Vic leaned against a tree, occasionally taking a sip of his drink. He was unusually relaxed and happy today. He had seen many familiar faces, which made him feel less alone in the world.
Although he has been in this world for several years, he still hasn't fully integrated into it. If it weren't for Rebecca's constant companionship, he might have already gone down a different path.
Vic was right; Dadan and her band of bandits had indeed brought Ace down to freeload, but they only appeared after most of the villagers had gone to bed.
This was the result of Dadan sending people to scout the scene from the edge. At this time, only a few navy personnel were still conscious, but because they did not recognize the people of Foosha Village, they thought they were villagers and did not pay attention.
Only the old man woke up after Ace appeared, his snot bubble bursting. He glared at Dadan with displeasure, wondering how she dared to bring Ace here. He looked around and only stopped when he saw that all the villagers were lying down.
Garp turned and glanced at Vic, who was still drinking with a smile on his face, then stood up and headed towards the edge of the banquet. Dadan had no choice but to follow Ace with Garp. Vic settled Makino on his lap, stood up, picked up two pieces of meat from the fire, and followed closely behind.
When Vic arrived in the woods, he found that the old man had already hugged Ace and wanted to kiss him, but Ace stretched out his hands and pressed them firmly against the old man's bearded face, refusing to let the old man kiss him.
Dadan stood to the side like a child who had done something wrong, not daring to breathe. The old man didn't know what he had done to them in the past, but he was terrified of people, as if he had encountered a ghost.
But when Ace was pierced through the chest by Akainu during the Paramount War, and the old man returned to Foosha Village, Dadan dared to attack him in front of the other Marines. It wasn't that Dadan was no longer afraid of the old man; it was just that her fear had been completely replaced by something else, and she was no longer afraid.
Vic walked over and handed her a piece of meat with a bone. Dadan was surprised, but she took it anyway. She hadn't eaten meat in a long time, otherwise she wouldn't have risked being beaten up to come down the mountain.
Although they were mountain bandits, with the old man watching over them, they really didn't dare to go down the mountain to rob. At this time, Ace didn't have the ability to hunt alone, so you can imagine what their lives were like.
"Grandpa! If he doesn't want you to kiss him, then don't! It's so awkward. With that big beard, who wants you to kiss them?"
Vic pulled Ace from the old man's arms and handed Ace another bone and meat while talking to him.
Ace was indeed very hungry. Although the meat was given to him by strangers, his grandfather was right next to him, so he wasn't worried about anything and started eating the meat without saying a word.
At that time, Ace had no idea what manners were, so he didn't even say thank you. He only learned these things later from Makino. It's impossible to expect bandits to teach you manners.
Seeing Ace enjoying his meat without making any other move, the old man simply sat down on the ground, gazing at Ace's face in deep thought.
Vic sat down next to the old man without saying a word. Only then did Dadan dare to start eating meat, still not daring to make a loud noise.
Vic knew that the old man must have something to say to him, and it was related to Ace. The old man was really good to Vic, even though the beatings really hurt.
But Vic felt only gratitude and no resentment. The old man was truly nurturing him as a junior, not just a naval soldier. He was comparable to Koby later on. It's just that Vic had already embarked on his own path, which is why the old man didn't take Vic as his disciple. But he taught Vic everything he could, especially Haki.
"There are some things I've never said to anyone in the Navy before. You're the first. This child is named Ace; he's another of my grandsons!"
The old man stroked Ace's head and said to Vic, Ace was enjoying his meat and didn't bother with the big hand moving back and forth on his head, nor did he refute the fact that he was a grandson.
"Grandpa, why don't you raise Ace and Luffy together? Oh! I see, Grandpa! You're playing a clever game! Ace and Luffy are half-brothers, right? Ace's father must be quite a character, right? Can you tell me who he is?"
Vic knew about Ace's background, but he couldn't say he knew everything; he could only wait and see if the old man would tell him.
In the past, if Vic had said something like that, he would have been beaten up, but tonight the old man was unusually calm and didn't get angry at all because of Vic's flirtatious remarks.
He was still thinking about Vic's words that Ace's father was no ordinary person. He was indeed no ordinary person; he was the Pirate King Roger, his old friend and foe, and also a member of the D. Clan.
He hesitated whether to tell Vic about it. The matter of being the son of the Pirate King was a big deal, and if Vic was too righteous, things could get complicated.
However, his bringing Vic over is also related to Ace. If Ace's identity is revealed in the future, the result will be the same. What is meant to happen will happen. Hiding it now may be all for naught in the future.
Thinking about this, he decided to tell Vick Ace about his background. Based on his understanding of Vick over the years, he felt that Vick would not make things difficult for an innocent child. Although the child was the son of the Pirate King, Vick was a person with his own opinions and was not absolutely righteous.
" Ace is not my biological grandson! He is Roger's son, and the world calls him the Pirate King."
Before Roger's execution, he told me he had a child and wanted me to help raise it. At that time, I was also very conflicted.
It sounds absurd that a Marine would help raise a pirate's child, but I know that if I didn't help, Ace would definitely die at the hands of the Marines.
Although his father was Roger, the child was innocent, and I greatly admire the child's mother; Rouge was a great mother who risked her life to protect Ace!
As the old man spoke, he affectionately stroked Ace's head, and Ace's chewing movements slowed down.
He had clearly taken the old man's words to heart. He had only just learned about his own background—that he wasn't the old man's biological grandson. He decided to find an opportunity to ask him about his parents and what the Pirate King was all about. Dadan, standing nearby, was now very worried about her safety.
"Old man! I heard you and Roger were contemporaries, right? You expect his son to call you grandpa? What were you thinking? Are you holding a grudge because you couldn't catch him at sea before, and you're deliberately taking advantage of him?"
Vic leaned close to the old man and asked with a curious expression. He already knew about these things, so he didn't show any surprise or pay any special attention to Ace.
This behavior greatly surprised the old man. "Such a big thing, aren't you surprised at all? Are you even a normal person? Or did you already know about this? That's unlikely!"
Has Awakening Observation Haki, the ability to see through people's hearts? But that stuff is useless against me! Or is it that your Observation Haki can Future Sight? I know what I'm about to say, but this kid's expression hasn't changed at all. Is he really that carefree, or is he just interested in gossip? His thought process is different from most people.