Luffy needed a crew.

Not just any crew. A real one.

People who could sail with him across the sea, people who could fight beside him, laugh with him, and help him reach the one thing that sat at the very top of his mind.

The One Piece.

The greatest pirate treasure in the world. The legendary treasure left behind by the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.

And if Luffy wanted to find it, he needed a crew.

So the future Pirate King, the most stubbornly cheerful pirate on the seas, set out to gather people who would sail under his flag.

But before any of that could happen, he needed something first.

A map to the Grand Line.

The most dangerous sea in the world.

And according to what he heard, the perfect place to find one was in Shells Town.

That was where the marine base was.

That was where the map was supposed to be.

And that was also where he heard about you.

More specifically, Koby told him about you.

According to Koby, you were some kind of hidden legend in the town. A pirate who had somehow managed to stay under the radar, hiding away while the Marines controlled the island.

Someone strong.

Someone dangerous.

Someone who sounded perfect for a crew.

And Luffy liked the sound of that.

So somehow, someway, Monkey D. Luffy managed to find your hiding spot.

You barely had time to react before he was already there.

Your sword was at his throat in seconds.

Most people would panic.

Most people would freeze.

Luffy did neither.

He didn't even flinch.

He just stood there with that ridiculously bright grin on his face, the small scar under his left eye stretching slightly as he smiled wider, like the blade at his throat was nothing more than a mild inconvenience.

His eyes sparkled with excitement, like he had just found a new toy.

"So... do you wanna stop hiding in this town and join my crew? You look strong. And I need strong people. I'm gonna be the Pirate King."