Ace's First Battle - Luffy Arrives

In the South Blue, in an unnamed stretch of sea.

Under the night sky, the Mad Axe, a rust-covered, three-masted sailing ship, floated on the sea.

The glow of flames illuminated scenes of cruelty across the deck.

"Hahaha! Bring all the women to me!"

"Aah! Please, spare my daughter!"

"Shut up, old man!"

A burly pirate swung a bloodied battle-axe, grinning viciously as he cornered a woman who was crying and screaming.

Elsewhere, several pirates were throwing their stolen valuables into a pile and trampling them underfoot.

"Captain! That brat's crying is hilarious!"

"Gahaha! Dig his eyes out and see how much they'll fetch!"

Captain Bakedun slowly emerged from the cabin, his body knotted with muscle and a giant axe in hand. He licked his lips and growled in a voice as low as a beast's, "Hurry up and finish the job, all of you! Don't waste time!"

Just then, a warship came cutting through the waves in the distance.

On deck, Roy stood at the bow, his gaze cold and sharp as a blade. Beside him, Ace clenched his fists nervously, a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Ace, are you scared?" Roy asked calmly.

Ace gritted his teeth, his eyes full of defiance. "I'm not scared!"

But his clenched fists trembled slightly, and veins stood out on his temples.

The nauseatingly cruel scenes he had just seen through the telescope had made his young heart truly feel the ugliness and cruelty of real pirates for the first time.

Roy raised a hand and gently patted his shoulder. "Stay close to me."

The next second—

Whoosh!

Roy and Ace vanished in an instant!

Boom!

A thunderous crash erupted on the enemy ship's deck, and a fierce gust sent three pirates who had been laughing arrogantly flying.

"We're under attack!"

Bakedun's pupils contracted. "Who's there?!"

Roy stomped down, splintering the deck, and swept out with a punch. A pirate's chest caved in instantly, spraying blood.

Ace's eyes widened: in that instant, he saw the coldness in Roy's eyes.

"Aaaah!!"

A pirate swung his blade at Ace. Ace snapped back to his senses, grabbed an iron rod, and dodged to the side before smashing it into the man's knee!

Crack!

The pirate howled in pain and fell to his knees. Ace struck him on the back of the head with the rod, knocking him unconscious.

"Nice work," Roy said from behind him.

Ace gritted his teeth. "We can't let these guys hurt people whenever they please anymore!"

Roy smiled faintly. The next second, a huge figure charged out—

"Who dares cause trouble on my ship?!"

"Mad Axe" Bakedun stood nearly three meters tall, a giant axe in his hands. His face was fleshy, his body covered in bloodstains, and killing intent poured off him!

"Hehehe... I didn't expect the Marines to bring a brat along to die!"

Bakedun grinned viciously, a flash of sick excitement in his eyes.

Ace trembled all over, but the fire in his eyes burned even brighter. "Roy! Let's take him on together!"

Roy paused in surprise, then chuckled. "All right, let's try it."

Bakedun roared and swung his giant axe down!

Whoosh!

Roy grabbed Ace's shoulder and vanished in an instant. The axe missed, splitting a whole section of the deck in two!

"Where did they go?!" Bakedun cried in horror.

"Right here."

Roy and Ace appeared behind him. Ace leaped up and smashed his rod into the back of Bakedun's head!

Bang!

Bakedun cried out in pain and roared as he swung his axe back at them. Roy dodged and drove his right foot into Bakedun's stomach!

Boom!

Bakedun staggered back several steps, then snarled, "Is that all you've got?!"

Roy's gaze turned cold. "Ace, work with me."

Ace nodded firmly. "Got it!"

Roy flashed in front of Bakedun, his fist poised to strike!

Bakedun roared and raised his axe to block, but Roy's fist vanished strangely just before it made contact!

"What?!"

The next second, Roy appeared behind him and slammed an elbow into his spine!

"Argh!"

Bakedun cried out in pain and was about to retaliate when Ace charged in from the side and jabbed his rod into Bakedun's asshole!

"Damn brat!!"

Bakedun roared and clenched his buttocks. Just as he was about to swing his axe in retaliation, Roy teleported above him and delivered a heavy kick to his chin, coated in Armament Haki!

Bang!

Bakedun's massive body crashed to the ground, completely unconscious.

Bloodstains covered the deck. Torchlight shone on Ace's face, and his gaze burned with determination. "Roy! We won!"

Roy slowly drew back his fist and nodded calmly. "Good teamwork."

Ace sat on the deck, his hands still trembling slightly and sweat running down his cheeks, but the fire in his eyes burned brighter than ever.

"Roy! Let me come along again next time!"

Roy leaned against the ship's rail and smiled. "When you're a little stronger."

Ace clenched his fists tightly. "I'll definitely get stronger!"

Roy looked at the starry sky in the distance, a meaningful glint flashing in his eyes.

That's the kind of resolve he needs. With steady influence, he'll definitely become someone worth relying on in the future.

After arranging for the warship to escort the civilians safely home and wiping out all the pirates, Roy boarded the warship with Ace for the return journey.

Marineford harbor.

With the sea breeze howling, the warship slowly sailed into Marineford harbor.

They had barely stepped onto the dock when a deafening laugh rang out—

"Hahaha! Roy! I brought you a 'souvenir'!"

Roy paused in surprise and saw Garp striding toward him with a snot-nosed little kid slung over his shoulder.

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Who's that?"

Garp set the brat down on the ground. "Ace, this is your little brother, Luffy!"

The little guy stumbled into a steady stance, sniffled, and stared at Ace with big, watery eyes, tilting his head. "???"

Ace: "???"

The next second, the little guy lunged at Ace as though he had discovered a whole new world. "Pinch your cheeks!"

"Bastard! Let go!" Ace flew into a rage.

Bang! Bang!

Garp rewarded each of them with a Fist of Love. Large bumps appeared on both brats' heads at once, and they crouched down, clutching their heads. "It hurts!!!"

Garp put his hands on his hips and laughed. "Hahaha! He's your little brother! Brothers should love each other!"

Roy held his forehead and sighed. "Old man, can't you be normal for once..."

Roy's residence, Marine Headquarters.

Night fell, and the lights shone brightly.

In the living room, Luffy was jumping all over the place, using the table as a training ground, while Ace chased him around the room with a wooden stick.

"Get back here! You bastard, Luffy!"

"Hahaha! Ace, you're so slow!"

"You little brats, knock it off!"

Roy teleported the two of them into his hands and held them up, one in each hand, dark lines of exasperation appearing on his face. "Old man, you're not treating my place like a nursery, are you?"

Garp squatted on the sofa and laughed. "Can't be helped. I already brought one back, and Sengoku specifically told me not to stuff any more people into Headquarters, so I'm counting on you this time."

He leaned close to Roy with an air of mystery. "Just say he's an orphan you rescued on this mission."

Roy frowned. "Do you take Admiral Sengoku for an idiot? Would he believe that?"

Garp said, "Hahaha! That old man Sengoku has always been softhearted. He might believe it!"

Just then, Luffy suddenly leaped onto Roy's back and hung on. "Big brother, you're so tall!"

Ace was furious. "Idiot! Get down!"

Roy was about to put Luffy down when an idea suddenly flashed through his mind. He turned to Garp. "Old man, do you remember Bellemere?"

Garp stared at him. "That female Marine from the East Blue? The one who adopted two little girls?"

Roy nodded, a faint smile on his lips. "Have her transferred to Headquarters. She's already looking after two, so she wouldn't mind two more, right?"

Garp's eyes widened. "Hey, hey! You're not planning to bring those two little girls over too, are you, brat?!"

Roy spread his hands as though it were only natural. "Since we've already started taking care of them, we might as well have the whole group. The kids would have more company, too~"

Garp was speechless. "You're even bolder than I am!"

After thinking for a moment, Garp put on a serious expression. "Maybe that really could work?"

From then on, Roy's residence became a shelter for "problem children."

"Meat! I want meat!"

"Shut up! That's mine!"

"Steal the meat!"

"Bastard!"

Bang! Bang!

"Be quiet when you're eating!"

Roy gave them each a punch, and the two brothers obediently ate their meal with large bumps on their heads.

On the training ground, "Watch my Iron Fist—ow!" Ace crouched in front of an iron training post, clutching his fist and howling.

"Hahaha! Ace is so weak!" Luffy held his stomach and rolled around laughing.

"Do you have a death wish?!"

Ace pounced on him, and the two rolled into a tangled heap. In the end, Zephyr picked them up, one in each hand. "If you want to fight, run a hundred laps first!"

At night, Luffy hugged Ace. "Ace, let's sleep together!"

Ace frowned in disgust. "Get off! It's too hot!"

Luffy, with tears in his eyes, said, "Waaah... Ace is so mean..."

Ace turned his head away awkwardly. "...Tch, do whatever you want."

At the door, Roy leaned against the frame and watched the two of them settle down, a faint smile quietly appearing on his lips.

Two days later, in Sengoku's office at Marineford.

Sengoku slammed his desk in anger. "Garp!!! Was this your doing again?!"

Garp was picking his nose without a care. "I didn't do a thing. Roy submitted the request."

A vein bulged on Sengoku's temple. "You think I'd believe that? Transferring Bellemere here is one thing, but why did you have to bring two little girls along too?!"

Vice Admiral Tsuru smiled gently. "I think it's nice. It's about time Headquarters had a little warmth."

Zephyr snorted. "It's better than some old bastard stuffing his grandsons into Headquarters every day!"

Garp picked a booger from his nose. "Someone likes raising 'little rice crackers' too~"

"..."

Sengoku held his forehead. "You lot are going to drive me mad sooner or later!"