A Father’s Memento and A Surprise Invitation

Year 1510 Early February

12 years before canon starts

Small Island in East Blue

POV Gaban

It's been a couple of months since Hunter first used his devil fruit. He nearly scared me to death when he collapsed that day. I honestly thought I killed the kid for a moment. I nearly ran across the ocean to the closest island for a doctor. The doc told me Hunter was simply asleep due to exhaustion. He ended up sleeping for an entire week.

I didn't even notice when he woke up. I went to check on him every morning like I've been doing and he was gone. I immediately went to the lumber yard clearing and was not expecting what I saw. Hunter was floating. Only about a foot off the ground but he was honest to god floating.

It turns out the kid had eaten, at least to my limited knowledge, a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit. The fruit, besides his Tiger Zoan abilities, gave him the ability to use metal and wind similar to other devil fruit users. It took him about a month to stabilize his 'float walking' as I call it.

It didn't seem like he was developing any offensive techniques involving his devil fruit. When I asked him why he hadn't, he told me that utility comes first. That is definitely something I wouldn't have expected to come from a child but he is his father's son. No matter how lazy the man was, he was still a genius. For the following winter, I basically observed and advised him while he trained since it seemed like he had a plan in mind.

A few days ago he seemed to hit a plateau in his training. I know what his issue is but he needs to figure it out by himself. Maybe the gifts I have for his birthday will get him out of his repetitional funk.

POV Hunter

In about a week, the first birthday I am going to celebrate in this world with my memories from my past life intact is going to occur. Don't really know why we even need to celebrate my birthday in general. It's just me and Gaban. Well, there's also Byakko but he doesn't count since he exists currently as a part of my very being. <Whatever helps you sleep at night, Cub.> Byakko says breaking my train of thought which causes me to lose focus and fall on my butt.

That normally wouldn't be a problem if I wasn't about 10 feet in the air trying to perfect my 'Air Walk' technique. Series like Bleach make it look so easy but it's not. I have to constantly release dense but small clumps of wind from my feet. No matter how difficult this is, it is important I master this skill if I want to sail the high seas since it will be invaluable to have for emergencies.

I might as well stop now since I have been at it for 2 hours. Gaban has dropped the timeframe of my physical training per day to leave me room for my devil fruit training. The downside to that is he intensified the training to make up for the lost time.

I sometimes think he is drugging my food so I can complete the physical training quicker. <That wouldn't work since you are immune to almost every poison due to myself affecting your general physiology.> Byakko chimes in yet again. "What do you mean 'immune to almost every poison' you overgrown house cat?" I shoot back at him.

<I mean what I said. Due to most poisons falling in between the elements of Wood and Metal, I have an immunity to all but the strongest ones. Therefore since you are my 'host' so to speak, you are also immune to a certain extent as well.> Byakko explained.

That new piece of information makes me out to be the worst possible enemy for that Gas Gas fruit dude with the axolotl made out of slime to face. Let's file that away for a later date. "Any other abilities do I have that I am not aware of?" I ask Byakko. The White Tiger responds with <None that you should concern yourself with, at this point in your life.>

Knowing that the cat won't share anymore, I go back to my devil fruit training. After a couple more hours of that training to develop variations of the 'Air Walk', I notice something on the water in the distance getting closer and closer while I am in the air. I use 'Jet Step', which is a variation I worked the kinks out of, to send myself through the air back to my home as quickly as I could to tell Gaban.

I open the door to find the home empty. I look around for any weapon I could find to defend myself since my combat skills are still rudimentary at best. I was only given the basics on how to use some weapons by Gaban.

I open the door to his room and go to the wardrobe that acts as an armory. Inside, I found the pair of throwing hatchets that Gaban made me use first when he trained me in cold weapons. I assume he did that to make me want to use them as my primary weapon like himself. I stick them to my lower back using the magnetic properties of the blades and keep digging for more weapons, hopefully a gun or two.

I don't find any guns but I do find a couple throwing spears that we use for fishing. I slap them on my back as well since all the weight from the weapons is negligible to me at this point in my physical training. I begin to look elsewhere in his room for more things to work with.

The first spot I check is under his bed, hoping I don't find any 'mature' content under there. I feel a long box, roughly my height of around 4 feet, and I try to pull it out from underneath the bed. The box is a lot heavier than I was expecting so I had to pull it along by using magnetism again. I am barely able to do so.

I open up the box, which I now knew to be a case and not a box, and find a saber in its sheath. It's not my favorite sword type due to its overemphasis on slashing but hey beggars can't be choosers. I lift up the sword and find it to be the source of the heavy weight. Who in their right mind uses a sword this heavy if they are an average sized person in this world?

|That's quite rude to make a comment on a lady's weight, young man.| a voice said in my head that reminded me of British dramas like Downton Abbey. I look down at the sword and wonder why I come across so many sentient things in this world.

"I am sorry but I don't have time to talk with you, ma'am. The island I live on with my uncle is about to be attacked by a ship and I can't find my uncle. Please excuse my use of you." I say as I run out to face the unknown invader. |It seems a saber doesn't suit you, child. Allow me to fix that.| the sword says and it begins to glow a faint gray color.

The glow fades and the sword is now a Jian with a charcoal gray blade. This sword kinda looks like Sokka's space sword from Avatar. Cool. The weight also disappears all of a sudden. |It seems like the 2nd Dark Prince has picked up the blade as well| the sword says to herself as I rush off to the shoreline, making sure to stay hidden.

Looking down to the shore from my hiding spot in the trees, I see Gaban talking with a man who looks like a younger and smaller version of himself with tear lines similar to Itachi's from Naruto. I prep one of the spears I had to throw at the man. I aim at the only blind spot most humans have and that is where the top of the spine meets the skull. I aim there so even if I don't kill him, I could paralyze him and thus remove him as a threat.

I throw it while guiding the wind around it to spin the spear making it as strong as a ballista bolt. I then 'jet step' myself about 30 feet off the ground and hurl both axes at the mast of the ship to ruin their chances of escaping. I make the axes move faster than the spear to distract the man so the spear can hit him.

As the axes are about to hit the mast, a small animal knocks them away. I then hear a gunshot and see the man deflect the spear with a bullet. A second man comes into view by the man and Gaban. I unsheath the Jian and 'jet step' towards them, at least trying to take out one of them.

As I am about to pierce the straw hat of the second man, a hand stops me mid-flight and leaves me hanging in the air. I look around and see Gaban holding me with a tired look on his face and the straw hat wearing man is grinning from ear to ear. The man takes off the straw hat, revealing his red hair, and says "Looks like the surprise is ruined, Scopper."

Gaban's eyes widen for a moment and look at me hoping I didn't hear but he sees me with a smirk on my face. He drops me and says "How long have you known?" I look up to him and pat his leg saying "Known what? That you aren't related to me. That your true identity is Scopper Gaban, third in command of the Roger Pirates. I knew for a while now. Your stories screamed that you experienced them not that you heard them in passing."

I jut my finger towards the redhead and ask "So, is he the cabin boy who always ran from combat or the one who peed his bed until he was seven?" A few moments of silence pass before a sizable amount of laughter erupts from the redhead's crew. The redhead chuckles along and says "They were both the other cabin boy, kid. I do gotta say your plan of attack, while lacking in power, was a solid plan."

The small creature that knocked my axes away hops from the ship and lands on Gaban's shoulder revealing it to be a small brown monkey. The monkey hands me back my axes. I thank the monkey with a banana I had in my snack pocket that didn't get squished in my attack plan. The monkey hops off Gaban and chills on my head and shoulder, eating the banana.

A bald man walks off the ship saying "First time I've seen Monster warm up to somebody so quickly." A young girl's voice rings out "No fair, how come the monkey gets to leave the ship and I don't? I was supposed to be the one to get a friend." The redhead says back "Now now Uta. Monster simply rushed off to return the kid's weapons, since he wasn't deemed a threat to us." Uta yells back "Shanks is a meanie. Right, Bonk Punch?" she finishes as she turns to the bald man.

I turn to the man who deflected to my spear and ask "Is she always this loud? If she is, she shouldn't be a pirate but work on being a singer or something." Shanks, Bonk Punch, and the rest of the crew just start laughing again. Shanks pats my head and says "You don't know how right you are kid."

{6 days later}

POV Hunter

It turns out that the Redhair Pirates stopped by our little island for two reasons. The first is that Gaban called them so I would get used to interacting with people that weren't him. The second is that their chef, Lucky Roux, was on a trip to get a unique ingredient and nobody else on the crew can cook worth a damn. Turns out Gaban was forced to be essentially every position on the Roger Pirates crew until they filled the positions properly since Rayleigh was too lazy to do anything and Roger couldn't be trusted around anything delicate.

There is one problem with them being here and that was I couldn't be alone. Between Monster and Uta, I had no time to myself to train. Monster would halt my concentration by jumping on my head and Uta would demand I take her flying like she had seen me do that first day. At least my birthday shouldn't be as annoying.

{During the Birthday Party}

The adults of the Redhair Pirates are partying up like always according to Uta. She keeps on trying to ask me to take her flying. "Come on Hunter. Just for a few minutes. What's the worst that can happen?" Uta says while trying to come off as cute but ends up as annoying to me yet again. I look her dead in the eyes with no emotion showing and say "We could die since I can barely 'fly' by myself let alone carrying someone. When I 'flew' at your father, I would have been seriously hurt if Gaban didn't catch me."

Uta turns to Shanks and whines to him while teary eyed "Shanks, make him take me flying. I want to fly. Make him stop being mean to me." Shanks turns towards me and asks "So you got the brakes figured out yet?" I shake my head to the sides and say "Haven't gotten that far yet. I barely got the initial technique down pat. My only option for landing right now is going 'big cat'."

The Redhair Pirates pause their partying at that and a blonde haired member with an axe on his back, Limejuice, asks "What do you mean by 'big cat'? Don't you got a Paramecia or something? Gaban refused to tell us what you ate. He said something along the lines of 'the kid should tell us'."

I smirk at that and say "Well I guess I should show you." I 'jet step' about 30 feet into the air and roll into a ball. As I fall back down, I keep rolling. Just as I hit the ground, shift into my full Zoan tiger form. I still have similar proportions as a Tiger Cub but I am about 7 feet in length now. I have grown a little since the first shift.

The Redhair Pirates just stare at me. Uta screams out "Kitty!" and full force runs into my furry side, hugging me. Monster plops onto my head and starts digging for bugs to eat. The man who looks similar to Gaban, Ben Beckmann, says "That makes a lot more sense than a Paramecia, especially since the only one coming to mind that can do what you did with those weapons is currently still in use by the ruler of the Sorbet Kingdom."

I shift back to my normal self causing both Monster and Uta to fall. Before Uta could say anything, Gaban hobbles to me and says "I guess it's time for presents. Besides these knuckleheads coming, I planned on giving you something else but I can't find it." He sees the sword on my back and continues with "So you found out about both my gifts to you. Either you really hate surprises or I suck at hiding them."

I pull the sheathed sword off my back and toss it back to Gaban. As soon as it hits his hands, Gaban falls to the ground with the sword in his hands. Shanks, seeing this, tries to lift the sword out of Gaban's hands but fails. Uta and the rest of the Redhair Pirates laugh at their leader failing to do it.

I pick the sword up with one hand and put it back on my back. |It is the failure of a swordsman to voluntarily give their sword up to anyone.| the sword said to me. I look at Shanks helping Gaban up and say "Sorry about that. What makes this sword so special anyway?" |I would have told you if you had given me the chance.| the sword says. I know that but it's best to find out from them to keep the whole 'me being able to talk to items with sentience' thing a secret. |Clever boy. Just like your father. Hopefully you won't be as lazy.| the sword responds.

As soon as he got up, Gaban plops onto a chair and says, "That sword seems to have chosen you already. That sword is special because it grows with the wielder it chooses. Funny enough, it is one of the twelve supreme blades. It is rated at the bottom due to how conditional of a blade it is. The name of this sword is Ikusei for it is a marker for the cultivation of one's swordsmanship. Your father used that blade for many years. He tried to give it to your older brother but both your brother and the sword refused."

As I absorb the information given to me, one thing sticks out. "I have a brother!?" I yell out. Shanks cuts in to say "That's right. We aren't telling you who he is, only that you may face him on your path as a swordsman if you choose to take it." I sigh and say "Well that's enough heavy stuff for now." I turn towards the Redhair Pirates "Any more presents or is that it?" Everyone laughs and the party continues.

Ben Beckman gives me a book on meteorology focused on the wind and how the wind reacts to the world around it. Shanks tells me that he is going to train me in swordsmanship for the rest of their time here. Yasopp gives me a handheld telescope. Bonk Punch and Monster give me a collection of bestiaries on animals in each of the Blues. The rest give me little odds and ends they think a kid could enjoy. The only one to not give a gift was Uta.

Everyone looks at me and Uta expecting something. Bonk Punch and Monster start to pull out instruments. Uta turns to me, while slightly red in the face, and says "My gift for your birthday from me is a song." The music starts and Uta begins to sing:

{Kaze no Yukue - by Ado}

{One Piece Red studio version}

"Where did it come from? Where could this wind be taking us?

I look up to sky hoping for answers But there is no reply

Where will it end up, This song that I've been a vessel for?

I look within knowing I'll find the answer Even on my own

Let's row out to the open sea, Far as we can go To the unknown

I've got to keep on dreamin' No surrenderin' Go on

Hoist the sail inside my open heart And let me heed the call of the sea

I've got to keep on singin' Until you feel it Just hold on

Oh, the winds will change, I promise you My voice will see us through To the end

All of us searching Trying to find our happiness

Our hands reach out and all we find is pain Still we must try again

What if that sorrow Becomes the strength that we're lookin' for?

Then we can weather any storm that comes Ready for what's in store

When all is said and done I hope that we will meet again At the ending

Let me keep on living this waking dream There's no waking me Let's dream on

I see something far ahead of me A path that's waiting for me Just beyond

I'll always be here singin' Until you feel it Just hold on

Oh, my voice will be the wind that fills Your sails so you can still Carry on

I've got to keep on dreamin' Never surrenderin' Go on

Oh and even if I disappear My song will still ring out For you to hear

I have got to keep on singin' Want you to feel it Just hold on

Oh, the winds will change, I promise you My voice will see us through To the end"

As her song ends, all of us start clapping. Uta smiles at me and says "So what do you think?" I respond to her with a subdued smile and say "You are definitely more of a singer than a pirate. In my honest opinion you could be famous for your voice." Uta's face goes slightly red again and thanks me.

I get and head towards my house. Uta says "Hey where are you going?" I respond with "You'll see." I came back a few minutes later with an acoustic guitar in my hand. Uta says "You can sing too?" I say "Not as good as you but I am okay. I figured I should thank you all for the gifts. So here is a song as my thanks to you guys for my birthday." I strum the guitar and start to sing with my eyes closed:

{Moon on the Water- by Beat Crusaders}

{Tanaka Koyuki from Beck Studio Version}

Full moon sways...

Gently in the night of one fine day

On my way...

Looking for a moment with my dear

Full moon waves.

Slowly on the surface of the lake

You were there...

Smiling in my arms for all those years

What a fool...

I don't know 'bout tomorrow...

What it's like to be

Ah~

I was a fool,

Couldn't let myself to go

Even though I feel...

The end

Old love affair...

Floating like a bird resting her wings

You were there...

Smiling in my arms for all those years

What a fool...

I don't know 'bout tomorrow...

What it's like to be

Ah~

I was a fool

couldn't let myself to go

Even though I feel...

The end

Full moon sways...

Gently in the night of one fine day

You are there

Smiling in my arms for all those years…"

As the guitar stops, I am met with silence. I open my eyes and say jokingly "Was I that bad? If so, I will retire from music immediately." I look around to see the Redhair Pirates in stunned silence. Uta tackles me to the ground and says "That was amazing. Who taught you how to play and sing?"

Not wanting to say it was from practicing one of the songs from my favorite music based anime for months in my past life, I say "I taught myself since it's just been me and Gaban here until you guys showed up." Uta's smile grows even wider and says "That's even better. You can join me on tour when I become a diva."

She hops off me, turns to Shanks, and says "Shanks he is joining our crew. You got that?" Everyone looks at her and goes "EHH?!"