A tense atmosphere filled the mountain bandits' hut.
Dadan planted her hands on her hips and glared furiously at Garp. "Are you kidding me, old man? Do you think this is an orphanage? These two little monsters are already more than I can handle!" She pointed her thumb at Ace and Luffy behind her.
Ace watched Allen warily, his eyes filled with rejection and hostility. Luffy, meanwhile, peeked curiously out from behind Ace, his rubber arm stretching a little without him noticing.
Garp laughed, utterly unconcerned. "Don't be so stingy, Dadan! One more boy won't eat that much!" He turned to Allen. "Introduce yourself, kid."
Allen calmly stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over Ace and Luffy before finally settling on Dadan. "I'm Portgas D. Allen. I'll be in your care for a while, Ms. Dadan."
"Portgas?" Dadan froze for a moment, her expression shifting slightly. She clearly knew what that surname meant, and her gaze moved back and forth between Allen and Ace.
Ace's body visibly tensed, a flicker of panic and deeper hostility passing through his eyes. That name had struck his most sensitive nerve.
"Then it's settled!" Garp slapped his thigh. "I still have official business to attend to. I'll come see you in a few months! Don't cause me any trouble!" With that, he actually turned and left without the slightest hesitation.
"Wait! You damn old man!" Dadan's protests were shut behind the door. She scratched her head in frustration, then glared viciously at Allen. "Tch. Another troublesome brat."
Allen said nothing, merely observing his surroundings in silence. The mountain bandits' hut was crude but sturdy. He could tell that, though the Dadan Family looked fierce on the surface, they were not truly villains.
"I don't care who you are," Ace suddenly said, his voice cold and hard beyond his years. "Stay away from us." He pulled Luffy along and headed straight behind the hut.
Allen was not surprised by that reaction. He knew how sensitive Ace was about his origins. To him, the surname Portgas was both a bond and a curse.
Dadan sighed and pointed at a pile of dry grass in the corner. "That's your bed. The rules are simple: do your own work, find your own food, and don't make trouble for me."
"Understood." Allen nodded and placed his small bundle in the designated spot. It contained only a few changes of clothes and a short blade the old fisherman had left behind.
Life began amid a subtle atmosphere. Allen quickly adapted to the rhythm of life in the mountain bandits' home. Every morning, while the other bandits were still asleep, he got up to train-conditioning his body with the weighted wristbands Garp had given him, then practicing basic swordsmanship.
Ace and Luffy seemed to have secrets of their own. They often disappeared early in the morning and did not return until dusk, covered in wounds and carrying their prey. Allen noticed that they always avoided him, clearly unwelcoming toward this "family member" who had appeared out of nowhere.
This continued for about a week. One morning, while training, Allen noticed Ace and Luffy preparing to sneak out, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation.
"Want to go hunting together?" Allen offered.
Ace immediately looked guarded. "No thanks. We can manage on our own."
Luffy blinked, stretching his rubber neck as he curiously examined the marks Allen's morning training had left behind. "Whoa! You train too? Awesome!"
"Luffy!" Ace tugged his younger brother's arm disapprovingly.
Allen smiled faintly and took some dried meat strips, a South Blue specialty, from his bag. "I have food. We can share."
Luffy's eyes instantly lit up, and he nearly drooled. "Meat!"
Ace still hesitated, but the temptation of food was simply too great for a growing boy. In the end, he reluctantly nodded. "...Come along, then. But don't hold us back."
The three headed deep into Mount Colubo. Allen soon discovered that Ace and Luffy knew this forest like the backs of their hands. They knew exactly where the wild beasts were and which fruit trees were bearing fruit.
"We're going to teach Bluejam's gang a lesson today!" Luffy shouted excitedly, only for Ace to hurriedly cover his mouth.
Something stirred in Allen's mind. The Bluejam Pirates-he remembered those villains who bullied the children of Edge Town. This might be a chance to grow closer.
Sure enough, as they passed through a stretch of woodland, they encountered several pirates bullying children from Edge Town. Ace immediately flared with rage, grabbed his pipe, and charged.
"Ace, wait!" Allen shouted, but it was already too late.
The fight erupted in an instant. Ace was brave but lacked technique, while Luffy attacked wildly, relying entirely on the properties of the Gum-Gum Fruit. Though their opponents were only pirate lackeys, they had numbers on their side, and the two boys soon fell into a disadvantage.
Allen sighed, took off his weighted wristbands, and stuffed them into his bag. The next moment, he darted forward like a cheetah.
After Garp's guidance and all his hard training during this time, Allen's combat skills far surpassed those of others his age. He nimbly avoided attacks and struck precisely at his opponents' weak points, taking down nearly every enemy with a single blow.
Ace and Luffy both stared in astonishment.
"Awesome!" Luffy's eyes shone.
Ace wore a complicated expression, both surprised and unwilling to accept it.
The fight soon ended, and Bluejam's men fled in disarray. The rescued children hurried away after thanking them, leaving only the three of them standing in the forest clearing.
"Why... are you so strong?" Ace finally could not help asking, envy and defiance mingling in his eyes.
Allen wiped the dust from his face. "Training. Day after day of training."
"We train every day too!" Luffy pouted indignantly.
"A different kind of training." Allen looked at Ace. "Want to get stronger? I can teach you."
Ace hesitated. The desire to grow stronger warred with his wariness of strangers in his eyes. At last, the former won out. "...You'd really be willing to teach us?"
Allen nodded. "But on one condition-tell me where your secret base is. I think we need a better place to train."
Ace and Luffy exchanged a glance and finally nodded in agreement.
The secret base was even better hidden than Allen had imagined-a treehouse beside a cliff, accessible only by climbing across a dangerous rope bridge. Inside were piles of the two boys' "treasure" and various crude weapons.
From that day on, Allen began systematically guiding Ace and Luffy's training. He taught them more efficient ways to exert force, how to conserve their stamina, and how to anticipate their opponents' movements. In exchange, Ace showed him every corner of Mount Colubo and shared his hunting techniques.
Their relationship quietly changed as they trained together. Though Ace still said little, the wariness in his eyes gradually faded. Luffy completely accepted Allen as another older brother, calling him "Big Brother Allen" endlessly all day.
One evening, the three shared their prey at the secret base. Allen noticed Ace sneaking glances at him from time to time, as though he had something to say.
"What is it?" Allen asked first.
Ace hesitated, his voice very quiet. "Why... is your surname Portgas?"
Allen knew this moment would eventually come. He answered calmly, "Because my father's surname was Portgas. She had an older sister who kept that surname after getting married."
Ace's breathing grew noticeably faster. "Your aunt... what was she like?"
"I never met her," Allen answered honestly. "I only heard my father say she was a gentle but strong person. She would give everything to protect what mattered most."
Ace lowered his head, firelight dancing in his eyes. After a long while, he said softly, "...My mother's surname was Portgas too."
"I know." Allen's voice was just as gentle.
The two boys looked at each other, an unspoken understanding passing between their gazes. Neither continued the subject, but a firm bond had already formed without their noticing.
Just then, an explosion and screams suddenly sounded from the other end of the forest. All three stood at once and looked toward the source-the direction of Gray Terminal.
Thick smoke began to rise, and the flames stained the evening sky red.
"The fire..." Allen murmured. The great fire that burned the trash mountain in his memories had finally happened.
"Sabo!" Ace's expression suddenly changed drastically. "He went to the terminal today!"
Luffy panicked too. "Sabo's in danger!"
Allen immediately made his decision. "I know a shortcut! Follow me!"
He led the way, with Ace and Luffy close behind. The three darted through the forest like cheetahs, charging toward the increasingly fierce sea of flames.
Allen felt both nervous and a little expectant-perhaps this time, he could change something.
At least he was no longer a lonely bystander.