For all ten years since his birth, Ace had borne the burden of his father's sins and endured endless cruel words. But Barn's words freed him from that relentless cycle of pain and gave him love and happiness that would sustain him for the rest of his life. Though his parents were gone, looking at his brothers-Jig, Luffy, and Sabo-he knew he was happy.
Then Ace did something that even Jig couldn't quite understand.
He walked over with a smile, pulled Luffy, Sabo, and Jig, who was changing clothes, close, and hugged them.
While Luffy and Sabo were still wondering why Ace was acting so strangely, Ace spoke.
"Jig's master agreed to teach us."
Perhaps the unexpected windfall had left them dazed. Luffy and Sabo hugged Ace and burst out laughing, jumping around so excitedly that they forgot what had just happened.
Only Jig remained where he was, watching Ace fool around with Luffy and Sabo with a puzzled look.
Ace... seemed a little different...
Then he turned his puzzled gaze toward the little cabin that currently belonged to his master, Barn.
Barn didn't teach them much. After all, even Jig, who also had a ghost god within him, couldn't learn his specialty, the Asura arts. During this time, he only taught Jig a little swordsmanship and passed on two of the Six Powers to the boys: Soru and Geppo. Apart from Luffy, whose brain wasn't exactly fully developed, the other three picked up the basics. Barn wasn't worried, though, because he knew they would each have their own opportunities in the future.
Their time together was neither particularly long nor short, but Barn earned the respect of the three boys besides Jig, especially Ace. Whether it was because he had eased Ace's troubles or simply because he was a