits on the one to his left. Shanks turns to Ace, "Sorry, lad, but I didn't catch yer name."
"It's Ace. And the SCAREDY CAT," Ace says, raising his voice so that Dev can hear him in the kitchen, "is Devlin, but we call her Dev for short."
Dev peeks out from around the door frame to the kitchen. "I am NOT a scaredy cat, booger breath."
"Yeah, you're right. You're more of a chicken."
Dev fully steps out of the kitchen, "Am not!"
"Are too!"
Dev is now on top of the counter and glaring at Ace, "Am not, butt munch!"
"Are too, dork!"
Shanks and the rest of his crew watches the bickering pair in amusement. "Narcoleptic moron!"
"Yellow haired menace!"
Makino walks out of the kitchen and smacks both Ace and Dev on the back of the head. "That's enough you two." Both start to rub the back of their heads, mumbling under their breath.
"Dahahahaha!" Shanks laughs loudly at Ace's and Dev's antics. "Ye two remind me o' myself and an old friend o' mine when I was 'bout yer age." Dev blushes profusely and Ace scowls at her, unable to understand why she behaves so strangely around the pirate captain. When Shanks stops laughing he looks at the little blonde hair girl and is amazed when he finds himself looking into eyes as blue as the ocean. Dev starts to get down from the counter when Shanks speaks to her, "Come here, luv. I ain't gonna hurt ye." Dev hesitates slightly and Shanks takes the opportunity to reach over and pick her up. He sits her down on his lap and her entire face goes red again. "There we go. Now how 'bout I tell ye 'bout the time my ship was surrounded by seakings?"
As Shanks tells them the story, Dev's shyness gradually disappears and she stares up at Shanks in awe. Luffy is also staring at the pirate captain in awe. Ace, however, is frowning at the red haired man; jealous of his close proximity to Dev and the reactions he receives from her.