Straw Hat Luffy: The Black Fist

Chapter 2: An Early Start

AN:

Someone asked about why Shanks used hardening when he could have just used enhancement to protect himself from Higuma's bottle and you're comment was absolutely right, I needed it for the plot of the story. I kind of tried to play it off with Benn saying he was having fun but I guess it didn't really work... oh well.

You've probably got questions about all the enhancement business and it's more just a way for me to allow the use of haki at an earlier stage. It also makes sense in my head. I know there have been panels in the manga of Raleigh using haki without the black coloring. This is kind of just my way of explaining that, rather than just saying he was using regular haki and Oda just didn't want to spoil it so he didn't draw it. With that said, hope you enjoy the second chapter. I don't think haki is really meant to be visible at all but that is different in this story, hope you guys don't mind the change too much!

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Chapter 2: An Early Start

Nine Years later

Two years had passed since Luffy's older brother, Ace, had left the island to pursue his dream of becoming a pirate and Luffy now stood at the same place he had seen him off from, preparing to start his own small journey for the next year. Well, a little less than a year now. As he stood before the sight in front of him, he couldn't help but grow excited. The waters of the sea were a vibrant blue, reflecting the sun and the clouds in the sky. It was the perfect day to start his journey.

The thought brought his brother's departure through his mind. It had been a colder day, but just as beautiful.

"Byyyeee Ace!", Luffy screamed from the land as he watched his brother's boat leave the port.

"Bye Luffy! Come find me once you set out to sea! I'm bound to be a super big pirate by then! You're gonna have a lot to live up to being my kid brother!", yelled Ace in return, his boat continuing to grow smaller and smaller in the distance.

The memory crept through the teen's mind fondly as he stood at the docks preparing himself for the start of his journey. No, not his pirate journey, his journey around the East Blue! Luffy knew that the moment he turned seventeen, he would set out, gather a crew, and enter the Grandline, the greatest stretch of ocean of them all. So, before that, he wanted to see the East Blue and get some experience on the waters around his home beforehand, because, like it or not, he'd never actually been off of the island.

Over the past nine years, Luffy had grown much. No longer was he a little 'helpless' seven-year-old boy. The teen stood at a height of five foot six and he certainly still had more room to grow. His face was slightly round, bearing a scar just under the left eye, and his eyes and hair matched both a dark black. Most would probably say he looked plain, but that was largely due to his age. He was still young, after all. With time to fill out and mature, Luffy would, eventually, become the apple of many eyes. The boy's body was on the smaller side, but very lithe and muscular, like a coiled viper ready to strike.

A pair of blue jean shorts and an open red vest was his signature outfit at this point in life, along with his hat and sandals. His treasure could be seen atop his head, the yellow of the straw gleaming in the sunlight and contrasting beautifully with the red of the sash sitting on the hat's brim. The last thing of note on Luffy's person was a beautiful brown chord around his neck.

The chord was braided from several different strands of leather into a loop. The loop was tight around Luffy's neck to the point that he couldn't remove it over his head, but not so tight as to choke him. It was... comfortable. Over the years, no matter how much he grew, the chord always seemed to fit perfectly. He, however, had never taken any real notice of it. The last detail on the necklace was a vibrant violet jewel that seemed almost woven into the leather through the stem of whatever the stone depicted. There were no other ornaments accenting the piece of jewelry, nothing more was needed. The gleaming purple gemstone was plenty beautiful on its own.