"Hoist the sails!" Igneel ordered Natsu to do the next morning.
"Aye-aye captain!" The salmon haired boy saluted before running to the sails.
"And make sure that you tie them up real tight son!"
"I will!"
He started raising the sails up.
"Father did you hear anything weird last night?" Natsu asked.
"Like what son?"
"Well last night I thought I heard cannons."
"Funny I thought I heard cannons last night too. Of course I thought it was just my imagination."
"Do you think there was a ship attack last night?"
"Maybe."
Natsu continued to raise the sails when he saw something floating in the water. It was a wooden panel. Now it wasn't unusual to see things like that floating adrift in the sea but it was unusual to see a boy lying unconscious on top of the panel.
"Father come quick!" Natsu shouted.
"What is it?"
"There's a boy floating on the water!"
Igneel looked over the edge to see the wooden panel that held the boy. He was then mortified to see that it was floating from a ship that was in shambles and burning.
"Mary mother of God!" He gasped in horror. He quickly went to the life boat. "Natsu lower me down and secure a rope to pull me up."
Natsu nodded and did as he was told. Igneel rowed the boat to the panel and careful took the boy off of it. He then rowed back to the ship and lifted the boy up toward Natsu.
"Lay him down on deck and keep an eye on him. I'm going to look for survivors." Igneel told his son.
Natsu took hold of the boy and pulled him on to the deck. He checked for a pulse. The boy still had one and he was still breathing.
"Well at least you're alive." Natsu said in relief.
An hour passed and still the boy did not stir. Igneel found no other survivors but he did find some very precious cargo. A few crates of rum, some muskets, and some boxes. Believing that they could be useful in the future he brought them back to the ship.
"Was anyone still alive on that ship Father?" Natsu asked Igneel.
"I'm afraid not son."
"What do you think happened to that ship?"
"No doubt it was a pirate attack. An attack led by dirty pirates."
"What makes a dirty pirate dirty Father? Mud?"
"No son. They're pirates who have no honor or respect for the pirate code. You see son we pillage and invade and steal but we never harm the innocent and we only kill if we have to. These pirates, they didn't just steal they murdered all the innocent lives on that ship. All but one."
They moved the boy below deck and laid him in a bed. Later he started to wake. When he saw Igneel and Natsu he became scared and started to flinch away.
"Take it easy lad we're not going to hurt you." Igneel assured him.
"Where am I?" The boy asked.
"You're on my ship, we pulled you from the sea. I am Igneel and this is my son Natsu."
"I'm Gray...I was on a ship when..." At once the memory of that terrible night came flashing back to his mind. The pirates invading the ship, his parents being killed, the fire, the explosion, the sea.
"They're gone... They're gone! They're gone! They're gone!" He kept shouting.
"Calm down lad, who's gone?"
"My mother! And my father! They're dead! They're dead! He killed them! He killed them!"
He burst into tears and buried his face into the pillow that his head had been resting on. Of course who could blame him? Everything he ever loved and held dear was destroyed in one night. One horrible, unforgettable night that would haunt him forever. Natsu and his father looked upon the heart broken boy with pity and compassion. They decided to leave him alone to mourn in peace. For many days Gray never left that room, all he did was just stay in bed. Natsu tried to talk to him a few times but Gray just ignored him. However Gray couldn't stay in that room forever and eventually he came out.
He walked upstairs to the deck and found Igneel going through some of the stuff he recovered from the ship.
"Some stuff survived." He told him. "Is there anything of yours here?"
Gray began to look through everything. There were only three things he wanted to keep from that pile. His father's bible, his mother's music box and an envelope that had his name written on it. The letter had been sealed in a small wooden box, that was how it was protected from the water. Gray opened the envelope and started reading the letter inside.
Dear Gray
When you've worked as a Navy officer for as long as I have you begin to fear that one day you might die in a shipwreck or a pirate attack when you're only child is still young. Which is why I wrote this.
If you're reading this letter Gray then the day I always feared has come to pass. I hope you can forgive me for leaving you while you're still just a boy but I don't want you to give in to the grief you feel over my demise. You're a very strong young man, stronger than you think and I don't expect this to break you.
Remain strong my son, live on, and have faith. Have faith in God, pray that he will heal the hurt in your heart and pray that someday you, me, and your mother will all be reunited together in heaven. My love is always with you.
Sincerely your father
Gray's hands trembled as he read the letter. He could almost hear each word being spoken in his father's voice.
"You alright?" Igneel asked.
"Yes..."
"You know Gray I need a new crew to replace the one that double crossed me. You're welcome to join if you'd like."
"If I refuse you'll toss me overboard right?"
"No. You have the freedom to do whatever you wish and if you want I can drop you off at the next port however I not sure where you'll go from there."
"I'll find a way around."
"Really? Do you have any money?"
"No."
"Do you have a job?"
"No."
"Do you have any living relatives?"
"No."
"Then how exactly do you plan to how you say find a way around?"
"I'll figure it out besides like hell I would become a pirate! It was a pirate that killed my parents!"
"I know and the pirate who took the lives of your family and everyone else on that ship has no honor or morals, but me and my son we aren't like that."
"What are you talking about?"
"We are known as honorable pirates and that's because we live by a code. We are free the pillage and plunder and steal and cause property damage but we never harm the innocent and we never kill unless it's necessary."
"My father said that all pirates had no honor."
"That's because your father only knew about the ones who didn't live by the code. Look lad you won't last a day out there on your own at least not like this. Let me train you alongside my son. I'll teach you how to fight, how to sail, how to plunder and pillage, and how to survive by just using your wits."
Gray thought for a moment. On one hand he wasn't sure if his parents would approve of him becoming a pirate but on the other hand he had no where else to go and the man did seem trust worthy.
"Fine."
"Wonderful, your training begins tomorrow and from now on you'll be sharing a room with Natsu."
"What?!" Natsu said.
"Gray could you excuse me and my son for second?"
Igneel took Natsu by the arm and pulled him into his private quarters.
"No way am I sharing a room with him!" Natsu argued.
"Natsu as your father and your captain I am ordering you to be accommodating toward our newest member."
"Newest member?! You mean he's actually joining us?!"
"It would seem that way."
"But I don't want him to be apart of our crew."
"Why not?"
"Well for one thing his father was a navy officer. He's a by the book kid."
"Natsu that poor boy has lost everything, he has nothing and nobody. It would be cruel of us to just to leave him out on his own."
"But Father we're pirates. We don't care about other people, it's every man for himself."
"There are some exceptions to that case and this is one of them."
"Why is he one of them?"
"He just is. Now he's going to be a member of this crew and that's final."
At first Natsu and Gray didn't get along very well. They argued and fought a lot much to Igneel's annoyance. He thought it was hard just looking after one reckless little boy, looking after two was the biggest hassel he ever had to deal with. But he knew how to handle them and over time the boys grew to like each other. I mean they still fought now and then but it wasn't as bad as before.
It was not long before Igneel began training them in the art piracy. He taught them how to plunder, pillage, how to sail and fight, how to use wit to out smart enemies, there never was a better teacher on the subject of pirates than Captain Igneel Dragneel. And as they trained they traveled from place to place taking what they needed and finding new members to join them, eventually they had a proper crew started and they called it Fairy Tail.