At the Start of My Journey in One Piece, I Watched Roger's Execution

Atlas jolted. A red glint flashed in her eyes as she activated Observation Haki!

Bang!

"Ow! That hurts!"

Even with Observation Haki, Atlas had failed to dodge Garp's fist. What puzzled her was that he had not used Armament Haki, yet she still felt a pain that seemed to go right through her.

"Hahahaha! That fist was filled with my love!"

Garp knew she would be confused, so he explained.

Before Atlas could make sense of that, Garp's fist came at her again.

"Ow!"

"Not the face, Vice Admiral Garp!"

"Ah!"

"Easy, easy!"

"Aaah—"

"Just you wait, old man Garp!"

In the infirmary...

Atlas sat in a chair with bumps all over her head while a medic carefully applied ointment and bandaged her up.

"If you want to laugh, go ahead. You don't have to hold it in."

Atlas turned to Bogard, who stood behind her struggling not to laugh.

"I'm not... Hahaha... I wasn't going to laugh... Hahaha!"

Atlas could only sigh.

The sun rose slowly over the horizon. Dark shapes occasionally passed beneath the calm sea. Aboard the huge Dog-Head Warship, Atlas had just finished her morning training and was enjoying breakfast.

"Hey, kid. You've recovered already?"

Garp was a little surprised. He had not used Armament Haki yesterday, but he had put his will into his punches. There would be no internal injuries, though bruises were unavoidable. He had not expected her to recover completely overnight.

Atlas did not explain. She suspected Garp had simply been bored and wanted an excuse to beat her up. Still, after yesterday's thrashing, she could feel that her physique had improved ever so slightly. She was also curious about the "Fist of Love" he had mentioned.

"Come on, let's continue yesterday's training. I'm counting on you, Vice Admiral Garp!"

Atlas spoke loudly, her face resolute as though she were a prisoner being led to the execution ground.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang, bang, bang!

Another plain, tedious day of getting beaten up.

...Three days later...

"Old man Garp, where... mmm... where are we going?"

Atlas asked while stuffing her mouth with Donuts. Why Donuts instead of Senbei? According to Garp, you ate the good stuff first. He'd already finished the Senbei, then challenged Atlas to a Donut-eating contest. Bent on "revenge," she had decided to eat every last one of the old man's Donuts.

"Mmm... I'm going home to Foosha Village on leave! And I'll see my grandson while I'm there!"

Garp answered casually.

"Huh!? You have a grandson, Vice Admiral Garp?"

Atlas was surprised. Luffy should not have been born yet, so which grandson could Garp mean?

"Oh! He's a grandson I adopted."

It must be Ace, then. If Atlas remembered the story right, Ace was born that year. He could only be a few months old. Garp certainly had nerve, leaving a baby that young with mountain bandits!

"Whoa! A thousand! I win! Hahahaha!"

Garp suddenly shouted. Then... he started snoring.

Atlas was speechless. They had gone two days and nights without sleep, but did he really have to fall asleep that fast? No wonder Morgan managed to slash him later.

Atlas stood, stretched, and loosened up on the spot. Then she turned to Bogard and said apologetically:

"Mr. Bogard, could I trouble you to spar with me? I want to see how far I am from a real powerhouse."

"Of course. Let's move farther away so we don't disturb Vice Admiral Garp."

Bogard readily agreed. He thought highly of Atlas as a young marine.

They drew their swords, and Atlas's gaze grew serious. She knew she was no match for Bogard. Of the Three Types of Haki, she only knew Observation Haki. Her swordsmanship had yet to reach the Iron-Cutting Realm, and she hadn't learned the Six Powers. But anyone who wanted to become truly strong needed the courage to face an opponent stronger than herself!

One Sword Style: Iris!

Atlas attacked first, hoping to seize the initiative. Bogard casually blocked her technique with a single swing and said with ease, "Good move. Your fundamentals are solid, but you need more power."

A faint smile touched his lips as the muscles in his legs suddenly swelled.

Shave!

Bogard vanished from Atlas's sight. She hurriedly gripped her sword with both hands. A red glint flashed in her eyes. Observation Haki! There!

Clang!

With Observation Haki pushed to its limit, Atlas barely tracked Bogard's movement and met his blade with hers. But even holding her sword in both hands, she was utterly outmatched in strength. She flew backward and only stopped when she struck the ship's railing.

"Whew..."

The gap was enormous! Atlas had lost after only a few exchanges. But she was not discouraged. If anything, she was more determined to grow stronger.

"Huh...? What happened?"

The impact against the railing seemed to have been loud enough to wake Garp from his snoring. He opened his eyes to find Atlas sitting on the deck in a sorry state...

Foosha Village at Last

After several days at sea, they finally reached Foosha Village, Garp's hometown.

Ever since sparring with Bogard, Atlas had understood much more clearly what a real powerhouse was. She trained harder every day and no longer screamed during her daily bouts with Garp. Garp found that a little disappointing...

"Hey, Atlas, kid. Want to go ashore and look around? Hahahaha."

Garp spoke to Atlas, who had been trying to think of an excuse to slip off the ship.

"Huh? Yes, of course!"

Atlas nodded at once. It was just what she had been hoping for. Since Garp had been so considerate, she would forgive him for beating her up earlier.

The main reason Atlas wanted to visit Foosha Village was to see whether she could get a look at little Ace. After all, she had witnessed the Pirate King's execution with her own eyes.

She also wanted to stop by the village tavern and see its owner, Makino—the woman who was said to have won over Red-Haired Shanks and might even have had a child with him. Ahem. To be clear, seeing Makino was just something Atlas would do while she was there. She absolutely was not making a special trip for it.

Foosha Village was an unremarkable little settlement in the Goa Kingdom. Yet it had produced two major figures. Who would have guessed that the famed marine hero Garp and the notorious Revolutionary Dragon both came from this village? More astonishing still, they were father and son.

Foosha Village lay in a remote part of the Goa Kingdom, largely cut off from the bustling city by the vast Gorgon Mountain. Thanks to its secluded location and the protection of Garp the Hero, its people lived peaceful, quiet lives—apart from a band of reckless mountain bandits who kept prowling nearby. Higuma's gang, of course.

Full of anticipation, Atlas jumped off the ship, asked a local where Makino's tavern was, and headed straight there.

Makino's tavern stood near the center of Foosha Village.

It was lunchtime when Atlas arrived. A few people were scattered around the tavern. Ordinary villagers could not afford to eat and drink there every day, but Makino was an excellent cook and brewer, and her prices were fair. So some villagers came by almost every day for a good meal or a drink.

"Welcome, young marine."

Makino saw Atlas enter and look curiously around the tavern, so she greeted her with a gentle smile.

Makino was only in her early teens. Her glossy green hair framed a youthful face, and her smile was gentle and innocent. She did not yet have the poised, mature air she would have ten years later, but she had a charm of her own.

"Did you come with Grandpa Garp?"

Atlas had not said a word and kept glancing at Makino, leaving her a little flustered. Even so, Makino asked politely.

"Huh? Yes. I'm Kanos Atlas."

Atlas realized how rude she had been and promptly answered in a loud voice.

"Oh? What can I get you, then?"

Makino did not dwell on Atlas's behavior and simply asked what she wanted.

"A glass of rum, please."

Atlas had only just turned fourteen, but with her physique, a little alcohol would be no trouble. Bogard had also given her some spending money before she went ashore. It was not much, but it was enough for a drink.

Meanwhile, Garp disembarked right after Atlas. He stopped by the village chief's house to say hello, then headed straight for Gorgon Mountain. With his formidable physique, he reached the Dadan Family's hideout in no time.

"Hey! The kid looks well cared for."

Garp watched Ace crawl around, full of energy, and smiled happily.

"Garp!"

Dadan had been playing with Ace. At the sound of Garp's sudden arrival, her eyes nearly popped out of her head. He was the person she feared most.

"When are you taking this kid away? I'm sick of the sight of him! We're mountain bandits, not babysitters!"

Dadan quickly hid the doting expression she had worn while playing with Ace and questioned Garp cautiously.

"Yeah, exactly..."

Her underlings chimed in.

"Hmm?"

"Would you rather I throw you in prison?"

Garp drew his brows together and threatened Dadan with his usual tactic.

"Waaah..."

At the mention of prison, the Dadan Family immediately gave in. Still feeling aggrieved at Garp's threat, they huddled together off to one side and burst into tears.

Little Ace had no idea what was happening. He simply looked at Garp with curious eyes. It was hard to say whether he recognized him; when Garp had first taken him in, Ace had been a baby who could not talk.

"Come on, little Ace. Say 'Grandpa.' I'm your grandpa."

The sight of Ace looking so adorable melted Garp's heart. He scooped the boy off the ground and tried to rub his stubbly cheek against Ace's. Ace wanted none of it and pushed him away with both tiny hands. Garp did not mind. He just kept grinning foolishly.

Who knew what Roger would have thought if he had been there? His son was calling Garp "Grandpa." Garp was clearly getting one over on him.

While Garp enjoyed time with his grandson, Atlas, who was drinking at the tavern and watching its owner, ran into trouble.

Bang! The tavern door was kicked open. Once everyone saw who had entered, the noisy room fell silent, like a flintlock that had failed to fire.

The commotion caught Atlas's attention in her corner. She was speechless. She could not even have a drink without trouble showing up.

Atlas looked up and thought, Well, if it isn't Higuma, the mountain bandit king who'll smash a bottle over one of the Four Emperors and tread all over the future Pirate King. What are the odds? Higuma was not particularly old yet, but he already looked aged and every bit as sleazy as he would more than a decade later.

Higuma swept his gaze around the tavern, then fixed it on Atlas in her marine uniform. She looked young, so he figured she could not be very strong. He decided to toy with her.

"Hey, marine brat," Higuma said with a sneer. "I want that seat. If you know what's good for you, get out of it."

Atlas ignored him.

"Damn it, are you deaf? Can't you hear me talking to you?"

Atlas's disregard made Higuma lose face.

Makino could not stand by. Though she was afraid of Higuma, Atlas was a customer, and Makino had to keep her safe. She moved to step in front of him.

But Atlas was not as easygoing as Shanks. She rose, moved past Makino, and faced Higuma. Her imposing presence pressed toward him, almost tangible...

In an instant, Higuma felt as though he might wet himself. Cold sweat beaded across his forehead. It was as if a ferocious beast had locked its gaze on him. Forgetting all about saving face, he fled the tavern under the astonished stares of its patrons and the baffled looks of his underlings...

"Huh!?"

Makino was surprised Higuma had backed down so easily. Then she remembered Atlas had come with Garp, and it made sense. Soon, the tavern was lively again.

Higuma's visit was nothing more than a minor interruption to Atlas's trip to Foosha Village...

Little Ace and the Abduction