First Meeting!

"Tch, what a bunch of broke losers. Between the three of them, they had barely over a thousand Beli," Ace said, exasperated.

"And every coin had a chipped edge. Who knows if anyone would even take them?"

"They will. I know a bank that accepts money like this, though they'll deduct a portion," Sabo said.

"That's a rip-off."

"Yeah, it is. They're all like vampires."

Sabo spread his hands and cursed irritably. "Those people are a bunch of shit."

The two boys took the money they'd looted and left, heading toward the forest outside.

"By the way, Sabo, how do you know so much? Did you used to live in the city?"

"Ace, didn't we agree not to ask about each other's past?"

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"It's fine. I forgive you."

"Hehehe." "Heeheehee!"

Mercer watched them go, then emerged from behind Trash Mountain. Karasu flew down as well.

"Follow them from the sky. I'll come find you in a bit."

"Caw~ Mercer, be careful."

Karasu carried the packet of soil-bee honey into the sky.

Mercer went over to the three unconscious men and looked down at them expressionlessly.

A moment later.

Mercer left. They were still alive. Since those two boys hadn't killed them, Mercer wasn't going to take matters into his own hands.

Still, they'd never have the means to commit crimes again.

Maybe that made him a hypocrite, but that was just how Mercer was. He was doing this to make sure they didn't hold a grudge and try to get revenge in secret later.

Mercer never overestimated human nature.

There were saints in this world, but most people were just ordinary people.

Mercer made his way toward the coast. He emerged near the coast at Uncertain Terminus and looked out over the endless blue sea.

The water was calm.

The area was empty now. There was a simple dock, but no ships were moored there.

"No pirates?"

"Then never mind."

Since there was no one he wanted to find, Mercer had no intention of staying here to breathe in the filthy air.

It was unbearable.

The stench of all kinds of household goods burning mixed with strange, indescribable odors. It was enough to kill a man.

Before long, Mercer reached the edge of the forest again.

He stepped forward.

And entered the forest once more.

He took a few deep breaths, let qi flow through his whole body, and traded the foul air for the fresh forest breeze. His body and mind immediately felt refreshed.

Much better!

With Observation Haki, he sensed Karasu's direction and the two boys' positions as well.

Mercer didn't linger. He set off through the forest.

He passed one towering tree after another, each at least five or six meters in diameter.

Rustle, rustle!

Pushing aside the bushes in his way, Mercer emerged and looked straight up at Karasu flying overhead. He also spotted two tiny figures on a thick branch of a giant tree about a hundred meters tall, ten meters away.

They were at least twenty meters up.

The two of them were crouched there, wiggling their butts. Mercer couldn't be bothered to use Observation Haki to see through anything.

He cheerfully strode over to the tree. In a state of Unity of Heaven and Man, he subtly disguised his presence, then dug his fingers into the rough bark and quickly climbed up.

A dozen seconds later.

Mercer sat on a higher branch and looked down at a storage space made by hollowing out the trunk.

It held a sparse collection of jewelry, coins, and gold and silver items.

"Ace, we're one step closer to our goal."

"Our goal? You still want to go out to sea? What for? To become a pirate? A Marine? Something else?" Sabo looked at Ace, puzzled.

"In this day and age, pirates are the freest people around, so unless something unexpected happens, I'll become a pirate. What about you?"

"I don't know. I haven't decided yet. Mercer hasn't said anything either. I'll ask him later and see what he wants to do.

"But pirates?

"I kind of don't want to be one. It sounds pretty lame. Once you fly a pirate flag, it feels like you're just asking for trouble."

As he said this, Ace thought of Garp and his fists. He had a feeling that if he said he wanted to become a pirate in front of him, he'd get beaten to a pulp.

A flicker of fear crossed his eyes. That old geezer was a monster.

"Mercer? I've heard you mention that name so many times. Can you tell me about him? Of course, I'm not trying to pry. I'm just curious. It's up to you whether you tell me or not. I'm not trying to pressure you."

"Pfft!"

Suddenly, a laugh rang out above them. Both boys jumped in fright, nearly leaping out of their skins.

They looked up and froze. Sabo stared at the figure in shock; he hadn't sensed him at all.

Ace first went blank, then excited, then his face quickly darkened, before turning pale and purple in rapid succession.

Sabo watched Mercer nervously and warily, but Ace stood up, bared his teeth, pointed at Mercer, and roared:

"Are you crazy? Trying to scare me to death? Mercer, are you asking for a beating? Get down here! Let's see if I can beat you until you're on your knees calling me big brother!"

Sabo stared at the incoherent Ace, stunned. Only one name stayed with him. He looked up at the person on the branch and murmured:

"Mercer?"

Mercer laughed cheerfully and waved at Ace first. "Well, well, my foolish little brother. Long time no see!"

Ignoring Ace's dark expression, he turned to Sabo. "Hey, I'm Mercer. You must be Sabo, Ace's good friend."

Mercer jumped down from the branch and landed steadily in front of them, grinning.

Sabo looked at him curiously. "How did you know my name? We haven't met before, have we?"

Mercer suddenly leaped backward, dodging a punch full of anger, then pressed down Ace's leg as he kicked up.

Mercer looked at him helplessly and sighed. "Is this how you greet me after all this time?

"I don't remember teaching you to do that."

Ace grew furious. He glared at the leg Mercer had grabbed and said through a dark expression, "Let go."

Mercer smiled, grabbed his leg, and gave it a hard swing. Ace's whole body flew through the air, most of him dangling out over the branch.

A cry of surprise burst from his mouth.

Mercer shifted to the side and let his left arm hang over the trunk. Ace was left dangling upside down in the air.

Ace kicked his legs wildly and shouted in frustration, "Pull me up! Hurry up!"

With Ace's racket in his ears, Mercer sat down on the branch and swung his left arm back and forth, never giving him a chance to climb up.

He just kept playing with him.

Looking at Sabo, Mercer smiled and nodded, then sized him up. Sabo looked completely bewildered.

"Didn't Ace just say your name?"

"I'm not deaf. I heard him. But you two have some nerve, stealing food from the desperate men in Trash Mountain."

As soon as he said it, Mercer felt the resistance in his left hand ease. He turned his head and caught Ace looking guilty.

"Was it you? Were you the one who saved me just now, Mercer?" Ace asked, pressing his lips together.

Sabo also stared at Mercer in surprise.

"Yeah, it was me," Mercer said readily. Then he added, "Ace, why didn't you swing the axe? Or dodge?"

Mercer looked down at Ace, who had fallen silent, and smiled. "I won't lecture you, but remember this: you're my only little brother. If you died, I'd be in a lot of trouble."

With that, Mercer pulled up with his left hand and hauled Ace onto the branch.

Ace sat up and looked at Mercer in silence. Then he said, "Sorry. I won't do it again."

Mercer waved him off and looked at Sabo instead. "I'm not the one you should apologize to. It's Sabo. He's your partner."

Sabo hurriedly waved his hands, embarrassed. "You don't have to. Ace already apologized to me. Oh, right, here."

As he spoke, Sabo pulled the Surgical Knife out of the tree trunk and held it out to Mercer.

A thoughtful look flashed through Mercer's eyes. He accepted it, then took a sheath from the pouch at his waist and fitted the blade snugly inside.

He handed it to Sabo. "We've just met, and I don't have a proper gift for you. This little knife is my finest work. If you don't mind, take it."

Sabo's eyes lit up, but he hesitated. He couldn't help asking, "This must be really valuable, right? The craftsmanship is better than any weapon I've ever seen."

Mercer smiled and shook his head. "You're a friend Ace trusts. If you don't mind, I'm your friend too. This is just a gift between friends. Don't be shy. If I'm giving it to you, take it."

Seeing Sabo still hesitate, Ace pursed his lips. "If Mercer's giving it to you, take it. He wouldn't give it to you if he didn't consider you a friend."

At Ace's words, Sabo grinned and accepted it, beaming with delight.

"Thanks, Mercer. I really like it."

He happily drew the Surgical Knife from its sheath, then slid it back in. He turned it over in his hands, tucked it in his pocket, then hid it in his sleeve.

He couldn't stop smiling.

Ace watched, feeling a little jealous and envious. He glanced at Mercer's pouch, blinked, and pretended not to care as he said:

"Looks like you've got more of those. Where'd you buy them? I've got money now. Could you get one for me too?"

Mercer smiled.

"Call me big brother."

Ace widened his eyes, then decided he had nothing to lose. He grinned and said at once, "Big brother, I want a knife."

Mercer rolled his eyes. He felt like he'd come off worse, but then figured it didn't matter. He could make them himself, after all. He could just forge a few more later.

He rummaged through the pouch with his right hand and picked one of the four remaining Surgical Knives at random for Ace.

Ace took it, pulled the blade from its sheath, and gazed at it with delight. He was even more taken with the fine grain running through the handle and blade as one seamless piece.

Looking at Ace, Mercer said, "Grandfather's here too. He said he'd teach us how to train this time, so you'd better prepare yourself."

Ace's face visibly darkened, and he swallowed.

"Seriously?"

Mercer shrugged.

At that, Sabo asked, "Grandfather? You mean your grandfather?"

Mercer looked at him and suddenly smiled. "By the way, Sabo, want to train with us?"

Sabo hesitated. He was curious and really did want to go, but he said, "I'd better not. I don't know your grandfather, after all. I don't want to intrude."

"All right, then come with us. Good friends share the hard times," Mercer said with a smile.

Ace grinned mischievously too and chimed in, "That's right, Sabo. Let's go together. Aren't we good friends?"

That made Sabo even more curious. He was also interested in the third person Ace often mentioned.

He'd met Mercer and become friends with him.

All that was left was the mysterious grandfather and their adoptive mother.

A thrill of curiosity welled up inside him.

"Caw!"

Karasu dropped from the sky and landed on a branch beside Mercer. He glanced curiously at the glittering treasure inside the hollowed-out trunk, then croaked:

"Mercer, Grandfather, here."

Ace and Sabo stared at Karasu, their eyes wide. They exclaimed in unison, "The crow can talk!!"

Mercer tilted his head and sent out his Observation Haki. He sensed Garp's presence in the distance.

He was a little surprised, but not really. He looked at Ace and Sabo, then at the treasure in the hollowed-out trunk.

"Come on. Grandfather's here to see you. Let's go."

Ace and Sabo promptly forgot all about whether the crow could talk and hurried to cover their tracks.

They carefully fitted a piece of the trunk back into the hollow.

Ace said, "Quick, let's get down and away from here. Nobody can find our secret treasure."

Sabo hurriedly nodded.

Then they both looked at Mercer and said together, "Come on, let's get down."

They both unconsciously ignored the fact that Mercer had only just learned about their treasure too.

Mercer smiled and didn't mind. He climbed down the tree quickly with them.

Then, guided by Mercer, they ran toward Garp.

A few minutes later, Karasu flew overhead while the three boys ran below.

Suddenly, they stopped. A tremendously muscular middle-aged man stood in front of them, wearing a colorful Hawaiian shirt, beach shorts, and sandals.

The two brothers aside, Sabo stared at Garp in amazement and couldn't hold back a comment:

"He's huge. Is this your grandfather?"

Garp had arrived at Dadan's Home that morning intending to immediately beat his grandsons—no, teach them how to train.

But when he heard that Ace had run off early that morning, he was displeased. Then he heard that Mercer had only arrived that morning and had disappeared too, which put him in an even worse mood.

Now he looked at the extra little boy in front of him. Garp could tell at a glance that the boy's physical fitness was only a little worse than Ace's. A hint of interest flashed in his eyes.

"Kid, what's your name?"

His voice wasn't loud and sounded quite gentle, but Sabo still felt a little nervous. He immediately stood straight and bowed.

"Hello, my name is Sabo. I'm a little over five and a half years old, and I'm friends with Ace and Mercer. You're their grandfather, right?"

The interest in Garp's eyes deepened. This kid had a good sense for danger. He cleared his throat. "That's right. I'm their grandfather. Looks like you're ready too, huh?"

Sabo looked confused. "Huh?"

Mercer glanced at Garp with an odd expression. That aura he'd just let off had been remarkably powerful.

"Grandfather, where are we going to train?"

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