" Ace!!"
A voice, clearly still half-asleep but full of energy, boomed from the direction of the inner room.
Immediately following was a series of deafening footsteps, and the wooden door was violently flung open—
A boy, half a head shorter than Ace, rushed out, wearing pajamas that were clearly a size too big, with the sleeves rolled up several times to keep them from dragging on the ground.
His hair was even messier than Ace's, and his round, dark eyes burned with pure, unadulterated morning grumpiness.
" Ace, you idiot!"
"You made me get up before dawn!"
"I told you I didn't want to get up, but you insisted on waking me! I can train by myself! If you keep making noise, believe me, I'll roast you and eat you!"
Kuina looked at the little boy, who was less than her shoulder tall but had the imposing presence of a raging calf, and her lips twitched slightly.
Goodness, that voice, that temper, that logic.
He and his brother are practically from different species.
But she soon noticed more details—the boy kept saying "I don't want to train," yet his arm muscles were much more defined than those of other kids his age.
This kid says he won't practice, but his actions tell a different story.
" Luffy, what are you saying! When did you ever say you didn't want to get up?!"
Ace was stunned by the sudden accusation, then turned to look at the already dawning sky outside the window.
It took him a moment to realize that this kid was using the dream he had just had as an excuse to lash out.
He instantly switched into battle mode, lunging forward and grabbing Luffy.
He picked up his younger brother like a chick, and then--
Bang!
A powerful punch landed on Luffy's head, instantly creating a large, visible bump.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!!"
How many times have I told you!
"Don't talk like that! You look over there right now—"
Ace grabbed Luffy by the back of his Luffy and turned him around, pointing at Roy with one hand, his tone fierce yet carrying an air of unquestionable respect.
"That's Brother Roy! The Brother Roy I've told you about countless times!"
"You said last time you were going to the New World to find him—and now that he's here, this is your attitude?!"
Luffy clutched his head, tears welling in his eyes, and looked in the direction Ace was pointing.
He saw a man dressed in black casual clothes with a long, black-sheathed sword hanging at his waist.
A playful smile played on her lips as she scrutinized him with great interest.
Luffy blinked.
The gears in his mind whirred a few times, matching the name " Roy " with all the legends in his memory, the front pages of newspapers, and the name Shanks occasionally mentioned.
Then he made a reaction that no one expected.
"Wow--!!!"
Luffy dashed to Roy in one stride, his eyes shining, his expression completely changing from morning grumpiness to adoration, forgetting even the bump on his head:
"So you're Roy, the one who stole the Celestial Dragons ' money and played the Marine Admiral for fools!"
Shanks said you fought him! Is that true? Who won?
Shanks just won't tell me! Can you really beat my grandfather?
Roy looked at the little guy in front of him, whose style was completely different from before.
Looking at Ace, who was still holding Luffy by the back of the Luffy, he finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Rouge smiled and shook her head, taking off her apron and folding it neatly as she spoke to Roy.
" Luffy was fostered here by Mr. Garp."
I usually help take care of him. Although the two kids fight and bicker every day, they have an incredibly good relationship.
She paused, a hint of helplessness in her smile:
Mr. Garp was determined to have both of his children join the Navy.
Every time I came back, I would bring them the Navy training manual to look at, and I would often drag them to the back mountain for special training.
When they came back last time, just because the two of them said they wanted to be pirates, Mr. Garp's roar almost shattered all the windows in the village.
Upon hearing this, Roy smiled knowingly.
Ace is Roger's son, Luffy is Dragon's son—and Garp, as their grandfather, actually wants to stuff both of these naturally rebellious bloodlines into a Navy uniform.
Innocent.
She's so innocent it's almost adorable.
Roy looked at the two children— Ace was awkwardly clutching the large bump on Luffy from the punch he'd landed on him, while Luffy had completely forgotten the pain in his head.
He was using both hands and feet to entangle Roy, asking Shanks for specific details about fighting in the New World.
These two kids, one has the blood of the Pirate King flowing in his veins, and the other has already sold his soul to the will of pirates.
Garp's naval plan was a doomed joke from the very beginning.
Rouge smiled and invited everyone to sit down and have breakfast before turning and going into the kitchen to start preparing.
Soon, the sizzling sound of frying fish and the aroma of miso soup filled the kitchen. The two flavors mingled together, enveloping the entire cabin in a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Kuina sat quietly in the corner the whole time, her gaze never leaving the two children.
Her eyes were full of confusion.
The boy named Ace was fairly normal—calm and precocious, and spoke logically. Although he idolized Roy terribly, he was at least someone who could communicate.
But that guy named Luffy...
Kuina simply couldn't stand the boy in front of her who had fought Ace over the last grilled fish, stuffed the fish tail into his mouth, and started hiccuping halfway through biting it.
He was equated with the "future Pirate King " Roy mentioned.
That's a huge difference!
She turned to look at Roy, and met his meaningful smile.
The smile clearly said—watch and see, don't jump to conclusions.
Kuina withdrew her gaze and looked back at Luffy, who was Luffy a whole fish, bones and all, across the table. She sighed inwardly.
In Kuina's opinion, this guy's personality was even worse than Zoro's.
When breakfast was served, Kuina finally witnessed what it meant to "devour everything in a flash."
Rouge's cooking skills were quite good—golden-fried fish, steaming miso soup, several dishes of pickled vegetables, and a large pot of freshly cooked white rice.
The moment the aroma wafted out, Luffy and Ace pounced on the table from all directions like two sharks that had smelled blood.
Then the war began.
Luffy reached out to grab the biggest fish, but Ace snatched it away with a flick of his chopsticks.
Not to be outdone, Luffy buried his entire face in the rice bowl, and when he looked up, half of his face was covered in rice grains.
Ace moved three inches to the side in disgust, Luffy took the opportunity to steal another piece of fish from his bowl.
The whole process was accompanied by Luffy's mumbled shouts, Ace's reprimands, the crisp sound of chopsticks clattering together, and Rouge's habitual sighs.
Kuina sat in the corner with her rice bowl in her hand, her chopsticks hanging in mid-air, completely dumbfounded.
She grew up in the Isshin Dojo, where the rules were very strict.
When seated, one should sit upright and properly, take food in order, and not make noise while eating.
She had never seen such a method of eating, where both hands were used simultaneously and risking one's life, before she was fifteen years old.
The worst part is that these two kids were talking while they were fighting over the food.
With his mouth full of rice balls, Ace mumbled as he asked Roy about the New World.
Luffy, however, shouted even louder, insisting on asking Shanks the name of the sword he used in the New World.
"I'm stuffed."
Kuina silently put down her chopsticks, holding a bowl that still had more than half a bowl of rice left.
She simply couldn't continue eating in this environment of gunfire.
Roy glanced at her, the faint smile at the corner of his mouth making her inexplicably annoyed.
This person was clearly laughing at her, and seemed to be enjoying it.