Rouge stood at the doorway, watching the three figures disappear into the depths of the forest.
She did not chase after them.
Her fingers gently tightened around the hem of her clothes, then slowly loosened.
Little by little, she forced down the reluctance in her heart.
Ace had to go out into the world eventually.
That bloodline and spirit would never allow him to hide away in the village for the rest of his life.
She murmured softly, as if speaking to herself.
"Under Rock..."
"At least he's much safer than he would be with Garp."
Even she could not help but smile bitterly after saying that.
Life in the forest began to settle into a routine.
Under Rock's guidance, Ace and Luffy were pushed to their limits almost every day.
In the morning mist, before it had fully dispersed.
"Bang!"
Fists slammed into the fur of wild beasts, low growls mixing with ragged breaths.
At noon, beneath the scorching sun.
"Whoosh—!"
Luffy's arm shot out, smashing fiercely into a tree trunk before springing back.
He was no longer the child who could only fling his arms around wildly. Slowly, he began to learn how to borrow momentum.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!"
His attacks grew faster and faster, their trajectories more and more unpredictable.
Though he still occasionally launched himself flying because he could not control it properly, he was improving.
Ace had stopped using wooden sticks. His fists were his weapons now.
Every strike carried a sense of pressure that made even savage beasts instinctively retreat.
Rock stood in the distance, watching, only speaking up occasionally.
"Too slow."
"You hesitated."
"Again."
Dadan sat outside the cabin.
She smoked as she watched them, muttering curses under her breath.
"Two crazy brats..."
"They'll get themselves beaten to death sooner or later..."
But her