Ace

Mount Colubo, early morning.

"Ace—!!!"

Garp's roar boomed like a cannon blast, sending birds throughout the forest flying into the air, squawking wildly.

Ace, who had still been asleep, jolted awake and sprang upright. His black hair was a mess, and his eyes weren't even open yet. "You damn old man?! Again?!"

Bang!

Garp kicked the wooden door open, his laughter ringing out into the sky. "Hahaha! Time to get up and train! Starting today, it's my 'special training of love'!"

Ace's face instantly turned green. He clutched his blanket and refused to let go. "I don't want your 'love'! That's murder!"

"Cut the nonsense!"

Garp reached out with one big hand, grabbed Ace by the back of his collar, and lifted him like a kitten. "Today, I'll start by teaching you the Fist of Love!"

"Help!!!"

Ace kicked his legs wildly in the air, tears nearly spilling from his eyes. "You bastard old man! Put me down!"

Bang!

Garp smashed a fist into his head, raising a huge bump in an instant. "This is education through love!"

Ace clutched his head. "That hurts like hell! I'm reporting you for child abuse!"

Roy stood nearby and helplessly pressed a hand to his forehead. "You abuse your grandson like this every day, and you left him with a bunch of mountain bandits to raise him. Of course he'll become a pirate when he grows up..."

In a clearing on Rear Mountain, Ace lay sprawled on the ground, bruised and battered, panting for breath, with a Garp-brand bump on his head.

Garp stood with his hands on his hips and roared with laughter. "Hahaha! You're down after only fifty laps? Back in my day, I ran a hundred laps with a cannon on my back!"

Ace lifted his head and grumbled through gritted teeth, "Who... who wants to compete with you...? You freak of an old man..."

Roy walked over and handed him a bottle of water. "Have some water. Don't get dehydrated."

Ace gulped down a couple of mouthfuls, then glared at Garp like a wolf cub. "You damn old man, I want a different teacher! I want to learn from Big Brother Roy!"

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Me?"

Ace nodded like a chick pecking at grain. "Yeah! You're way gentler than this old man!"

Garp was so angry his mustache bristled. "You little brat! What kind of nonsense is that?!"

Ace answered without a trace of doubt. "At worst, Big Brother Roy's training wears me out. Yours will kill me! I can tell the difference!"

Garp: "..."

Roy couldn't help laughing. "Sure, I'll train with you, then."

Ace's eyes lit up instantly, and he jumped to his feet with a whoop. "All right! Teach me that move! The one where you make rocks suddenly fly up and smash down!"

Roy didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "That's a Devil Fruit ability. You can't learn it."

Ace's face fell on the spot. "Tch... Boring."

Roy thought for a moment and smiled. "But I can teach you some basic Marine Martial Arts."

Ace's eyes sparkled again. "Martial Arts? Yes, yes!"

Garp stood to one side, green with envy. "Hmph! You little brat, you've found someone new and forgotten all about the old man. You're driving me mad!"

Ace stuck out his tongue defiantly. "Nyeh, nyeh, nyeh!"

Garp bristled and glared. "You little bastard!"

For the next two days, Rear Mountain on Mount Colubo became a makeshift training ground.

And there—

"Aaaah—!"

Ace swung a wooden stick in a flurry of wild slashes, only for Roy to catch it effortlessly between two fingers. "Your form's wrong. Keep your wrist firm and your center of gravity steady."

"Damn it!" Ace's face flushed red with anger as he took his stance again.

Meanwhile, Garp held up a bag of Senbei like a cheer stick, munching as he shouted, "You little brat! Aim better!"

Roy taught Ace the basics of Marine Martial Arts, his movements crisp and efficient, his patience seemingly endless.

"Hey! I didn't tell you to swing it so weakly! Put some spirit into it!"

Furious, Ace swung the stick straight at Roy's head. "You're the weak one! I'm a super-strong man!"

Roy tilted his head and snapped the stick in two between his fingers. "Stop messing around. Keep practicing."

Ace: "..."

Garp doubled over with laughter. "Hahaha! These two brats were born to get along!"

Roy said, "Ace, try to catch me."

Ace put both hands on his hips, his face full of disdain. "Huh? You can use Teleportation!"

Roy smiled faintly and said softly, "Don't worry. I won't use Teleportation. I'll just use my normal speed."

Ace raised an eyebrow. "That's more like it! Watch me!"

Five minutes later—

"Huff... huff... You... you call that 'normal speed'?!"

Ace lay flat on his back in the grass, sweat streaming down him like a brook, his chest heaving like an exhausted husky.

Roy rested one hand on his hip, his expression calm. "Yeah."

Garp sat on a nearby stump, roaring with laughter as he munched on Senbei. "Hahaha! You little brat, see the difference now? Even I can't keep up with this guy's 'normal speed'!"

Ace's eyes went wide. "Wh-what?!"

After a short rest, Roy casually picked up a boulder taller than himself and easily raised it with one hand. "Here, give it a try."

Ace's eyes widened, and his mouth fell open wide enough to fit a watermelon. "Th-that's way too big! Are you trying to squash me?"

Roy said calmly, "Mr. Garp's iron ball is a hundred times heavier than this."

Garp chimed in proudly, "That's right! My iron ball was specially made!"

Ace: "..." (teary-eyed)

He clenched his teeth, wrapped both arms around the boulder, and strained with all his might, his entire face turning bright red. The boulder didn't budge.

Seeing this, Roy silently swapped the boulder for "Mini No. 3," which was only about the size of a barrel. "Let's start with something easier."

Ace's pride shattered into pieces...

Two days later, Mount Colubo, at dusk.

The last rays of the setting sun fell across the grass on Rear Mountain, stretching the three men's shadows long.

Having finished his training for the day, Ace lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath, his worn-out vest soaked with sweat.

He took the apple Roy handed him, bit into it hard, and asked indistinctly, "Big Brother Roy, are you leaving tomorrow?"

Roy nodded. "Yeah, we're going back to headquarters."

Ace was silent for a while before suddenly looking up, a stubborn light flickering in his amber eyes. "One day, I'll definitely be stronger than you!"

Roy smiled faintly and reached out to ruffle his messy black hair. "Then you'll have to work hard."

Ace clenched his fists and shouted defiantly, "Of course! I won't lose to you!"

Garp walked over and cheerfully slapped Ace on the head, making the bump that had just healed swell up again. "You little brat, behave yourself with Dadan and the others. Don't cause any more trouble!"

Ace grimaced in pain but still pouted stubbornly. "I know, I know!"

Garp laughed heartily, but there was a barely perceptible heaviness in his laughter.

Roy stood up and looked past Mount Colubo toward the distant sea.

The sea breeze brushed his face, carrying a cool, salty scent.

He was silent for a moment before finally speaking. "Old man, let's talk."

Garp paused, then nodded. "All right."

The two walked a little farther away, making sure Ace couldn't hear their conversation.

Roy looked Garp in the eye, his tone calm but firm. "Leaving him here for mountain bandits to raise isn't a solution in the long run."

Garp's smile gradually faded, but he said nothing.

Roy continued, "I asked around these past few days. Dadan basically only gives him a bowl of rice and a cup of water each day. He has to take care of everything else himself."

He glanced back at Ace, who was clutching his apple and munching on it, and lowered his voice. "Growing up in an environment like this, I'm afraid he'll go out to sea and become a pirate someday."

Garp remained silent, the wrinkles on his face seeming to deepen.

His fists tightened slightly, then relaxed, as though there were something he found difficult to say.

Roy looked at Garp and said firmly, "If you don't want him to take the wrong path, I suggest bringing him back to the Marines."

At that, Garp's expression suddenly darkened, as though he had made some kind of decision.

He took a deep breath and fixed Roy with a piercing stare, his voice low and hoarse. "What if... he's the Pirate King's son?"

After saying it, he watched Roy's face closely, as though waiting for the shock or fear he expected.

Roy, however, merely replied in a quiet voice, "Oh."

Garp's eyes flew wide in disbelief. "Wait... that's all you've got to say?"

Roy remained calm, his gaze deep and resolute. "The child is innocent. He can still be saved now, but if he actually becomes a pirate, it'll be too late."

Those words struck Garp's heart like a bolt of lightning.

He stood frozen, his pupils trembling slightly, as though shaken by an enormous shock.

Roy continued, "His birth isn't his fault. It's beyond his control. But if we let him walk into darkness because of it, that will be our fault!"

Garp closed his eyes, breathing heavily, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked, as though he were struggling fiercely within himself.

After a long while, he finally opened his eyes, his voice low and hoarse. "Roy... do you know what this means?"

Roy nodded. "I do."

Garp stared hard at him. "Once his identity is exposed, the Marines, the World Government, and even the whole sea will see him as an enemy!"

Roy said calmly, "That's all the more reason to make sure he stands on the side of justice."

"Besides, you've already raised him this far. Even if you had to stand against the whole world, would you be afraid?"

Garp was silent for a long time. Finally, he let out a long breath, as though he had laid down a heavy burden.

He looked up at the sky and murmured, "...Maybe you're right."

He turned to look at Ace, a new resolve in his eyes, and shouted, "You little brat, pack your things!"

Ace froze and looked up in confusion. "Huh? Where are we going?"

Garp grinned, a bold smile returning to his face after a long absence. "You're coming back to the Marines with me!"

Ace's eyes widened, and the apple in his hand dropped to the ground with a thud.

"...Huh?!!"

The corners of Roy's mouth lifted slightly as he turned his gaze toward the distant sea once more.

"Maybe we really can change something..."