Summary: Skipping forward through time a bit in flashes, Luffy meets several important people to his future...

Chapter 10: Mountain Bandits

... ... ...

Luffy was irritated as he stared across the table at the pair of other youths, one surly looking and the other politely smiling. He had…underestimated…Garp's reaction to his Devil Fruit. He had been right that Garp put him through a period of hell training to adjust to the Fruit's powers. Garp had, in fact, spent the longest period of time on Dawn Island since original Luffy's accident. But, after nearly four months…he'd removed Luffy from Makino's care and dumped him on Curly Dadan, gruffy telling Luffy to 'stay the fuck out of sight.'

The comment made sense in a way, since having a Mythical Zoan Fruit was exactly the sort of thing that could paint a target on Luffy's back. It did not fit with his plans, though. And without Makino nearby, he wouldn't have any idea about when Garp would make his infrequent visits. Any trip away from Dawn was going to be exponentially more risky now. Not that he could or would allow that to stop him. Not when he still had so much to do. He'd just have to try and get a feel for Garp's new pattern.

In the meantime, he supposed this wasn't entirely bad. He'd been surprised to see Sabo here rather than off with the Revolutionaries, particularly as he knew the Grey Terminal Fire had already happened. He'd considered trying to interfere with that and, well, technically, he had. Just not directly. Instead, he'd ended up proving a theory he'd had developed about Makino over the years correct. He'd spent time near the capital, observed Bluejam…then told Makino about what he'd learned. She had, quite calmly, told him she'd take care of it. He'd been curious about that and kept an eye on the situation to see if his guess had been right.

It had been.

The Revolutionary Army had shown up far before the fire and had acted swiftly. They couldn't prevent the Grey Terminal from being burned without trying to take the Goa Kingdom, which would never have stuck with Garp's semi-frequent visits. They had gotten nearly the entire population out, far more than Luffy suspected they would have…if it wasn't for the fact that Makino was a plant. Presumably one that was there to look out for Luffy for Dragon. His observation Haki had picked up her meeting with the Revolutionary Forces, and he suspected that the other Haki he'd brushed up again had been his 'father's.' He wasn't sure if he was relieved or not that the man had chosen not to visit him.

All of which probably explained why events with Sabo had changed. But none of which made the fact he was stuck here, at least until Garp's first visit back, any less annoying. Still, he could at least use this as a chance to get to know Ace a bit. Hopefully he was passed his complete asshole phase.

"So what are you two in for?"

Ace scowled, but Sabo cracked a grin. The blonde was clearly the more personable of the two, even if Ace hadn't yet done anything too assholeish.

"Well, I'm planning to be a Revolutionary and he's planning to be a Pirate! Hanging out with Mountain Bandits just seemed like the thing to do, don't you know?"

Luffy snorted and jabbed a finger at Ace.

"Right. Guess that explains why Garp dumped him here. Didn't want him drawing attention before he could protect himself."

Ace looked offended, but Sabo looked curious.

"Is that why you're here?"

Luffy mulled over his answer for a moment, then nodded.

"He didn't exactly say as much. Gramps isn't exactly good at the whole communication thing, you know. But I doubt it was an accident he dumped me here and said to 'keep the fuck out of sight' after I ate a rare Devil Fruit."

Both of the fourteen-year-olds across from him blinked, then Ace scoffed.

"Bullshit. Those aren't real."

Luffy quirked an eyebrow, grinned…and raised one hand. When he was sure their eyes were on it, he activated his Devil Fruit, turning the entire hand into lightning. He didn't show how hard that was, of course. His fruit wasn't a Logia, the ability to turn into an element wasn't its primary purpose. Worse, he'd quickly discovered that, by default, shifting into an element required changing form too. Usually to one of the animal forms he'd discovered, though he could technically just shift into just a ball of lighting. So far, his hand was the extent of what he could transform without shapeshifting, and even getting that far had actually risen his System-measured skill with the Fruit more than anything else he'd done so far. Still, the effect it had on Ace and Sabo, who were staring with jaws-dropped, was a nice reward all on its own.

"Of course they're real. And you're going to run into a fuck ton of them if either of you intend to go to the Grand Line. They are rare as hell outside that ocean, but nearly every worthwhile pirate crew on the Grand Line has at least one Devil Fruit user. A lot of the higher-level Marines have them, too."

The two fourteen-year-old looked at each other, having a silent conversation. A few moments later, Sabo, clearly by far the politer of the two, asked an important question.

"Can you tell us about them, please? If they are truly that important, we should know all we can."

Luffy grinned hugely, knowing he had an in with these two now.

"Sure! I know a fair bit about them, since I was lucky enough to meet a Grand Line crew a few years back that had a couple of Devil Fruit users! So, depending on who you ask, there are either three or four types of Fruits…"

Sabo listened with close attention, even as Ace pretended not to do the same. Luffy wasn't fooled a bit, as he saw Ace's eyes dart to Luffy's hand every time he used a bit of lightning to emphasize a point…

-Luffy Age 13-

"Too slow!" Luffy crowed as he dodged the punch from Sabo, a tap of his blunted-steel Jian sending the blonde off course and into Ace. He laughed as they went down in a heap. "Should I find you a third? This isn't going well for just two of you!"

Both boys growled, Ace lunging from where he'd gotten his balance. Luffy danced away, leaning on his Observation Haki to keep ahead of the older youth. Ace and Sabo were both just as monstrous of outliers as Luffy himself…and they had four years on him. Still, between his work with Kuina and Zoro, the fact his Devil Fruit had accelerated his thought processes quite a bit, and Observation Haki, he currently had an undefeated record against each of them individually…and won four out of five fights even when they teamed up.

This was destined to be another such, as he kept forcing them to waste more and more stamina getting in each other's way. They were getting better about that, but this was the first time Luffy had used his sword, the two having gotten to the point where they could almost beat him in one on one when restricted to just fists. The extra reach and the fact that they couldn't read his movements as well with the unfamiliar weapon had made the result of this particular fight obvious from the start.

It took them another half an hour to admit that, collapsing in exhaustion…only to glare again when he cheekily offered them both canteens of mildly chilled fruit juice. He'd refused to tell them how he produced it from seeming nowhere, saying he would only ever tell his crew. Which irritated them to no end, even if they still swiped the drinks from him. He grinned and sat down across from him.

"Oh don't look so grumpy, you two, you've gotten loads better! Someday, you might even beat me if I used my Devil Fruit!"

Ace threw a fistful of leaves at him, causing Luffy to laugh.

"Keep doing that and I won't tell you how I keep doing it~!"

That got both of them to perk up. Sabo actually managed to sit upright and point an accusing finger at him.

"I knew there was a trick to it! Damnit!"

Luffy laughed, having grown surprisingly close to these two in the last year. Which was why he was about to teach them what he was, despite knowing they'd never be crew.

"Alright. What I've been using is called Observation Haki. I imagine at least Sabo remembers me mentioning Haki as a counter to Devil Fruits back when we first met…but that's Armament. What I've been using against you two is…"

The discussion would be a long one, and it would be hard work for the two to unlock theirs. But he suspected they could do it. It might just save Ace's life, in the end. He had little doubt he'd have learned it in the New World, eventually. But learning it now would only make him stronger in the long run…

-Luffy Age 14-

Luffy was pleased as he caught sight of the slim shape, topped with half-concealed bright red hair, slipping onto the pirate ship he'd been stalking. He was a little frustrated that it had taken so long to track her down, but Garp's visits to Dawn had become too randomized to risk longs trips away. He'd still managed several trips to Shimotsuki Village to train with Kuina and Zoro for a few weeks at a time, but that was mostly due to the extreme speed his Catamaran had compared to most sailing vessels. He could make the trip to Shimotsuki in just three days, most trips, as opposed to the five or six most sailing vessels would have needed. And even that assumed it was something like a schooner he was trying to beat the time of. Cruising speed for a decent schooner was only around 12 knots, where his Catamaran could comfortably cruise at 18 or better in the same wind.

It was only now, as he'd fully mastered his shapeshifted bird form of a simple swift. To his embarrassment, his need to be cool had insisted he become a falcon first. They were fast! Super birds of prey! They just…weren't the best at endurance. Oh, they weren't bad by any means. They could easily cover 100km in a day! But, well, swifts spent the majority of their life in the air and could cover five times that distance per day on sheer endurance, all at a surprisingly similar cruising speed. Despite his grumbling, learning enough about the species of bird to shapeshift into it had provided the ability for him to scout the East Blue much faster than simply sailing. The fact that he'd boosted his Luck over 50 with a few of his points had helped as well, guiding him in which pirates to follow after he'd finally picked up rumors of a thief that specialized in robbing pirates. Sometimes by joining up with them and betraying them, but more usually by simply sneaking aboard their ships.

Now, he watched her sneak aboard one such ship in dock and cocked his head. Would she get off with their treasure? Or would they set sail first. The familiar sensation of dice tumbling gently in the back of his head started and, with a grin, he knew the answer. Whatever Nami intended, she wasn't going to make it off the ship before it set sail. Which means his plan to 'casually' meet her would work nicely. All the better than this particular crew had a decent bounty, when wrapped up all together. Nodding to himself, he headed back to where he'd hidden his own ship. The one disadvantage of his catamaran was that is stood out, meaning he was rarely willing to actually dock it properly…

... ... ...

Luffy flicked the blood off his jian before sheathing it. The majority of the pirates he'd just fought weren't actually dead, though he hadn't been able to avoid killing at least a dozen of them. Given that this crew was definitely the 'rape and pillage' sort of crew, he didn't feel at all bad about that. He wasn't blasé about killing…but he'd come a long way from his first kill in Higuma. He'd created his own rules for when killing was acceptable and not, and murderous pirates that would likely be hung by the Marines when he turned them in anyway were fair game. Not that the dead and unconscious pirates were his focus, at the moment.

"You can come out you know. I saw you sneaking aboard my targets' ship back at the port, so I'm well aware you aren't one of them. A stowaway or a thief, I don't particularly care. I'm only here for the bounty on these pirates. Hell, if you can help me manage this ship to the nearest Marine base, I'll even cut you in for 20% of the bounty, plus whatever you might have stolen from them."

There were long, long seconds of silence. But the offer was exactly the sort that would draw his target out, despite the fact she was currently radiating a certain degree of fear. Which was fair, honestly. She'd just watched him dice his way through an entire pirate crew solo, after all. Despite that, she put on a good front as she slid out of hiding behind a stack of crates. She was young, of course…but already beautiful enough that he was thankful for Gamer's Mind keeping him from blushing. Having to go through puberty a second time sucked. Luffy did not recommend it. Despite barely being fifteen if he had his ages right, Nami managed a decent saunter as she tried to look confident.

"A bounty hunter, huh? Well…I can certainly help you manage the ship…for 50%!"

Luffy laughed, shaking his head.

"I technically don't need the ship, but the Marines often pay for them, since they can usually offload them for a profit. Tell you what, I'll make it 25% of the bounty and 50% of whatever the Marines give for the ship."

Nami looked surprised at the idea the Marines would pay for the ship. She frowned, then asked how much they would likely pay for it. She clearly had no idea and hated having to trust his answer blindly. Still, Luffy had no intention of cheating her, so that was fine. He'd give her a straight answer.

"Lots of factors for that. Size of ship, quality of make, state of repair. This is actually a pretty well put together little schooner. Probably cost nearly 70 million belli to build her, originally. She's a merchant model and they've not taken overly good care of her, though. Best estimate I could give you is that they might pay between 10-15% of her original build price. Probably on the lower side of that, to be honest. They'll be reselling her, after all, as she's not a good enough ship for them to consider using her themselves. Call in 7 million as a safe bet, so 3.5 million for you. Total bounty on the crew is right around 8 million. So a total of 5.5 million for you, plus anything you managed to steal."

Nami's eyes were wide and he knew he had her. It was unlikely this crew had possessed more than two or three million in belli in treasure, despite being relatively successful. Running a pirate ship was expensive, after all. And this was the East Blue, besides. Even if she took everything not nailed down, he was probably offering to triple her profit. Given how much she needed and what for…

"Yes! I'll help you. The nearest Marine base is branch 77! I know where we can find it…"

Luffy grinned.

"So do I, but your help will be appreciated. Let me just make sure my own ship is secured for towing first…"

... ... ...

The trip to Marine Branch 77 had been surprisingly pleasant. Luffy had been worried he might be facing an uphill battle with getting to know Nami…but he hadn't counted on how utterly fascinated she would be with his catamaran. He should have, perhaps, given its potential as an exploration vessel. He just hadn't realized how quickly Nami would realize that was true as he explained the ship to her. Nor had he quite realized how much less worn down she would be with three fewer years of grinding work for Arlong. She clearly wasn't exactly doing well, he could see the strain behind her eyes at times. But she wasn't nearly as broken as she might have been in a few more years. This Nami still had some hope and her Dream. Not a lot of hope, bit a few flickering sparks of it. Sparks which Luffy fully intended to encourage into a proper flame.

Her fascination, his complete lack of trying to screw her on the bounty and ship sales money, which had actually ultimately netted them a bit more than expected, had even convinced her to tag along with him for the next leg of his trip. She wanted to see the catamaran actually sail properly, and he was happy to oblige. He'd sold it even harder by telling her if she helped him track down his 'next bounty' faster than he could have alone he'd cut her in for a full 40% of the bounty, and the same 50% of any ship sale. He'd seen the belli calculator going behind her eyes as she realized that this might be a much better way for her to earn the money she still needed. She'd agreed, but warned him she'd need to take a trip after that to 'store the money.' Which Luffy easily read as a need to report back in to Arlong. Understandable, and something he could work with, given that he was risking missing Garp by staying out even this long.

Now, he watched with a huge smile of his own as she practically radiated glee as she ordered him about, getting the catamaran to truly stretch it's legs. While its usual cruising speed was around 18 knots, it was capable of hitting 30 even with just Luffy aboard. In Nami's capable hands, on a beautiful day for sailing…they'd just hit 34. Nami was blatantly basking in the sheer descendant speed. As they leveled out, Luffy shouted back to her.

"So what do you think of my baby, Nami? Fast enough for you?!"

For the first time, he actually heard her laugh, a pure sound of exhilaration he fully intended to hear more often.

"Hell yes! This ship is amazing. Where the hell did you find it!"

Luffy puffed up in pride, even as he let his own joyful tone match hers.

"I didn't find it, I designed it! Built it too! So thanks for the compliment! Bet you'll love the larger, improved version I've been designing even more~!"

Nami gaped at him for a long moment, then yelped as they hit a wave oddly. It snapped her out of her surprise and she quickly called out more orders…

... ... ... ...

A/N: Alright folks! That's it for the first release on this particular work. At least what's available to the public so far! I run Patreon Page for early access to new chapters of all of my works (including this one). Currently, as of first posting to Scribblehub, there is roughly 8,000 words more of this over on my Patreon, and another release is planned in a few days. However, ALL of my fanfiction content is ultimately free, with nothing stuck permanently behind a paywall. So, while I deeply appreciate anyone willing to help support my writing time...if you don't want to support me, don't :-p. You'll get the content eventually, one way or another, Patrons simply get it sooner. SPECIAL NOTE THOUGH! There is currently a PUBLIC Relationship Poll for this story ongoing over on Patreon. It's available to any follower there, even ones who are 100% Free members. It's a simple thing, allowing people to weigh in on if they want to see a single-pairing or multi-pairing. If you have an opinion on that, head over to vote!