Windmill Village, Arrival / Young Ace and the Kidnapping

Atlas started, a red gleam flashing through her eyes as she activated Observation Haki!

Bang!

"Ah! That hurt!"

Even with Observation Haki, she had failed to dodge Garp's fist. What puzzled Atlas, though, was that Garp had not used Armament Haki, yet she still felt a penetrating pain.

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

Garp knew Atlas would be confused, so he offered an explanation.

Before Atlas could ponder those words, Garp's fist came flying at her again.

"Ah!"

"Not the face, Vice Admiral Garp!"

"Ah!"

"Easy! Go easy!"

"Aaah—"

"Just you wait, old man Garp!"

In the infirmary...

Atlas sat on a chair with lumps all over her head while a medic carefully applied medicine and bandaged her wounds.

"Just laugh if you want to. No need to hold it in."

Atlas turned to Bogard, who was standing behind her struggling to suppress his laughter.

"No... hahaha... I wasn't going to laugh... hahaha!"

Atlas could only sigh.

The sun slowly rose above the horizon, and dark shapes occasionally flitted beneath the calm sea. Aboard the enormous Dog-Head Warship, Atlas had just finished her morning training and was leisurely enjoying her breakfast.

"Hey, kid! Recovered already?"

Garp was rather surprised. Though he had not used Armament Haki yesterday, he had imbued his fists with his will. They would not have caused internal injuries, but bruises had been unavoidable. He had never expected her to recover completely overnight.

Atlas offered no explanation. She suspected Garp had simply been bored and wanted to beat her up, but after yesterday's thrashing, she could feel that her physique had improved ever so slightly. She was also quite interested in what Garp called his "Fist of Love."

"Come on, let's pick up where we left off yesterday! Sorry for the trouble, Vice Admiral Garp!"

Atlas called out loudly, her expression as resolute as a prisoner being marched to the execution ground.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang, bang, bang!

Another plain, monotonous day of getting beaten up.

—Three days later—

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

Atlas asked curiously between great mouthfuls of donuts. As for why they were not eating senbei, according to Garp, the tastiest snacks naturally had to be eaten first. He had already finished all the senbei, then roped Atlas into a donut-eating contest. In the spirit of "revenge," Atlas had decided to eat every last one of the old man's donuts.

"Mmph... I'm heading back to Foosha Village for a vacation! And to see my grandson while I'm there!"

Garp answered casually.

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

Atlas was a little surprised. Luffy should not have been born yet, so what grandson was Garp going to see?

"Oh! He's my adopted grandson."

Then it must be Ace. If I remember right, he was born this year in the anime, so he's probably only a few months old. Leaving a baby that little with mountain bandits—he really doesn't worry about a thing!

"Ha! A thousand! I win! Hahahaha!"

Garp suddenly shouted, then... started snoring...

Atlas was speechless. Sure, we haven't slept for two days and two nights, but did you have to fall asleep that fast? No wonder Morgan manages to slash you later.

Atlas stood and stretched, then loosened up a little on the spot. Turning to Bogard beside her, she asked somewhat sheepishly:

"Mr. Bogard, could I trouble you for some pointers? I'd like to see how far I am from someone truly strong."

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

Bogard readily agreed. After all, he thought highly of this young Marine.

As they spoke, both drew their swords, and Atlas's gaze gradually 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 had not learned the Six Powers. But anyone truly strong needed the courage to face powerful opponents!

One Sword Style: Iris!

Atlas attacked first, trying to seize the initiative, but Bogard casually blocked her technique with a single stroke. Looking utterly relaxed, he said, "A good move, and your fundamentals are solid. You just lack power."

The corner of his mouth lifted as the muscles in his legs suddenly swelled.

Shave!

Bogard vanished from Atlas's sight in an instant. She hurriedly gripped her sword with both hands, a red gleam flashing through her eyes. Observation Haki! Lock on!

Clang!

Pushing her Observation Haki to its limit, Atlas barely managed to make out Bogard's movements before their blades met. Yet even with both hands on her sword, she was completely outmatched in strength. She flew backward, only coming to a stop when she slammed into the ship's railing.

"Phew..."

The gap was enormous! Atlas had been defeated after only a few exchanges, but rather than discouraging her, it only strengthened her drive to improve.

"Huh?... What happened?"

The noise of Atlas crashing into the railing seemed to have been a little too loud, waking Garp from his snoring. He opened his eyes to find Atlas sitting on the deck in a sorry state...

Arrival at Foosha Village

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

Her last spar with Bogard had given Atlas a deeper understanding of what it meant to be truly strong, so she trained even harder each day. She no longer even yelled during her daily sessions with Garp, which left him feeling a little bored...

"Hey, Atlas, you little brat! Want to go ashore and look around? Hahahaha!"

Garp called to Atlas, who was busy trying to think of an excuse to slip ashore.

"Huh? Yes, of course!"

Atlas nodded at once. Talk about perfect timing! Since he's being so thoughtful, I'll forgive him for beating me up before.

Atlas mainly wanted to visit Foosha Village to see whether she could get a look at little Ace. After all, she had personally witnessed the Pirate King's final moments at his execution.

While she was there, she could also drop by the village tavern to see its owner, Makino—the woman said to have won Red-Haired's heart, and who was even suspected of having borne his child. Ahem. Just to be clear, seeing the tavern owner is only a side trip. I'm definitely not going there specifically for her.

Foosha Village was an unremarkable little village in the Goa Kingdom, yet it had already produced two major figures. Who would have guessed that both the celebrated Marine hero and the infamous world's worst criminal, the Revolutionary Dragon, hailed from here? More astounding still, the two were father and son.

Foosha Village lay in a remote part of the Goa Kingdom, largely cut off from its bustling urban districts by the enormous Gorgon Mountain. Thanks to both its isolation and the protection of the Marine hero Garp, its people led peaceful, tranquil lives—aside from a band of mountain bandits who kept prowling around nearby with no regard for their own lives. That was Higuma's gang, of course.

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

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

It was lunchtime, and by the time Atlas arrived, a scattering of customers were seated inside. Ordinary villagers could not afford to patronize places like taverns every day, but Makino was an excellent cook and brewer, and her prices were very fair. As a result, a few villagers came by almost every day to treat themselves to a good meal and satisfy their thirst for alcohol.

"Welcome, young Marine."

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

Makino looked only a little over ten now. Her green hair shone, and her face was still full with youth. Her smile was gentle and innocent. Though she lacked the mature, refined air she would have ten years later, she had a charm of her own.

"You came with Grandpa Garp, didn't you?"

Atlas said nothing and simply glanced at her from time to time, leaving Makino a little flustered. Still, she politely asked the question.

"Huh? Yes! My name is Kanos Atlas."

Realizing just how rude she had been, Atlas quickly answered in a loud voice.

"Oh, I see. Then what can I get you, young Marine?"

Makino did not dwell on Atlas's rudeness and instead asked what she wanted.

"A glass of rum, please."

Though she had only just turned fourteen, her physique could easily handle a little alcohol. Bogard had also given her some spending money before she disembarked. It was not much, but it was more than enough for a drink.

Meanwhile, Garp left the ship shortly after Atlas. After stopping by the village chief's house to say hello, he headed straight for Gorgon Mountain. Relying on his powerful physique, he reached the mountain bandits' hideout—the home of the Dadan Family—in no time.

"Hey! Looks like you're taking good care of the little brat."

Garp watched Ace crawling energetically around the floor and spoke with delight.

"GARP!"

Dadan, who had been playing with Ace, was so startled by the sudden voice that her eyes nearly popped out. After all, Garp was the person she feared most.

"When are you taking this brat away? Just looking at him annoys me! We're mountain bandits, not babysitters!"

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

"Yeah, that's right..."

Her underlings chimed in beside her.

"Hmm?"

"Would you rather I threw you in prison?"

Garp lowered his brows and threatened Dadan with his usual tactic.

"Boo-hoo-hoo..."

At the prospect of being arrested, the Dadan Family immediately surrendered. Unable to bear the indignity of Garp's threats, however, they quietly shuffled aside, clung to one another, and burst into tears.

Little Ace had no idea what was happening and merely studied Garp with curious eyes. It was hard to say whether he recognized him; when Garp had first taken him in, he had been only a baby who could not speak.

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

Ace's adorable expression melted Garp's heart on the spot. He scooped the little boy up off the floor and tried to rub his stubbly cheek against Ace's face. Ace wanted none of it and pushed hard against Garp with both tiny hands. Garp did not mind at all and simply kept grinning like a fool.

Who knew what Roger would have thought if he had been there? His son was actually calling Garp Grandpa. Wasn't Garp blatantly trying to put himself a generation above Roger?

While Garp enjoyed some grandfather-grandson bonding, Atlas, who was drinking at the tavern and watching its owner, ran into trouble.

With a bang, someone brutally kicked open the tavern's little door. Once the patrons saw who had arrived, the bustling room fell silent, like a flintlock that had misfired.

The commotion immediately caught the attention of Atlas, who was sitting in a corner. She felt rather speechless. She could not even have a drink without running into troublemakers.

Atlas looked up and thought, Well, well! Isn't this Higuma, king of the mountain bandits—the man who smashed a bottle over one of the Four Emperors and stepped on the future Pirate King? What a coincidence. Though Higuma was not particularly old yet, he already looked aged and just as sleazy as he would over a decade later.

Higuma swept his gaze around the tavern, finally settling on Atlas in her Marine uniform. He immediately felt like toying with her. She looked young, after all, and probably was not very strong.

With that thought, Higuma curled his lip and said to Atlas, "Hey, Marine brat over there! I want your seat. Get the hell out of it if you know what's good for you."

Atlas ignored him.

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

When Atlas refused to acknowledge him, Higuma could not help feeling humiliated.

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

Atlas, however, was not as good-tempered as Shanks. She stood, stepped past Makino, and faced Higuma, pressing down on him with an almost tangible aura...

In an instant, Higuma felt his bladder threaten to give way. Cold sweat beaded across his forehead. It felt as though some ferocious beast had fixed its eyes on him. Forgetting all about his pride, he fled under the astonished gazes of the tavern's patrons and the bewildered stares of his underlings...

"Huh?!"

Makino was surprised to see Higuma retreat so easily, but remembering that Atlas had come with Garp, she soon accepted it. Before long, the tavern returned to its earlier bustle.

The arrival of Higuma, king of the mountain bandits, was merely a minor interruption in Atlas's visit to Foosha Village...

Little Ace and an Abduction