Reshaping Destinies: The Vanishing Legacy

7 year's old Luffy was standing in the harbor, surrounded by mountain bandits. Luffy yelled at them for insulting Shanks, and they began to taunt him. Their leader, Higuma, forcefully pushed the boy until his back pressed against the barrel full of water, and then he positioned the sword he was carrying against the boy's neck. Just then, Shanks arrived at Luffy's location and reprimanded the mountain bandits who had threatened him.

But suddenly, everything became quiet. The air temperature around me dropped, and the atmosphere grew slightly darker. Everyone stood frozen, like statues, some even in strange poses. Luffy would have laughed at them if he weren't terrified. "Shanks?" Luffy called out. "Everyone, can you hear me? Makino? Major? Someone answer A-"

"They can't hear you," another voice interrupted Luffy's sentence. Luffy scanned his surroundings and then caught sight of a man; he was the only person able to move within Luffy's vision."

The man was dressed in a simple red long-sleeved vest, which he left unbuttoned. He also had on black shorts and sandals. Across his chest, a terrible scar in the shape of an 'X' was visible, and there was a small gash beneath his eye.

On his head, he wore a straw hat. If others saw him, they would easily recognize who he is, but Luffy remained unaware. Luffy felt a strange sense of familiarity towards this man, yet he couldn't figure out his identity. Moreover, Luffy didn't appear to be afraid of him in the slightest.

Who are you?" Luffy asked curiously. The man just smiled and stepped closer; now he and Luffy were quite close. "I am you," the man replied, still smiling.

Somehow, Luffy could see that the man's smile looked sad but very sincere. "What?" asked the boy, not understanding yet. "I am you, from the future."

"Really that's cool!" The boy's eyes lit up and stars appeared in his eyes. "Little me," the man started with a smile, "I was sent here by my friend because I lost all my Nakama. I hope that by being here, I can stop it." The boy knew his future self wasn't lying because he heard the sadness in the statement he just made, so he felt sad too.

He felt a single tear roll down his cheek, and he immediately looked at his older self with widened eyes. "Will I lose all my friends?" he asked, and the man nodded. The boy looked like he was about to cry, but the man from the future spoke again to comfort his young self. "Don't worry, now you can fix it!" he spoke to the boy in a cheerful tone.

"H-how?" the boy stammered.

"That's easy; I will give you my strength. You will also receive a scar on your chest as a reminder that you can still lose something you hold dear," the man explained, showing the scar on his chest.

"H-hey, did I become a pirate?" the boy asked again."

Yes, a great pirate, to be exact. But I didn't make it to becoming the Pirate King," the man replied.

"Why not?" the boy asked, curious.

The man sighed heavily and looked at the boy with teary eyes. "All my crewmates, all my friends... they're all dead," he said, his voice filled with sadness.

"Oh," the boy said, his voice filled with understanding.

"Without them, I have no will to live anymore," the man continued, his tears now flowing freely. "But I can't bring myself to end my own life. That would be a betrayal to their memory. They died protecting me.

The boy looked at his older self with a mix of sadness and sympathy. "You must be really sad," he said softly.

The man nodded, his expression filled with pain. "Yes, you're right. I am. But I'm trying to move on with my life... for them. Every day is a struggle, and I carry this sorrow with me always."

The boy's eyes filled with determination. "Then I'll change it," he declared. "I'll make sure none of our friends die. I'll protect them all."

A small, bittersweet smile formed on the man's face as he looked at his younger self. "I believe in you," he said softly. "Just remember, even if you can't save everyone, cherish the time you have with them. And never forget the sacrifices they made."

The boy nodded, his young face filled with determination. "I won't forget. I'll make sure their sacrifice was not in vain."

With that, the man and the boy shared a moment of understanding, both knowing that despite the pain they carried, they would continue to live on, finding strength in each other and the memories of those they had lost.

The younger Luffy seemed as though he wanted to say something, but the older Luffy raised his finger, indicating that he wasn't finished speaking. 'So I do whatever it takes to keep myself busy. I can't continue being a pirate because it would make me depressed,' the man spoke calmly.

"So, do you understand why I'm here?" the older Luffy asked with a gentle smile. "To give you another chance to try," the boy answered quickly. The man smiled at the answer and then started to approach the boy. However, the boy had one more question.

"How do I know we're they are and what's there name's?" The man stopped and smiled again. "And they said I was too stupid and careless," the man said, proud of his younger self for asking such a good question. He noticed the impatience in his younger self's eyes and spoke again just as the boy was about to open his mouth.

"When I touch you, I will completely disappear—""When I touch you, it will transfer my powers to you, including the musical memory," he said.

And also unfortunately, you will also bear my scars," explained the man. He then noticed that the little man was pouting and asked, "WHAT?"

"That's not fair!" exclaimed the boy, prompting the man to immediately understand. "I know it."

"In that case—" began the boy, but the man interrupted him, saying, "But we want to protect our nakama, right?" The scowl on the boy's face quickly disappeared, and he began nodding vigorously. The older Luffy was surprised by how readily he agreed, considering he had never met any of his nakama before.

But then, he reminded himself that they were the same person and that, apart from Shanks, they hadn't made many friends. He smiled and continued speaking.

"And besides, it wouldn't be the same! It would be even more thrilling if we became much stronger now!" he kindly said to the boy, who grinned happily in response.

"We're doing great!" the boy exclaimed with joy, and the man nodded, now very pleased. "Ready?" the man asked kindly. "Yosh, let's do it!" the boy said with a smile. The man touched the boy's hand,

Luffy began to feel the power coursing through him, and as it continued, he felt intense pain in his chest. An X-shaped scar appeared at the center of his chest. Meanwhile, the future Luffy was gradually disappearing.

Just before he vanished completely, he managed to smile at his younger self. Little Luffy nodded, as if he understood something. Then, the future Luffy disappeared entirely.