Pounce D. Luk/History

Birth and Capture by the Love Pirates
Luk was born on Sabaody Archipelago, the final son of famed pirate Pounce D. Leone and his wife, Pounce Eleanor. Whilst his three siblings had been born at most a year or two before their departure, he was born mere hours before they were to be shipped off. Pursued by the Marines, his father had planned to send his children off to "all the corners of the Earth" for reasons only known to him and his closest confidantes. Due to the circumstances of his birth, Leone viewed him as "lucky"; not considering "Luck" to be a proper name, he cut out the "c" and decided it was good as any. And thus Pounce D. Luk officially joined the world.

Due to his age, he was the only one allowed to travel with his biological mother when they set off. Specifically, they were to head towards the West Blue, where they would meet up with a few allies and eventually settle down.

Fate had other plans. Shortly after entering the waters, they were intercepted by the Love Pirates, a rising pirate crew within the world. Intrigued, they quickly set upon the small convoy in an attempt to salvage what they could. Though those allies around Luk and his mother fought as long as they could, they eventually fell and the two were captured. Brought aboard,Eleanor was interrogated by their captain, Edmond Love. Managing to get her identity and that of her son through extensive questioning, he ultimately decided to keep Luk with him for the time being, if only for the pride and prestige of owning the son of one of the world's greatest pirates. As such, the young boy was placed under the pirate's care and made the cabin boy of the crew, effectively enslaved. Eleanor attempted to resist, but was quickly struck down by both Love and his crew.

Luk would spend the next few years of his life under the constant commands and abuse of the Love Pirates. In charge of doing a variety of menial tasks, he was given enough supplies to keep himself alive and healthy, but not much else. Furthermore, he was expected to perform the chores assigned to perfection or face punishment. Judging by later scars, he was whipped more than once (and later claims that he grew adept at avoiding lashes when aimed at him). Above all, however, he was utterly denied any knowledge about himself save for his position and those who were above him. Any questions about his origins and family were quickly shut down and often punished on the spot, to the point that Luk stopped asking altogether. Rather, he would begin keeping a careful eye out when the crew would stop at specific ports, looking for people who resembled him or could otherwise be the family that he had no knowledge of. Eventually, even that was discovered, and the punishment he received was even harder than those previous, being delivered personally by the captain. Cut off from food in addition to a physical beating, the boy was still expected to do things as he had always down. Mentally and spiritually worn-out, Luk gradually gave in and gave up.

Meeting Fleury
It was at this time that, on another raid, the Love Pirates managed to defeat a rival pirate group. While most of the crew was slaughtered, their captain was allowed to come aboard and imprisoned. Along with his regular duties, young Luk was placed in charge of keeping an eye on and taking care of the man. This pirate captain's name was Fleury.

Having sympathy for the lad, Fleury began engaging him in light conversation whenever their paths would intersect. Observing his treatment and the growing antagonism towards piracy in general in the boy, he managed to befriend him. Becoming the only person on the ship who would listen or show sympathy to the lad, he enlightened him as to the different kinds of people and places there were out in the world to see, from the greatest of wonders to the lowest of ghettos. Of specific concern was Luk's view of pirates; Fleury impressed upon him that there were all kinds of different pirates out there, and he shouldn't allow Love's crew to distort his perception of them. When asked what kind of pirate, the young captain went on about what he referred to as being a "true pirate": one who travels the world, searching to accomplish their goals and dreams with themselves as the only authority. In this, he redeemed Luk's views of pirates. The two became close friends, and Luk would often spend long hours outside his cell, learning and talking of various subjects that interested the both of them.

Alas, this was not to last. Fed up with his discussions with their cabin boy and having not acquired the valuable information or monetary compensation he was seeking, Love ordered that Fleury be executed. Terrified, Luk warned him and advised him to escape. The pirate agreed, but was determined to have the cabin boy escape as well. He assured the lad that he had a plan, and encouraged him to continue acting as if nothing was going to occur. Still terrified but trusting his only friend, Luk agreed and followed his instructions to the letter.

The day of the execution came, and Fleury was to be beheaded in front of the whole crew, Luk included at the captain's orders. However, the lone pirate's plan took effect right as he was prepared for murder. Taking advantage of a temporary lapse in security, he managed to escape his bonds and steal a weapon, fighting his way through the crew and towards Luk. In an attempt to dissuade any pursuit, Fleury lit the ship on fire, and the two made their way towards the life boats with utmost speed.

Along the way, however, they were confronted by the captain and his young son, their determination to keep them from escaping matching the escapees' to make their gateaway. With Luk unable to fight, Fleury took the two of them on himself, successfully injuring and knocking the son unconscious before moving on to a one-on-one battle with the crew's captain. In the furious battle that followed, Fleury managed to come out on top, mortally wounding and finishing off the devilish captain. However, he sustained great wounds in the struggle himself, and it was clear that he would not make it off the ship. Despite this, he managed to move Luk to one of the escape boats, pushing him off and setting him to sea.

A horrified and crying Luk still attempted to convince his savior to escape with him, but Fleury was more aware than anyone about the futility of his situation. Instead, he asked the one person he had left to speak to a simple question: did he manage to live as a true pirate to the very end? With the lad nodding in affirmative, Fleury appeared satisfied, and reminded his charge to never forget what he had told him, even if his own beliefs changed. When Luk agreed once more, his savior pushed him away into a swift current, eventually going down with the ruins of the ship.

Set adrift, young Luk would eventually fall asleep in his small boat, passing several days alone before arriving at his original destination by pure luck: ---.