The Guilds

It was a beautiful morning in Foosha, the sun was shining bright in the sky, the birds were chirping, but it was all overshadowed by the sound of a certain chatterbox who just could not stop talking.

"You'll come visit me won't you?!" Gion asked Makino in a hopeful voice. "I don't know. We'll see what happens in the future." Makino replied back truthfully with her ever present warm smile on her face.

"I can't believe you're the only one that came to see me off..." Gion said in a depressed tone. She knew no one here really liked her all that much, but she was still hoping they would send her off.

"Where is Tsuru?" Makino asked, trying to break the weird atmosphere around them. Gion looked around at that moment before replying, "You know, I'm not too sure. She said she was going to do something important, but she didn't say what."

There was a moment of silence before Makino grabbed Gion by the hand and started pulling her towards the bar. "Before you set off, I'll make us some breakfast! We'll make this last day memorable!" Makino said cheerfully.

"You are the best!! Can we have that stuff you made two days ago for lunch?!!" Gion asked hopefully. "Of course we can. I'll start preparing it, in the mean time you can go and get Soran." Gion nodded enthusiastically before they both started heading towards the bar.

While they were on their way, Gion couldn't help but look towards the big ass building that Jack had dubbed, 'Guild Hall'. As she looked towards it, she couldn't help but wonder what was in there and why she wasn't allowed inside.

Inside the Guild Hall, Jack was sitting at a table with his five personal crew members, and across the table from them sat Tsuru with a tired expression on her face. "So what was so important that you had to meet with me before you left?" Jack asked Tsuru with an exhausted look on his face.

"Do you really need your people here? I would like to talk in private." Tsuru said plainly. Jack was calm as he said, "State whatever it is you want. I will hide nothing from them, so either say it now or not at all."

Tsuru sighed before saying, "Alright. I would like to know what I would have to do to get rid of the bounty on Gion?" Luke was the first to reply by saying, "It's quite simple really, she just needs to die. I can do it now if you want?"

Everyone knew that despite his joking tone, Luke would be more than happy to kill Gion. "Well... as much fun as I think we would all have watching you do that, I'd rather you not." Tsuru said, sounding unsure as to what she should do now while looking to Jack.

"Why not just have her quit the marines?" Nojiko asked curiously. Everyone looked to Jack, wanting to know if that would work. "Quitting the marines will get rid of the bounty on most people, but depending on who you are, the bounties don't go away." Jack clarified for everyone.

"Vice Admiral rank on up don't get their bounties removed even if they quit the marines, because at that rank they most likely have done some messed up shit for the Government." Jack added, having everyone nod.

"I could remove it regardless if she was in the marines or not, but what's in it for me?" Jack gave Tsuru a knowing smile, one that sent shivers down her spine.

There was only silence in the room after Jack finished his words, everyone but Jack looking quite uncomfortable. "*Sigh* What is it that you want?" Tsuru finally asked after a moment of silence.

"*Tsk tsk tsk* Tsuru, I want you to offer me something that you think is worth Gion's life... I mean if were up to me, I could possibly say that I want your life, which isn't worth all that much to me considering you can't go against any of us."

Nami and Nojiko were looking extremely uncomfortable right now. They were both thinking that Jack was trying to antagonize Tsuru based off his words, but they couldn't figure out what that would accomplish. They were also worried how a clash between them and Tsuru would go, and neither wanted to know.

"I don't know what else I could offer besides my life, it's all I have left." Tsuru said, sounding quite exhausted. "My dear Tsuru, you are not thinking big enough!!" Jack said excitedly as he stood from his chair and began to walk around the room.

"What is this building?" Jack asked as he gestured all around them. Tsuru looked confused, but still answered "A guild hall?" She sounded unsure of herself, but it just made Jack smile more.

"And what is a Guild!?" Jack asked once again, but this time it was plain to see he was building up to something. "I don't know..." Tsuru said, unsure as to where Jack was going with this, and judging by everyone else present, they too were unsure.

"An association of people for mutual aid or the pursuit of a common goal! Friends! Family! They are all part of YOUR own personal guild in some way!" Jack shouted happily as looked to each of his crew members.

"We of the Adventurers Association are just the head of soon to be thousands of Guilds!! There will be merchant guilds, crafters guilds, and guilds for people who follow some specific belief, or a group of friends who want to work together and families!!" His words echoed throughout the room, none daring to make a sound, as it wasn't everyday they saw Jack like this.

"So what are you getting at?" Tsuru asked after it was plain to see that Jack was done his speech. His words had struck her deep and made her want to rethink her life, but she still had to know where he was going with it.

"Hahaha I want you to create the second official guild!!" Jack sounded so happy when he said that, but everyone else looked gobsmacked. "What's the first guild?" Luke asked in confusion.

As far as he knew, there were no guilds created yet. "That would be us, obviously! I mean sure we are the Adventurers Association and all other guilds will be branched under us, but that is only gonna be for a few years. Soon we will have people who run the association and we can do whatever it is we want!! I have no intention to spend the rest of my life behind some desk signing papers, keeping everyone in check, that's just stupid. I want to see this world of ours, fight monsters, see mermaids, eat special foods, there is no end to what I want to do here!! I just don't want to see all the suffering of innocent while I do it. I don't like people looking down on me and telling me what to do for their own amusement. So I want to end a few people, then start my fun!!"

He had a big ear to ear smile after his little speech, but it ended after Smoker asked, "So what's our Guild's name?" Everyone was looking at Jack expectantly, but he just shrugged his shoulders as he said, "I haven't figured that part out yet. I was hoping you all had some idea's and we could vote on it."

There was only a short pause after his words before Nami shouted "The Treasure Hunters!!" "No no! The Dragons!" Nojiko shouted soon after. Tashigi also added, "Heavenly Blades!"

The three girls shouted at each other and started saying how their names were better, but Smoker and Luke remained silent while Jack was looking towards Tsuru.

"So what do ya say Tsuru? You can create your own guild, protect people however you see fit, take missions from the Association and or whichever town you are in if you want to, and be able to take part in competitions!"

Tsuru remained silent for awhile before asking, "Am I obligated to do anything? This all seems a bit too good to be true."

Jack still had his smile as he answered, "The guild masters are the only ones that have a duty to the Association. Not everyone can just claim to be a guild and be able to take part in all our benefits. You would be the guild master for whatever guild you make. Your responsibility would be to assign missions accordingly to your guild members. Give them proper ranks, which will be explained later. Attend meetings at the Association head about big changes throughout the world and make sure they obey the natural laws, some of which are,

-Do not harm the innocent

-Do not steal, unless from criminals or corrupt

-Do not rape

-Do not kill unless in self defense of yourself or others or they're bad guys

Other than those, it is up to you to dictate how you want your guild members to act, but these are unspoken rules which every man or woman, no matter which race should be able to follow."

Tsuru was nodding her head at the natural laws, believing full well that these should be laws that everyone should follow. "Can you tell me more about the ranks?" Tsuru asked with a curious look.

Smoker also perked up at that and asked, "Yeah, I completely forgot about the ranks. Last time you told me I was B rank, but now I've gotten stronger so it should have gone up considerably."

Smoker looked excited to see what his new rank would be, and the others also perked up. "Well there are 9 ranks that someone can be at. From weakest to strongest it goes like this,

F rank- Common civilian

E rank- Some one with knowledge of weapons

D rank- Captain level

C rank- Commodore level

B rank- Rear Admiral level

A rank- Vice Admiral Level

S rank- Admiral level

SS rank- Fleet Admiral level

SSS rank- Emperor Level

After explaining the ranks to everyone Smoker asked, "So which rank am I at in your opinion?"

Jack looked as though he was thinking before he said, "I would say you are in between A and S rank, although leaning more towards S rank. No Vice Admiral could beat you aside from Garp, but as for the Admirals, they all have Devil Fruits that are outrageously powerful. In terms of strength you are ahead of them, but with experience and Devil Fruit, I think they might have an advantage."

Smoker looked excited at those words. He was Admiral strength, and was someone people could rely on. "What about me?" Luke asked curiously.

Jack looked to everyone present before he said, "Nami- A rank. Nojiko- A rank. Tashigi- A rank. Luke- S rank. Tsuru- SS rank. Me- SSS rank. These ranks are just my opinion mind you. I have never fought an Emperor so I could be doing them a disservice. As for the Vice Admirals you are all plenty stronger than all of them, but I wouldn't let you fight the Admirals just yet. Garp would have to be in between SS and SSS rank as well. As for my strength, I might be over confident in my abilities, but I am sure that Big Mom stands almost no chance against me so I gave myself SSS rank."

Tsuru looked surprised at the ranks, but she understood how Jack came to these conclusions. "So if I create a guild and abide by the natural laws, Gion will get her bounty removed?" Tsuru asked for clarification.

Jack took on a serious expression as he said, "I will remove the bounty on her head, but if she stays in the marines I will get to her eventually. If by some chance you got her to leave the marines and join your guild, you are all welcome to stay in East Blue, even here in Foosha. I just don't want you to have a Vendetta against me if that we are the ones that kill her."

Everyone looked as though they agreed, everyone but Luke. "And is he going to be alright with this?" Tsuru said as she gestured towards Luke.

Looking around, Luke answered for himself, "*Sigh* I won't do anything to her if she leaves the marines, but not everyone that leaves them is forgiven. She isn't part of my list, but that doesn't mean I have to get along with her. And can we just send her to a different island?"

Everyone but Jack looked confused about something he said, but it was Smoker who asked, "List?"

A cruel smile that promised death formed across Luke's face as he said, "Everyone in the marines that had anything to do with taking slaves. The marines were kind enough to make notes about it to send to their masters, and now that I have that list, they are marked for death."

Smoker and everyone else shivered at Luke's words, but Jack who just brushed it off. "So do we have an accord?" Jack asked as he extended his hand to Tsuru. Taking Jack's hand in hers, Tsuru gave it a firm shake before she let go.

"So any thoughts on a guild name?" Jack asked Tsuru with a big smile on his face. "Oh and do stay until the ceremony in two days. You will be apart of it now." Jack added the last part like it was no big deal, but everyone present had pretty much forgot about Jack saying there would be a ceremony.

"What exactly is this thing about?" Nojiko asked curiously. "Don't worry about it. Just show up, listen to a few words, do some stuff, then enjoy the party." Jack said smiling.

"You're trying to be super cryptic here aren't you?" Tashigi stated with a shake of her head. Jack didn't answer, he let his big grin speak for him.

"I'll be there, but I think we will still leave here for awhile to see the rest of East Blue. As for the guild name, I'll give it some thought." Tsuru said with a smile on her face, which didn't seem to be a forced smile for once.

Jack got to his feet and said, "Alright, that concludes this meeting here. You all can go train, or relax. Tsuru please stay for a few minutes so you can confirm the bounty removal."

After everyone else left the room, Jack pulled out a few of Gion's WANTED posters and told Tsuru to get the poster she had of Gion out of her pocket as well.

"Okay, as soon as you see it disappear then it should be done." A minute after saying that, the posters dissolved into nothing.

"That should be happening to all of her posters all over the world. Many people might think that she died because that's what happens to confirmed kills, but she is just fine." Jack said, letting Tsuru know what was happening.

"I also wanted you to stay here to let you know what to expect at the ceremony. Only members of the Adventurers Association can form a guild, AKA guild masters." Tsuru nodded at Jack's words, but asked, "What about people that don't want to join you, but are good people and want to create a guild to have fun?"

"Don't worry too much about that. The main reason why I'm doing it this way is so we can be sure the Guild Master isn't an incompetent fool who will just get their members killed. Joining us is basically us guaranteeing to clients that we can handle any job." Jack said, which made Tsuru smile.

Too often had good soldiers been killed because commanders were too foolish and only got their postion either because of bribes or their own person strength and not wisdom.

"I want you to join the association, but there will be no requirement other than what we previously discussed. Also only members will get our mark, which I hope you will wear proudly." Jack said as he showed the Wings of Freedom tattooed on his shoulder.

"I will explain anything you might need to know before you set out, and you will have a way to get into contact with me. If you do want to travel, I might recommend Loguetown. Without Smoker there, pirates can still enter the Grand Line. Granted most pirates never get the chance to go to Loguetown lately, but it is still really nice."

Tsuru gave him a happy smile as she stood from her seat. "You are a strange man Jack. Sometime you will have to tell me about yourself, but until then, thank you." Tsuru left the building with her smile still present, while Jack sat back down in his chair.

'I need a drink' Jack thought before he pulled out a bottle of Rum from thin air and started drinking. A moment later Jack heard the door open and Luke walked into the room and took a seat next to him.

Without being asked, Jack pulled a bottle and handed it to Luke. They both drank in silence before Luke asked, "This ceremony is the beginning isn't it?"

Jack had a far away look in his eyes as he answered, "*Sigh* Yeah. They are all extremely strong, they are smart, and they want the same thing we want." Jack paused to take a pull of Rum.

"The ceremony is to welcome them into the Association, then I want to see if they are willing to go to the other Blue's. I'm tired of training, I'm tired of being worried about threats coming to me. The day after the ceremony I want to set out with you five and kill the target."

Luke knew Jack better than anyone else in this world, and he knew Jack was similar to him. (A bit messed in the head) "You've never actually said who the target was..." Luke said, leaving the question open.

"He's Shiki The Golden Lion. His plans are to destroy East Blue, but I thought we would have longer than this. I've been checking up on him and he moved his plans ahead because of us. He will be coming to attack us in about a month, but I intend to meet him in about two weeks in Merveille."

Luke had heard of Shiki and how he was the only person to have ever escaped Impel Down. "How strong is he?" Luke asked curiously. "He is very strong. Though not on Mihawk's level, he is a master swordsman. He is ruthless, but without his Devil Fruit he isn't too much of a threat to me." Jack stated plainly.

"So what's got you so worked up then?" Luke asked, curious as to why Jack was angry. "He killed everyone in Merveille after he experimented on them... He wasn't suppose to do that."

There was silence before Luke said, "We can't save everyone. We do what we can, but there will always be those out there that kill for pleasure. Without darkness there can be no light and vice versa. We just have to kill him and everyone with him, they aren't welcome in this world."

Jack nodded, but it was plain to see that he was miserable. "Come!! I need a sparing partner that will last more than a few minutes!" Luke said as he pulled Jack to his feet.

Luke was a monster with his swords and Haki, making it damn near impossible for anyone but Jack to give him a challenge lately, so he wasn't just trying to distract Jack.

They went outside and got to the training field before Luke drew his sword then rushed Jack. They clashed a few times, jumping all around the sky using Moonwalk, sending air blades from their swords, kicks to the head, but neither would go down.

Jack unleashed a wave of his Conqueror's Haki into Luke, but shocking them both, Luke's Haki clashed with Jack's and sent it outside. There were two waves of red Haki visibly clashing with each other, but Jack's was also releasing waves of raven black Haki.

Neither side stopped what they were doing for sometime, it was only when Luke dropped to one knee that Jack stopped releasing his Haki. "Congratulations, you just became a Conqueror." Jack said as he walked over to Luke.

"T-That was weird.... This was what you said you thought I had?" Luke asked as he was breathing deeply. "Yes, and now your training will be a little different from the others. We will train it for 3 hours a day until you have it under your control while we sail. Just try not to hurt my ship." Jack said as he glanced at their surroundings, which were now in ruins.

After Luke looked around as well, he realized that he really needed to get this under control. "I think we can go back to drinking now." Luke said as Jack pulled him back to his feet.

While they were walking to Makino's bar, Tsuru and a few others came running over towards them. "What happened?!!" Tsuru asked in a panic.

"Training." Was all she got in response from Jack as the two men continued their way to the bar. Tsuru looked around the surrounding area and was quite shocked at what she saw. 'They're insane!' She thought as she watched them continue on their way.

After they got to the bar they both ordered some food and drinks before everyone else made their way to the bar. "Hey guys!!" The voice made Luke stop eating and an annoyed look to form across his face.

"We were so close to being rid of her..." Luke said in a whisper, but was still heard by almost everyone in the room. "Stop being so mean!! So I challenged you a few times and wanted to talk to you, that's no reason to be like this!" Gion shouted angrily to Luke.

"*Sigh* You were only with us for less than a month, and in that time you challenged me 83 times and wouldn't stop talking for 14 hours a day every day. It isn't humanly possible to talk that much, but here you are making history. There are a few things that your mouth would be good for, talking isn't one of them!!"

Jack almost spit his food out when Luke said that, but everyone else just watched on, not wanting to get involved in their bickering. Gion was glaring daggers at Luke, and if the past was any indication, she would challenge him to a duel. "Are you saying that women shouldn't use their mouths to speak?!!" Gion asked through clenched teeth.

"No, I'm saying YOUR mouth shouldn't be used to speak." Luke shot back with a mocking smile on his face. "I challenge you to a duel!!" Gion shouted hatefully to Luke.

After she said that, Nami walked around to Tsuru's crew and started collecting berries from each of them. 'Even in a situation like this she is making money.' Jack thought with an inward smile.

Jack took this opportunity to speak up, "Alright listen up!! You've challenged Luke too many times, so we're gonna make a rule. You can only challenge him once a year from now on. Tomorrow you will fight, and after that you will have to wait another year."

Luke didn't even hesitate to speak up as he said, "And when I win, you have to leave me alone and not talk to me until the next challenge!!" Gion was so caught up in the moment that she shouted, "Deal!" Without even thinking it through.

After thinking for a moment she added, "And if I win, you have to do whatever I say for 3 days!!" Luke didn't care about whatever it was that she was saying as he was too happy.

"Alright ladies and gentleman!! Tomorrow at noon they will have their duel at the training grounds!!" Jack shouted for all to hear.

"Makino, drinks all around on Jack!!" Nami shouted to the bartender, which got resounding cheers from everyone in the bar. Jack was glaring at Nami, but she looked like she didn't care.

He was inwardly planning ways to make her training more miserable, but then Nojiko walked up and handed him a bottle of Rum. "Cheers!" She shouted as she held up a drink of her own. 'Maybe this isn't so bad.' Jack thought as he *clinked* his bottle with Nojiko's. They drank, they danced, there was a bar fight, which Smoker dominated until Luke entered.

"Your paying for the damages too." Makino said to Jack with a cheery smile on her face. The next minute everyone magically ended up outside, not sure how they got there. "Forget splitting treasure evenly!! I'm gonna need to take it all if I don't want to go broke!!" Jack complained as he walked back to the bar. Looking around the place was a mess. "Haha don't be like that Captain. Some things are better... messy." Nojiko said in a cute way. "Fine." Jack said, defeated.

*Crack* Just then Makino had made a whip sound behind them which caused Nami to start laughing. "*Groan* This is all your fault!" Jack said as he glared at Nami. "Stop being a bad influence on Soran and Makino!! They are very impressionable!!" He added as he pointed a finger in her face.

"I'm older than you are!!" Makino shouted to Jack, but he didn't even pay any attention to her. Nami and Nojiko just continued to laugh, which made Jack leave the bar to go and vent some of his frustrations out on the poor fighters. "I think you just doomed them all!" Nojiko said through a fit of laughter.

Tsuru was sitting at the other end of the bar watching everything, and she also couldn't stop herself from laughing. 'Maybe the future isn't gonna be so bad.' She thought as she took a drink of her Sake.