16 Accident

Four weeks have passed since the Red Hair Pirates decided to mentor Luffy. They taught him a lot, Lucky taught him how to cook meat and trained him in his agility while Yasopp taught him how to make gunpowder, shoot a flintlock and navigate.

Benn not only trained him in physical exercises, he also taught Luffy how to manage his own money.

Shanks taught him in swordsmanship, hand to hand combat and how to steer the ship if the helmsman hasn't been recruited yet.

Luffy had to absorb a lot of things during those two weeks, but he wasn't exhausted one bit. In fact, he was eager to learn more.

But Shanks advised his crew to not teach Luffy everything or else there will be no challenge to his journey. Luffy didn't know that but he was satisfied with what they taught him.

[Quickdraw: C(30% completed)]

[Navigation: D+(90% completed)

The process or activity of accurately ascertaining one's position and planning and following a route.]

[Meat Cooking: Lvl Max

No explanation needed.]

[Gun proficiency: C(50% completed)]

[Sword Proficiency: C(26% completed)]

They taught him how to be a navigator, cook, sniper and a helmsman. Luffy didn't want to be that, he wanted to be the captain. But he still didn't half-ass the lessons because it might come in useful later on.

To him, the Red Hair Pirates were like family now. They drink, party and play every chance they get.

Luffy obviously still can't drink alcohol, but Shanks being Shanks, sneaked some cups of sake in their training sessions to let him get a feel of what alcohol tastes like.

Currently, they were in Partys Bar partying. Shanks decided to let Luffy rest for today. Luffy was sad that he won't get to improve his abilities further but if Shanks said that resting was important then he'll listen to him.

Luffy was drinking some juice while Shanks was eating some toast with an unopened sake bottle beside it.

*BAK!!*

"Excuse me!!"

Everyone looked at the newcomers. They looked to see a man leading a group of what seemed to be a gang.

"Hehe... So this is what pirates look like, huh? This is the first time I've seen pirates. They look pretty dumb to me. " The leader muttered. Lucky munched on his meat with a grin on his face while Benn blew out smoke from his cigarette.

Luffy was eating a purple colored fruit while looking at the scene silently. The purple fruit was violet, spherical shaped fruit with a stem sprouting out of the top, with swirls that go in a curly 'S' like-pattern. Its overall appearance greatly resembles a Yubari King.

Luffy then got a clear look at the leader of the gang.

He was a tall, tan-skinned man with black hair, a black goatee, and an X-shaped scar above his right eye. He wore a long red coat over a white shirt, black trousers, and a golden necklace.

Luffy recognized him. He was on a wanted poster that was placed on the community board of Foosha Village.

Luffy remembered that his name was Higuma and was a mountain bandit and the leader of the Higuma Bandits.

Luffy also remembered that he had an 8,000,000 Belly bounty(notably higher than the average East Blue bounty of 3,000,000 Belly) and that he had killed fifty-six people.

'I could probably take him and his whole gang on. ' Luffy thought while finishing the purple fruit he ate. He hid his expression of disgust at the fruit he was eating. It was tasteless and disgusting at the same time.

Higuma stood beside Shanks and placed his hand on the countertop.

"We are bandits. We're not here to cause any trouble. We just wanna buy 10 barrels of sake." Higuma explained. Makino bowed a little.

" I'm so sorry. But we are out of sake." Makino smiled back at Higuma nervously. Higuma scowled.

"Oh? That's strange. Then what are they drinking? Is it water?" He pointed at Shanks' crew behind him.

"It's sake. But that's all we have." Makino replied. Shanks looked at him.

"I'm sorry. Looks like we finished all of the sake here. Sorry about that. Here, if you don't mind, take the last bottle." Shanks handed Higuma the unopened bottle of sake with a smile on his face. Higuma looked at him with the 'are you serious right now?' face.

He punched the bottle with his fist, smashing it into pieces. Makino gasped in shock, Higuma's band of bandits smirked. Shanks' crew and Luffy looked at Higuma with a serious expression.

"Just who do you think I am? Don't take me so lightly, one bottle is not enough!" Higuma shouted. Shanks looked at the floor.

"Oh no, now the floor is all wet." He muttered. Higuma showed Shanks a wanted poster of himself.

"My head is worth eight million Belly, I'm one of the prime fugitives here. And I've killed 56 people before, you cocky bastard. Now that you know who I am, don't mess with us again. After all, mountain bandits and sea pirates don't mingle very well." Higuma looked at Shanks who crouched on the wooden floor and picked up the broken pieces of the sake bottle.

"Sorry about that, Makino. Do you have a mop?" He asked. Makino widened her eyes.

"Ah, it's alright! I'll clean it up! " Makino replied to him. Higuma narrowed his eyes and unsheathed his sword. He swung it.

*Gashyaann!!!!*

The plates on the countertop were shattered by his swipe and fell down onto the ground. Shanks sat onto the ground and leaned into the countertop.

"It seems you really enjoy cleaning, now you can enjoy doing it more." Higuma mocked him. He sheathed back his sword and huffed.

" Hmph! Later, you bunch of chickens." Higuma and his bandit subordinates left the bar.

"What a pathetic town. It doesn't even have sake, let's move on to the next town. " Everyone heard Higuma say after he exited the bar. Luffy got down from his barstool and arrived beside Shanks.

"Shanks, are you okay? Are you hurt?" He asked him. Shanks shook his head.

" No, I'm fine. " Shanks answered. He then smiled.

" Phew!!" He sighed loudly. His crew started laughing loudly.

"Hahahahaha!!!! Our captain looked so silly!!" Lucky clutched his big stomach and laughed loudly.

"He fixed your up good, captain!!" Another one of Shanks' crew shouted while laughing. Shanks took off his straw hat and started laughing with them.

" Dahahahahahahahahaha!!!!" He laughed merrily. Luffy was staring at them with a surprised expression.

Shanks had taught him to be calm in serious situations. He also taught him to make big situations small, and small situations nonexistent. But Luffy didn't expect this kind of reaction from him and his crew. He shrugged and he stretched out his hand to Shanks.

Shanks grabbed it before muttering a thank you to him. Luffy pulled him. But then, his arm stretched out and dropped onto the floor.

Everyone looked on in astonished. Some people's jaws were dropped. Shanks was surprised.

"What!?"

"Huh?!"

Everyone started panicking.

" His arm.... it stretched!! " Shanks muttered while looking at the stretched arm on the ground. His crew started whispering amongst each other.

"No way.... did he...."

Luffy was panicking too. "What's happening!!! Ahhh!!!!" Luffy shouted as he stared at his arm. Lucky rushed towards a wooden box and opened it. He gasped in horror.

"It's gone!!"

"Whaaaat!!!!"

"The Gomu Gomu no Mi we took from the enemy isn't here!!!!" He shouted, some of them fainted. Lucky took out a sketchbook and opened it.

"Luffy, did you eat this?!!" He asked Luffy while pointing at the drawing of the exact fruit Luffy ate a few minutes ago. Luffy nodded.

"Yeah I did, but it was super disgusting." Luffy made a disgusted face expression. Shanks squeezed Luffy's face and looked at him seriously.

"That's the Gomu Gomu no Mi!! It's one of the fruits of the Devil and one of the rarest treasures in the sea! Whoever eats it will turn into a rubber man and will never be able to swim!! " Shanks revealed, shocking Luffy to the core.

" WHAAAAT!!!! YOU'RE KIDDING RIIIIGHT!!!!!!"

" BAAAAKAYAARRROOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! "

To be continued...