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Behind Foosha Village, at the foot of Mt. Colubo, two figures—one tall and one small—appeared.
"Hey, Uncle, what are we doing here?"
Atlas had been in Foosha Village for three days. In that time, aside from trying to correct the way Luffy addressed him, he had spent much of it giving the boy moral lessons.
But judging from Luffy's innocent face, his efforts were drifting further and further from success. On the bright side, he had been telling Luffy stories of Marine adventures, which only fueled the boy's dream of becoming Fleet Admiral.
Stories like "The Seven Little Marines Who Saved Their Grandpa," "Marine Ali Baba and the Forty Pirates," and "The Tale of Marine Garp's Valiant Stand at Mary Geoise."
Luffy was completely enthralled, especially by the tale of Marine Garp's struggle, which reminded him of his battles with his grandfather. It made him long to join the Marines even more.
"We're going to find Ace—your grandpa's other grandson," Atlas said casually, ruffling Luffy's hair with deliberate roughness.
Yes, Atlas planned to bring the three brothers together early. As for their bond, that would develop in time.
Although Luffy was a blockhead, he had undeniable charisma. Just like in the original story, Ace had despised him at first, treating him as a useless tag-along. If Luffy hadn't been so tough, things would have ended badly long ago. Yet in the end, his sheer grit won Ace over, and they became sworn brothers.
When it came to toughness, Luffy was exceptional—truly befitting the world's chosen one.
"Isn't Grandpa's grandson just me?" Luffy blinked in confusion, his brain conveniently ignoring the word other.
"... Never mind, just follow me," Atlas sighed, shaking his head helplessly.
Thankfully, Luffy was forgetful and didn't press the matter. Otherwise, Atlas might have been forced to give him some "loving education."
The two made their way through the dense forest between Mt. Colubo and the Grey Terminal.
Towering trees blocked out the sun, the air was damp, and the constant chorus of insects filled the silence. It was an untouched wilderness, far from human influence.
But from the branches of a massive tree, faint voices could be heard. They were young voices, not yet hardened by age.
"Wow, Ace, you got more than me! That's amazing!"
"This is a huge score! How did you get it?" exclaimed a boy in a fine blue suit and a black top hat.
A bandage covered a wound on his cheek, and his wide eyes stared at the two bags of treasure resting on the branch.
Opposite him sat a black-haired boy with freckles across his face, wearing a red tank top and a black elbow guard.
This was Ace—the boy Atlas had come to find.
Ace grinned proudly, clearly savouring the praise. "I snatched it from some thugs near the gate," he said, his voice brimming with excitement.
He hadn't expected those men to be so wealthy. The thrill of his first big haul was intoxicating.
"Damn it, I lost to you again!" the boy in the suit—Sabo—laughed, counting the bills to tally their gains.
"It doesn't matter who wins or loses," Ace replied, lying back on the branch. It was uncomfortable, but having grown up wild, he didn't care about such things.
"You're right," Sabo agreed, tugging at a loose knot in the tree trunk to reveal a hidden stash of treasure.
"This is everything we've saved over the past three years. Soon we'll set sail. I can't wait!"
"It wasn't easy, but with this money we'll finally see a world no one on this island even knows exists!" Ace's voice burned with passion.
"Yeah… just thinking about it is exciting," Sabo said, though in his heart he added, And I can finally escape this rotten place…
"By the way, how much does a ship even cost?"
"Who knows? Tens of millions… maybe hundreds of millions?"
"Then we're still a long way off…"
"Hey, you two. I know how much a ship costs."
Their bright dream was suddenly interrupted by a lazy voice.
"Who's there?!" Ace and Sabo snapped to attention. Almost instantly, they grabbed the iron pipes beside them and swung toward the sound without hesitation.
THUD! THUD!
The blows landed, but the sound was dull—not the sharp crack of metal hitting flesh.
"Hiss—!" Both boys winced, pain shooting through their arms as they leapt back to what they thought was a safe distance.
From the shadows emerged a tall man in a white suit with a Marine coat draped across his shoulders. In one massive hand, he carried a small child, fast asleep with a bubble of snot rising and popping from his nose.
It was Atlas, with Luffy in tow.
Although Atlas had tracked them using Observation Haki, Luffy's short legs were far too slow. In the end, he had to carry him, though he hadn't expected the boy to fall asleep mid-journey.
Just like Garp… Atlas thought with a frown.
"What rude children. I was kind enough to tell you the price of a ship," he said, brushing down the wrinkles where their pipes had struck his suit.
"A Marine?!" both Ace and Sabo exclaimed in unison.
Did they discover who I am? Are they here to kill me—the bloodline of sin?
Ace's grip on his pipe tightened, his knuckles white. Determination flashed in his eyes.
I'll hold him off and give Sabo a chance to escape. I won't let him get caught up in my mess.
Sabo, too, was tense. He didn't know what this Marine wanted—but surely his noble parents hadn't gone so far as to hire one…
Regardless, Sabo had no intention of abandoning Ace and running away!
The air grew tense. Only Atlas remained calm, and—
"Snore~ snore~ MUNCH! MUNCH! MUNCH!"
Perhaps dreaming of roasted meat, Luffy smacked his lips as drool trickled from the corner of his mouth, forming a tiny puddle in the hollow of the tree branch.
"Ahem, don't be nervous. Old Man Garp asked me to check on you. Don't you remember me? I held you when you were a baby, and you even called me uncle."
Atlas's gentle smile was like a spring breeze melting ice as he looked at the wary Ace and Sabo.
"Old Man Garp?" At the mention of Garp, the tension in Ace's eyes eased slightly, though he didn't lower his guard. Plenty of people knew that name.
If the World Government had already discovered that he was the Pirate King's son, then knowing his connection to Garp wouldn't be surprising. That alone wasn't enough for Ace to trust this Marine.
"..." Seeing Ace remain cautious, Atlas felt a headache coming on.
The boy was like a cornered porcupine, ready to lash out at anyone who got too close. Gaining his trust was nearly impossible unless you were among the rare few he allowed into his heart.
But Atlas wasn't surprised. This was Garp's doing. His hands-off parenting had only deepened Ace's wounds.
He'd told Ace far too early that his father was the Pirate King and that his mother had died giving birth to him—burdens no child could bear. Did Garp believe a boy could shoulder such a weight?
Ace had grown up surrounded by people who cursed his father's name. With no parental love to shield him, it was no wonder he would one day cling to Whitebeard's affection above all else.
Fortunately, Dadan, rough as she was, had filled part of the void left by the absence of a mother. And Rouge's sacrifice had been born from the purest maternal love.
Now Ace's heart was a storm—resentment toward his father's irresponsibility clashing with a desperate longing for a father's love.
Forced to hide his lineage while enduring constant insults aimed at his father, it was only natural that he longed for escape and freedom.
Truly, Garp was the worst educator of the pirate era. His son had become a revolutionary, and his two grandsons were itching to be pirates.
Dragon at least pursued the lofty ideal of changing the world. But his grandsons? Who could say?
"Ugh... Uncle, are we there yet?"
Stirring in Atlas's hand, Luffy rubbed his eyes, then looked around groggily.
"Hey! Luffy, say hi to your big brother!" Atlas gave him a casual shake.
Luffy glanced at Ace and Sabo, then instinctively raised his right hand. "Yo!"
"Eh!?"
"Big brother? Ace, aren't you—" Sabo stopped short, realising the Marine was right there.
"The son of the Pirate King, right?" Atlas finished smoothly.
"How did you know?"
"Mmph!" Realising what he'd blurted out, Sabo slapped his hands over his mouth and glanced at Ace in alarm. Was this Marine targeting him?
As I thought...
He gripped his iron pipe tighter, his vigilance sharper than ever.
"Sabo, I'll hold him off. You take this chance to run! His target is me!"
"Ace, how could I leave you behind and run—"
"Sabo..."
Just as the brothers were about to descend into a melodramatic farewell, Atlas's patience snapped.
Why are these brats so dramatic?! I say one thing, and they spin ten stories out of it!
"Hey! Can you two stop overthinking? First off, the kid in my hand is Garp's grandson, which makes him your little brother."
"So he's my grandpa's grandson too!"
"You, shut up!"
"Okay!"
"Second, Garp was the one who told me you're Roger's son. I'm not here to execute you, so quit being so tense."
Ace frowned. Garp was unreliable, sure, but not careless enough to share such a secret lightly.
Of course, it was a lie. Ace couldn't confirm it with Garp, and the old man's easygoing nature made it believable enough to doubt without dismissing.
"What?! Is Roger your dad? The same pirate Grandpa always chased and beat up?" Luffy blurted.
POW!
"Ow! That hurts! Why'd you hit me again?!" Luffy whined, clutching the lump on his head.
"Third," Atlas ignored him, his voice sharp as he flicked his finger. A jet of fire shot out, vaporising a massive tree in the distance in an instant.
"With power like this, if I wanted to execute you, would I waste time talking?"
The boys froze, staring at the smouldering crater and shattered remains of the tree.
In an instant... it vanished?! Sabo was dumbstruck, too shocked even to grab the black top hat blown from his head.
Gulp...
Can a human be this strong? To think we planned to fight him...
Ace, too, was silent. In the face of such overwhelming strength, words felt meaningless. His guarded eyes softened, and the tension in his body eased. Actions spoke louder than words.
No matter how convincing Atlas's speech had been, it couldn't compare to that single devastating display of power. Ace understood that much.
"Wow, you're so strong, Uncle!" Luffy gushed, eyes wide with awe.
"So... do you believe me now, Ace?" Atlas asked with a calm smile, looking at the yet-to-be-sworn brothers, Sabo and Ace.
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
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