It was evening. The sun was setting. Some animals were starting to head to sleep while others were just starting to wake up.
A little boy was running through the Midway Forest up to Mt. Colubo, coming from Gray Terminal where he had been aimlessly walking around.
Now there were many things wrong with this picture. One, why would what seems to be a non-beggar child considering his clothes be walking around in Gray Terminal? No parent in their right mind would allow their child near that junkyard full of disease and crime.
Two, why would he be running in Midway Forest? Especially all alone. Everyone knows how dangerous that place is with all the giant beasts able to swallow a fully grown adult whole and their deadly claws and teeth. And to make it even more strange, he seems to be used to the place as well, the agile little boy easily dodging trees and jumping over streams without a second thought.
Three, why would he be heading to Mt. Colubo? Bandits inhabit that place, not to mention the Cove of Pirates, the Pirates Bay, nearby at the base. Plenty of the dangerous creatures from the Midway Forest also roam around that mountain, making it all the more unsuitable for a child to be heading to.
The little boy was Portgas D. Ace, who recently turned five. And to answer all those questions, Ace lived with the bandits. That's right folks, you heard it right. A five year old boy lived with a group of bandits.
Bandits aren't exactly kid martial, and while they did care for him – not that they'd ever admit it, especially the leader, Dadan – they had no idea how to properly raise a child and so had no qualms with letting the child forced upon them to wander any places, dangerous or not, on Dawn Island.
Not that they could've stopped him had it not been allowed. The child was an adventurer. Had been since the day he could walk. Even before then even. He would have found a way to get there without their permission regardless. And he was scarily strong for an adult, much less a child, not to mention his intelligence, which was baffling considering half the people he lives with don't even know how to read.
Besides, he had to go through dangerous places Midway Forest to get to Mt. Colubo. That was where he lived. Where else would he go to sleep? Ignoring the fact he sometimes stays out all night and they still don't know where he goes.
Right now Ace was hurrying to the bandit house. His Gramps was visiting for the first time in almost two months. And he needed to have a talk with him!
The sun was already hidden behind one of the taller surrounding mountains when he finally arrived, rending the place almost completely dark. Garp and Dadan were talking a little ways away from the bandit house.
Garp noticed him first and started walking toward him with a grin and spread arms. "Ace! My precious grandson! Oh, you've grown! The last time I was here was for your fifth birthday. How are you-"
"I know about Baterilla!"
Garp stopped walking towards him.
"Where the Marineskilledhundreds of pregnant woman, babies, and unborn babies, I-I-" Ace's voice cracked, eyes watering slightly. "In Baterilla. Almost seven years ago. W-Was it because of me? Because they wanted to kill the Pirate King's baby so much they just decided to kill everyone?"
Garp's face lost all colour when he realised what he was talking about. Dadan looked confused and upset.
"Sixty three pregnant women and unborn babies – no, even more – some of them must have been pregnant with more then one. One hundred a-and ninty seven children under three, ninty four girls and one hundred and three boys. All b-because of m-me?" Dadan's face slowly lost more color the longer he talked.
"And that's not to mention all the people wh-who killed themselves. Or-or the elderly or sick who's bodies couldn't handle the stress and passed. Or the people who rely on medicine to survive and couldn't get it because-" Ace sniffled. "-because Baterilla was completely sealed off form the rest of the world for over a year. Or th-the ones who tried to fight back against the Marines and w-were murdered. People trying to get their family back struck down. Anyone suspicious of helping him were also killed-" Ace sounded like he was holding back tears. "-even with little to no damn proof! And that's only the death. Kids were left orphaned. Many people were injured, some physically, all mentally-"
"Where-" Garp sputtered, stopping Ace from continuing. "How the hell did you get those numbers?!"
"I sneaked into Dawn Island Marine Station to get more information from reports. And asked everyone if they knew about it. And a man who lost his pregnant wife and toddler moved here after it happened. And-But that isn't important right now!" Ace yelled. "Nobody knows why the Marines did that. The reason was kept a secret. But I know that's where I was born! And that my mother for some reason forced herself to hold me for twenty months and died because of it. Because of me! So tell me – and tell me the truth! – did this happen because they were looking for me? Is it my fault this happened?"
Garp and Dadan didn't know what to say. Dadan had only heard bits and pieces of The Tragedy of Baterilla Island that seemed to happen without reason. But after Garp had told her Ace was from Baterilla, she quickly realized what the actual reason was. But she'd never heard just how many casualties there were before!
Garp finally found his voice.
"No – I mean, yes – I mean-" Garp sighed. "Yes, Ace, what happened at Baterilla Island was because the Marines were looking for you. But that doesn't mean it was your fault! They were just looking for the child of the Pirate King – if anything it's Roger's fault for allowing himself to be so careless! – but – uh – they were killing all the babies because of you – No! No! – not because of you! They were just looking for you-"
"So it's my fault." Ace said it as a statement, not a question.
"No! You just – you were just as much of a victim as anyone there – you were just the one they were actually looking for, you know and I..." Garp continued to ramble on and on about how it wasn't his fault, not that he was doing a very good job of it.
"But if I never existed,-" Ace interrupts. "-would that have still happened?"
Garp paused.
Now here's the thing. Being honest is a good trait to have. And Garp considers it one of his good traits. But these next few words are a prime example of what it means to be too honest.
"Well...I'm going to have to say no. If you had never existed I don't think the Baterilla incident would of ever happened. Not that it's your fault! There just never would have been all those deaths if you-"
Seeing Ace's face slowly crumble more and more as Garp continued talking, Dadan pushed aside all her fear of him for a moment, yelling. "Be quiet, Garp!"
"What?! That's the truth! I'm not going to lie to him! It might not be his fault but technically if he never existed Baterilla would have never happened!" Garp made sure to keep an eye on Ace, as much as his heart started aching at his downcast expression. He made sure he was going to be prepared to grap him if he tries to leaves.
Ace looked like he was ready to sprint away. And considering what they were talking about he wouldn't want to be found for a good while. And Garp he if he manages to leave they wouldn't be able to find him for long time.
In all his 'I'm a five year old who's fast enough to outrun many adults and that along with my extensive knowledge of my surroundings from exploring all the time and small body I can escape my grandfather by going to complicated places where he will get lost or if he does catch up I can go in small places he won't be able to fit and since said Grandfather doesn't want to bring unnecessary attention here just incase someone finds out who my father is and I get killed he won't destroy the place to get through like he usually would and that along with my uncanny self-learned ability of unconsciously completely withdrawing my Observation Haki to an almost professional level when I don't want to be found that I somehow don't even realise I do since I don't know Haki I cannot be given a chance to escape because then I will never be found unless I want to be' glory.
The argument continued growing between the Vice-Admiral and the Bandit Leader and Garp temporarily looked away from Ace.
Small feet started backing away.
"-meant! You know that, right? Right, Ace?" Garp looked down to where Ace was only seconds before to find the place empty. Garp cursed. He was a Vice-Admiral with impeccable Haki. Even if he was distracted how the hell did he let a five year old sneak out from right under his nose?!
"Ace? ACE?!" But it was too late. A small body was already high-tailing it out to Midway Forest, tears finally forcing themselves from his eyes. Two words repeatedly recurring themselves in his brain. My fault. My fault.