Year 1510.
When Naru reached the tenth year of her second life in this world, she was finally ready to take the next step in her long-term plan to establish a spy network. Rather than delegating the task to her clones as she usually would, she chose to handle this mission herself, in person.
From the moment she first spoke about venturing beyond their island, she had never tried to hide her intentions. Because of this, every member of her unconventional family, including Garp, had always known that the day would come when Naru would leave them behind.
They just did not know exactly when that day would be.
So when she suddenly announced her departure during their usual family dinner, their surprise lasted only a few moments before they offered a few words of advice about sailing, being careful, and preparing sufficient food and water. After that, they returned to their meals as if nothing had happened.
Those who did not know the family might assume that their lack of reaction meant they did not care about her.
In truth, it was the complete opposite.
The Dadan Family cared deeply for her, the first child of their family. This child, however, was a hundred times better than all of them combined, leaving almost nothing to worry about. Despite being only ten years old by age, she neither looked like a child, acted like one, nor carried the fragility of one.
They had grown used to her defying expectations since infancy. She had normalized the extraordinary. So much so that the idea of a ten-year-old girl setting off to sail the world alone did not rattle them in the slightest.
They believed in her. Dadan and the rest of the uncles felt no unease in their hearts.
When Ace first heard that his big sister was going to sail alone, his reaction was surprisingly calm. While he felt a bit miffed that she had not asked him to come along, his disappointment was short-lived. Naru promised him that once he could last a full three minutes against her in a sparring session, she would allow him to tag along on future adventures.
Knowing such a feat was impossible with his current strength, Ace wisely chose to back down. He planned to grow stronger, and when that day came, he would earn her recognition and carve his own path on the sea.
As for Luffy, the five-year-old expressed his dissatisfaction strongly, throwing tantrums when he failed to convince Naru to bring him along. She handled him the same way she handled Ace, setting the same condition. Unlike his older brother, who could accept defeat with some grace, Luffy's frustration turned into fierce resolve. He immediately agreed to her terms, even if he had no real understanding of what they meant.
Naturally, he failed. Miserably. For the moment, that was enough to silence him.
His crestfallen face caused Naru to say, "How about this? As long as you can last three minutes against me, I will let you have your own adventure immediately. However, if you cannot convince me that you are ready to face the world before I leave for the Grand Line in two years, then your seventeenth year will be your beginning, whether you like it or not. Until then, train hard to beat me."
To be honest, she had not put much thought into that statement. It had simply slipped out. Yet the more she considered it, factoring in her brothers' personalities and potential, the more reasonable it sounded. She did not truly believe Ace, let alone Luffy, could defeat her in two years. Still, by the time they reached seventeen, she trusted they would both be strong and mature enough to chart their own courses.
When that day came, Naru would not stop them. She would not interfere. Their decisions would be their own.
Of course, it would be a different matter if something happened to either of them that required her intervention or if they acted against their conscience. As the big sister, it was her responsibility to keep her family in check.
Her words sparked a strong flame of determination in the two children, driving them to work and train harder than they were even willing to under Garp's tough guidance, much to the old man's pleasant surprise.
Ace and Luffy, those reckless and stubborn children, dreamed of being like their incredible big sister. A sister who could forge her own path, have her own adventures, and remain unshaken by the world.
Three days later, Naru departed from Dawn Island with high spirits and a confident smile, completely unaware that a minor disaster awaited her in the days to come.
.
.
.
Several days later.
"We're going out to play now!" Ace shouted as he and Luffy hurriedly slipped on their sandals.
"You brats better be back before dark!" Dadan's voice boomed from inside the house.
"Okayyy!" Luffy called back, chasing after Ace, who was already dashing ahead.
"Hurry up, you slowpoke! Last one to the tree is a rotten egg!"
"Nooo! Ace, wait for me!"
Their gleeful voices faded into the distance as they disappeared deeper into the woods. Laughing and sprinting, they eventually reached a large tree not far from their usual river spot. Today was not a hunting day, so there was no need to catch fish or forage. Their family had taken care of that a couple of days ago. With no responsibilities weighing them down, the boys devoted the entire afternoon to playing.
After a while, Luffy's nose twitched.
"What's up, Luffy?" Ace asked, watching the younger boy sniff the air with a furrowed brow.
"Don't you smell something stinky?" Luffy replied, sniffing more intensely. His expression scrunched in mild disgust, yet there was a hint of intrigue, much like Pochi when catching an unfamiliar scent.
Ace sniffed as well and caught the same foul odor. It was not overwhelmingly horrible, but it was definitely unpleasant. Still, it was nothing they could not handle. Driven by curiosity, the boys slid down the tree with ease and began following the trail of the smell.
Eventually, they found themselves in a wide open area littered with heaps of trash. The further in they walked, the more garbage they saw. It was not long before they realized they had stumbled upon a junkyard. So this was the source of the stench. Among the debris were several grimy men in tattered clothing, eyeing the two clean-faced boys with a mix of curiosity and caution. Their eyes were dulled with fatigue.
The boys did not care. After all, when you had faced Garp's terrifying glare, what harm could come from a few wary stares?
Without the slightest sense of danger, Ace and Luffy wandered further into the unfamiliar territory. Who would have thought a place like this even existed near Mt. Colubo?
While Luffy eagerly sifted through the junk in search of something fun, Ace explored with a more scrutinizing gaze. He was willing to bet his entire stash of stolen snacks that Naru already knew about this place. She had claimed she had explored the whole island before, and she had even promised to take them around slowly one day.
Channeling her usual scolding tone, Ace warned the overly excited Luffy not to wander too far. He received a quick "Okay!" in return and resumed his search.
That was when something caught his eye. A long metal pipe lying on the ground nearby. Intrigued, Ace made his way toward it. But just as he reached out, a yellow-and-blue blur zipped past him, and the pipe vanished.
"Hey!" Ace spun around, eyes locking onto the culprit. A boy with a playful smirk and a glint of mischief in his eyes had the pipe slung proudly over his shoulder like some kind of treasure.
Fuming, Ace pointed an accusing finger. "That was mine, you thief!"
His furious outburst quickly drew Luffy's attention.
"Eh? Who are you?" Luffy asked, stepping up beside his older brother.
The boy blinked and smiled wider. "You guys don't look like you're from around here. Your clothes are way nicer than what most people wear here."
Ace narrowed his eyes and chose not to respond directly. Instead, he scrutinized the stranger in return.
The boy had blond hair that strangely reminded Ace of Naru, and he looked about the same age as Ace himself. His oversized hat with goggles perched on top looked ridiculous, and he wore a clean blue coat with matching pants. He did not exactly look like he belonged in this junkyard either.
But Ace did not care about appearances. He was too busy glaring at the pipe-snatching thief.
"Yo! I'm Luffy!" the younger boy suddenly chirped, ever the friendly one. He patted Ace on the shoulder and added, "This is my big brother. His name is Ace!"
The blond boy chuckled, finding the duo amusing. "Yo. I'm Sabo."
"We didn't ask," Ace muttered grumpily. He was still sulking over how easily he had let his guard down. After all the brutal training under that crazy old man, letting a random kid get the better of him like that was humiliating.
Sabo did not seem offended. He just laughed, clearly entertained.
"If you're mad about the pipe, my bad. But that thing is mine. I dropped it earlier and came back for it," he explained, shrugging.
Whether he was telling the truth or just covering his tracks, Ace decided to drop it. It was not like he really wanted the pipe anyway. His irritation stemmed more from his own mistake than the loss of some rusty metal.
Grumbling under his breath, he muttered, "Whatever…"
Sabo turned back to Luffy with the same grin, figuring he would have better luck holding a conversation with the cheerful one.
"So, where are you guys from?"
"Dadan's house!" Luffy said proudly.
"I see. Where's that? Which village?"
Luffy blinked and pointed vaguely. "There! Up on the mountain!"
"Colubo?" Sabo guessed.
Luffy nodded.
"Cool."
There was a beat of silence as the two boys stared at each other.
"Your hat is so cool!" Luffy suddenly blurted. "And you kinda look like Nee-chan!"
Sabo blinked. "Nee-chan?"
He had no idea who that was, but Luffy's compliment made his grin stretch even wider. "Thanks!"
As Luffy and Sabo hit it off, Ace stood off to the side, watching the two bond like long-lost brothers. He scowled.
Eventually, unable to contain his annoyance any longer, he burst out, "Dammit! You two can't just ignore me like that! And he looks nothing like Naru!"
And just like that, the first spark of a legendary friendship was lit.