Getting Beaten Means You Don't Have to Pay!

After laughing, Mo Xingchen saw Ace fall into deep thought. Should he tell him about his parentage now? It was not that he intended to hide it from him. He was mainly worried that the child was too young and that learning it might hinder his growth. But if he said nothing, Ace would ask sooner or later, and he would find out eventually.

In the end, Mo Xingchen felt it would be better to tell him himself. He did not know when Ace would ask, nor did he know whether Garp or Dadan would answer him. Given how careless those two were, they probably would not say anything good. Since he was still here for the time being, he could guide Ace properly.

So he spoke up.

"Ace, have you ever asked your grandpa or Dadan about your parents?"

"I asked Dadan. She said she'd tell me when I grew up a little more."

"Then ask whatever you want. Uncle will tell you."

Ace's eyes lit up at once, and he asked expectantly,

"Uncle, do you know where my parents are now? Why don't they ever come see me?"

"They've both passed away. They're dead. They're no longer in this world, so they can't come see you anymore."

Mo Xingchen watched Ace closely, observing his emotional changes. At the slightest sign that something was wrong, he was ready to give him some physical sleep aid! Fortunately, Ace only looked slightly downcast. It was impossible to tell whether he was sad or hurt, and then he asked,

"Then do you know what kind of people they were?"

"As a mother, your mom was an exceptionally great person. But she also caused you to bear a blood debt from the moment you were born. To his brothers and subordinates, your father was a hero and a real man. To other people, that might not have been the case. Especially as a husband and a father, he was clearly unqualified."

"I don't really understand."

"Ace, people are complicated and multifaceted. You can't simply divide them into good people and bad people, much less believe only what others say. You need your own judgment. You may not understand these things now, but you must remember what Uncle says. When you're a little older, perhaps you'll understand."

Watching Ace tilt his head and try to make sense of those words, Mo Xingchen smiled and gave him a sharp flick on the forehead, physically interrupting his train of thought.

"Don't think so much right now! You're just a little brat. Eat your meat!"

"Okay."

Children's emotions came quickly and went quickly. Ace covered his head with one hand while stuffing grilled meat into his mouth with the other, looking aggrieved. Luffy hugged a chunk of meat larger than his head with both tiny hands and gnawed on it earnestly, completely unconcerned with what had happened.

At that moment, Mo Xingchen vaguely heard someone speaking in a tearful voice. It was quite loud. He looked around and saw Dadan, her face flushed red, holding a wine bottle in one hand and dragging Old Village Chief Slab from Windmill Village with the other. With tears and snot streaming down her face, she was complaining bitterly about something. Mo Xingchen pricked up his ears and listened carefully.

"Village Chief Slab, my life is so hard! I'm a young maiden, trying to scrape out a living in the mountains with a bunch of useless bums. It's already hard enough, yet I still get beaten up. Fine, whatever, but especially that Garp! I'm a maiden as chaste as a saint—I've never even been in love—and he made me raise his children! What will people think of me in the future? Waaaah~~"

Mo Xingchen looked at Dadan's mountain-like build and thought, She really is a maiden as saintly as they come. The men of the Monkey family are all bastards. I just wonder whether she has an older brother who can help her get even.

The banquet lasted until the next morning. Those weak drinkers who had gotten drunk first the night before gradually woke up and conscientiously began cleaning up the area.

Mo Xingchen called Ace and Luffy over and took them into town for a stroll, planning to pick out some children's books from the bookstore. With his hands in his pockets, Mo Xingchen walked in front while Ace and Luffy trailed behind him, one big hand and one little hand each holding an ice cream.

Licking his ice cream, Ace asked curiously,

"Uncle, why did you give those people paper just now?"

"That's called Beli. You have to pay when you take someone else's things."

"If I don't have any money, what should I do if I want ice cream again later?"

Mo Xingchen smiled, turned around, and crouched down. He pulled out several Beli notes and slipped them into Ace's pocket.

"Here, Uncle's giving these to you. Now you can buy things."

"You're giving them to me? Why?"

Ace became a walking encyclopedia of why, and Mo Xingchen could not be bothered to explain. He curled two fingers and flicked Ace's smooth forehead.

"Ah!!!"

Ace cried out in pain and looked at Mo Xingchen in confusion, unable to understand why Uncle had suddenly hit him.

"If you hit someone, you have to pay compensation. These Beli are compensation for me hitting you. Do you understand now?"

Ace's eyes lit up, as if he had forgotten the pain entirely.

"Then does that mean that if I don't have money when I eat something later, I can just let the owner beat me up once?!"

Although Luffy did not understand what the two of them were doing, he saw Mo Xingchen give Ace something while he got nothing, so he began making a fuss.

"I want some too! I want some too!"

Mo Xingchen had not even had time to correct Ace when he could only helplessly flick Luffy on the forehead as well, then stuff some Beli into his hand. Seeing the two little geniuses grinning foolishly at the Beli, he could only sigh speechlessly. Sure enough, education had to start from childhood!

By the time Mo Xingchen brought the two little ones back to the harbor, the banquet grounds had already been cleaned. The soldiers were training on the beach, while Dadan and her group were nowhere to be seen. They had probably returned to the mountains. Sitting cross-legged atop a large rock and eating donuts, Garp saw them and shouted,

"Yohohoho! Ace, Luffy, come here and let Grandpa hug you!"

Ace curled his lips but still walked toward Garp. Luffy was now Ace's little tagalong, following whatever Ace did.

Mo Xingchen shoved all the beginner books and children's daily necessities he had bought into Bogard's arms. Then he rolled his wrists, pointed at a group of soldiers running with weights, and said,

"Ace, Luffy, see those people? Go run with them now."

"Why?"

Ace blinked his big eyes, still unpolluted by knowledge, and tilted his head at Mo Xingchen.

Mo Xingchen drew Chun Jun and swung it casually. A pale golden crescent of Sword Qi streaked through the air, and a huge boulder by the shore split in two with a BOOM. He turned the sword point toward Ace, revealing a dangerous expression.

"If you don't run, the next strike will cut you down!"

Ace grabbed Luffy and sprang out of Garp's arms in an instant, hurrying after the soldiers.

Garp merely grinned foolishly from the side, not forgetting to promote his own parenting methods.

"Yohohoho! Kid Mo, this is nowhere near intense enough. If it were up to me, I'd throw them into Mt. Colubo and make them fight jungle beasts. Back when Dragon was young, I..."

The more Bogard listened, the more cold sweat appeared on his face. Those two children were Vice Admiral Garp's grandsons, right? Was Vice Admiral Garp sure he was not trying to kill them?